Breakfast Beef Sausage Burritos & 8 Bros Land and Cattle 

We are also very excited to share our Beef Breakfasts! To start this off, we are doing a classic Breakfast Burrito, which includes Beef Breakfast Sausage, eggs, cheese, and green chili all wrapped in a homemade flour tortilla!  

However, we would like first to introduce our friends, Jill and Isaac Carr.

We have talked a lot about our friends, Jill and Isaac Carr, over at Our Beef Kitchen on Instagram. These friends are not only fellow food bloggers and beef lovers. They are also cattle ranchers. The Carr owns and operates 8 Bros Land and Cattle Company, a feedlot that backgrounds cattle. That might sound a little confusing, but to break it down, Isaac cares for different groups of cattle during a stage of their lifecycle. Every day he feeds them a balanced diet formulated by a ruminant nutritionist. He also checks the cattle daily to make sure they are comfortable and not showing signs of illness, and if there is one that is not feeling the best, he doctors it with the guidance of a veterinarian. The unique thing about our relationship with the Carr’s is that we are great friends and share a steer customer. So, the cattle that Isaac cares for are cattle we will ship to our grass in May and care for May through August. We thought it might be fun to introduce Isaac with a little Q&A Session.

Question and Answer 

Jill Carr provided photos for the Q&A portion of this post. 

What is your      occupation?

Feedlot owner/operator  

What type of   education do you have?  

Bachelor of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University  

 What is your typical day like at 8 Bros Land and Cattle? 

Every day, my first priorities are feeding cattle and checking their health. After that, I’ll need to be flexible about what gets done that day, depending on what projects and repairs need to be done.  

   When the grass calves arrive how big are they?

450-550lbs  

What is the process you do to the calves to make sure they acclimate to their new home? 

When the calves arrive, we will usually give them a day to rest from their long day at the sale barn plus their time on the truck.  We will have some hay or our starter ration waiting for them in their feed bunk so when they first get to the pen their feed is easy to find.  On their second or third day at 8bros, we will gather the calves up and process them.  This can be a stressful time for the calves so we try to do this as quietly and softly as possible.  Once the calf reaches the chute we try to work swiftly and efficiently.  The calf will receive two vaccines, de-wormer, a new fancy ear tag, an implant in their ear and the cattle owner’s brand.   

  What do you feed the calves? 

The calves will start on a grass hay ration with some added corn. Then, we will slowly start to transition them to a silage-based ration that will include Sorghum Silage, Grass Hay, Dry Distillers’ Grain, and a touch of corn. They will also receive a supplement with trace minerals and vitamins.  

      Do you have to doctor the calves from time to time? If so how do you do so? 

For sure.  Most commonly the calves will catch a respiratory disease which can be caused by different sources such as the individual’s immune system and the weather, with the weather being my biggest factor.  Wide swings in temperature, hard north winds and dry or wet conditions can cause stress on a calf and weaken its immune system.  If a calf does get sick, I will pull that calf out of the pen and drive him to the chute.  I will first record his temperature and ID number, treat the individual with an antibiotic and send him back to his home pen.  From time to time, I will leave sick cattle in a separate pen so I can keep a better eye on them and make sure their health is getting better each day before I put the calf back in its home pen.  

How long do the calves stay in your yard? 

The grass calves will stay at 8 bros until May 1st.  On average, the calves will be here for 90 days. (3 months) 

Why do calves come to your yard and not go straight to grass to graze? 

Simply because there is no grass to graze in February.  The grass is dormant and doesn’t hold enough nutritional value for the calf to be healthy and maintain its weight.  In addition, we can prepare these calves so that when they get to grass all of their nutritional requirements are met and they are healthy. That way the calf only has to worry about eating that green grass.   

How big are the calves when they leave your yard? 

Grass calves will weigh 650 lbs when we take them to the grass. 

 

On a funny side note about Isaac, he bought his now-wife, Jill, but then fiancé, a rolling pin for Christmas so she would learn to make homemade tortillas! So, Jill, this recipe is for you!  

Beef Breakfast Tacos 

We are also very excited to share our Beef Breakfasts! To start this off, we are doing a classic Breakfast Burrito, which includes Beef Breakfast Sausage, eggs, cheese, and green chili, all wrapped in a homemade flour tortilla!  

 Flour Tortillas 

2 cups of flour 
3 tbsp. baking powder 
½ tsp. of salt
¼ cup of lard
½ to ¾ cup of warm water  

Start by adding your flour, baking powder and salt, mixing to combine. Then add your Lard. Work in your lard until its well incorporated. Create a well in the bowl of your dry ingredients and add your water a little at a time, incorporating each addition well (You may not use all the water and it could take more it just depends on the humidity). The dough will be sticky at first. Knead the dough till the bowl becomes clean and your shoulder is tired and then knead it for 2 more minutes. Once the dough is kneaded to the proper texture, begin by dividing the dough into 8, 2-inch balls. You are now ready to begin rolling out and cooking the tortillas. Work a dough ball into a disc with the center thinner and the edges thicker. Begin rolling out the disc on a floured surface. Do not apply too much pressure as you roll them out. The consistent back and forth motion is what will create the rolled-out tortilla. Don’t worry about getting them perfectly round, that will come with time and practice. You will want to roll them out to about 1/16th of an inch thick. Place tortilla on a rocket hot griddle or even nonstick skillet to cook. Cook each tortilla for a total of 1 ½ to 2 minutes, flipping from side to side every 15 seconds or so. Once cooked they may feel a little stiff, however, place them in a tea towel with the other warm tortillas and they will limber back up.

Here is a little video that will walk you through how to make tortillas.  

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Breakfast Beef Sausage

(This recipe came from the Beef It’s What’s for Dinner website.)

1 pound Ground Beef 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage (we used fresh sage, but will be using dried for the future for convince) 
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

COOKING: 

Combine Ground Beef and seasonings in a large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.  

To prepare crumbles, heat  a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add sausage mixture; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 1/2-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally.  

Cook’s Tip: Two to 2-1/2 cups fully cooked sausage crumbles can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. To use, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add frozen crumbles and cook 6 to 9 minutes or until crumbles reach 165°F, stirring occasionally. 

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 Beef Breakfast Burrito 

Homemade Flour Tortillas
Beef Breakfast Sausage
Scrambled Eggs
Cheese (we like sharp cheddar)
Green Chili 

To build your burrito place your tortilla on a plate, add your sausage, eggs, cheese, and chili. Wrap and enjoy!