How long does it take to make a steak?

 This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

How long does it take to make a steak? First question—are you Team Medium-Rare like me? If you are, then it takes about twelve minutes to make a delicious Porterhouse Steak! My favorite way is grilled over charcoal with a bit of woodsmoke, but frankly, even pan-fried in a cast iron skillet is okay with me.

Before that steak appears at the grocery store or restaurant, ranchers like me have already spent up to THREE YEARS of planning and hard work on your steak! Yes, seriously! For National Agriculture Day, March 23, 2021, let’s talk about how long it takes to make a steak!

Let’s start at the beginning. I am a Seedstock Rancher—which is kind of like the person who grows the seeds you buy to plant in your garden, except with cattle. My family and I use many tools to determine which are the best bulls to breed to our cows, that will help in producing the best breeding stock to sell to other ranchers. When I make a breeding decision, it affects the people who buy my cattle, as well as the calves that they raise, and finally the beef that they produce and send to the restaurants and stores!

My customers who buy breeding stock rely on me to sell them the best genetics available. DNA sampling is one of the coolest tools that I use to know the genetics for the bulls that I sell. From a sample of tail hair, the lab can extract DNA, and based on genetic markers we know if the bull’s progeny will have superior marbling characteristics or not! Of course, we want the best marbling so they will make delicious steak. There are other traits that we use to select superior cattle as well, but marbling is very important in determining quality steaks.

My customers use my seedstock (bulls and cows) that I sell to them, to raise cattle that make the beef we eat. A cow’s gestation is nine months, so after purchasing a bull from me, my customers will have calves about a year later, and then they are about 1 ½ to 2 years-old when they are slaughtered for beef.  So, when I say that it takes at least three years to make a steak—I am not exaggerating!

Are you looking for new beef recipes so that you are ready to break out the grill this summer? My favorite place for browsing recipes is BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com and you can find delicious ways to cook steak, roasts and ground beef! Grilling season is just around the corner and on National Agriculture Day, enjoy a steak knowing that a rancher just like me has been working to send you the best steak we can!

Are you Team Medium-Rare? Team Medium? Or maybe even Team Rare? How do you like your steak? You can trust that it is safe and nutritious, and that I have done all the work and planning to bring the best steak to your grill.