Certified Tender, Premium Aged Beef

We aren't joking when we say we "hand-select" our beef specifically for tenderness and quality. We were one of the first programs to require USDA Certification for tenderness and aged beef process. USDA audits our program regularly.  Here are the steps we follow to ensure tenderness from pasture to plate.

Selection begins at the ranch
Nolan and his partners have a discerning eye when it comes to selecting cattle for the program.  Nolan, who is featured in the Summer 2007 issue of Working Ranch Magazine, believes in quality and he is passionate when he talks about ways he tries to improve the quality of his herd.  Nolan and the other ranchers in the program raise healthy, good quality cattle. They are committed to quality at every step of the way.  From these participating beef producers, we only choose young grain-fed steers and heifers. We never allow older cows and bulls into our program. 

Throughout the process, we make sure that our cattle are treated with the utmost care and attention. Horseback-riders check the cattle daily to ensure their health and comfort. Even at the time of harvest, we handle the animals in ways that minimize any stress in facilities designed by world-renowned expert in the design of humane livestock facilities, Dr. Temple Grandin. 



Best Practices, Patented Technology
During processing, we use a unique patented technology using digital images to evaluate every side of beef for tenderness and ensure our beef is consistent. Two people must agree that the side of beef meets three criteria. 

1. The beef selected has a uniform size and ribeye score. We select only USDA-Certified Yield Grades 1 & 2 for lean beef. This means our beef has just enough marbling to ensure flavor without the extra fat.

2.  Using a piece of equipment called the Smart Machine Vision BeefCam®, we conduct a tenderness test. Any beef that might be tough is rejected from our program and processed as commodity beef. The most tender sides of beef are selected so that we can ensure that you have a good eating experience.

3. USDA certifies our tenderness aging process. Like fine wine, beef has a better flavor and is more tender when it is properly aged. We age our beef for 14 days before it arrives in the retailers warehouse and doesn’t exceed 21 days of aging. We believe this is the optimal number of days for premium aged beef. Many studies have found that beef tenderness does not increase with additional days and we can get a fresher product to you sooner.

Perfection is our goal
We believe that our process ensures that people who enjoy premium beef can count on us to have a great eating experience every time they choose Nolan Ryan's Guaranteed Tender.  Only one in five cattle meets the specifications to carry the Nolan Ryan name. While perfection is our goal, we know that sometimes you, our consumer, won't think we've delivered on our brand promise.  When we let you down, please let us know and we'll send you a full refund of your purchase price.  We put a lot of thought and effort and have partnered with some of the industry’s top meat scientists to make sure that when you buy Nolan Ryan’s Guaranteed Tender Beef, you will get a restaurant-quality eating experience every time.