Farm & Ranch Life

Holiday Smoked Brisket

Thanksgiving dinner without getting up at four in the morning. Our Hooser Reserve brisket is smoked low and slow by One90 Smoked Meats and finished sous vide, so it reaches you fully cooked and sealed in its own juices. You warm the sealed bag in hot water and slice. About 10 lbs, which feeds 12 to 15 people, and it is almost impossible to ruin.

You need:

1 Hooser Reserve smoked brisket, about 10 lbs, still sealed
A stockpot big enough to cover it
A kitchen thermometer
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper to taste

How to:
1. Move the brisket from the freezer to the refrigerator two full days ahead. Ten pounds needs all 48 hours.
2. Bring a large stockpot of water to a simmer at 165°F.
3. Submerge the unopened package. Give it 10 minutes per pound, so about 100 minutes for a 10 lb brisket, or until it is soft and warm all the way through. Leave it sealed until you are ready to eat.
4. Lift the bag out, snip a corner and pour those juices into a small saucepan. Do not throw them away, that is the best sauce you will get.
5. Want the bark firmer? Set the brisket on a sheet pan and give it 10 minutes in a 450°F oven. Skip it and it is still very good.
6. Rest it 15 minutes before a knife touches it.
7. Separate the point from the flat at the fat seam. Slice the flat against the grain, about as thick as a pencil. The grain turns on the point, so cut it in two and slice each half on its own.
8. Simmer the saved juices with the butter and Worcestershire for 2 minutes and spoon it over the slices.

Ranch tip: leftovers are the best part. Chop the point into a hash with potatoes and eggs on Friday morning, and pile the flat onto rolls with pickles and that sauce for the ballgame.

The Holiday Tallow Shelf

We teamed up with M&C Tallow Co. to turn our own Hooser beef tallow into small-batch whipped tallow for your skin. Six original scents plus the seasonal pumpkin and apple pie jars, all made right here in Italy, Texas.

Why tallow? It is one of the oldest skincare secrets there is. Beef tallow is rich in the same fats and vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that your skin already recognizes, so it absorbs quickly, moisturizes deep, and never leaves you greasy. A little old-fashioned, and that is exactly the point.

We whip ours light and fluffy and offer it in six scents (Lavender, Lemongrass Lavender, Bourbon, Sandalwood, Frankincense, and Heifer Honey) plus a peppermint lip balm to round out the lineup. For the holidays there are two seasonal jars as well, the Perfect Pumpkin Pie and the Famous Apple Pie, both 4 oz at $20, whipped with organic jojoba oil and a pumpkin spice or apple pie oil extract. Want the scent without the jar? The Pumpkin Pie Tallow Balm is $6 for a 0.15 oz tube, and the Golden Glow deodorant stick is $15 for anyone making the switch. A little goes a long way, so a single 4 oz jar lasts and lasts.

It started with a simple belief: nothing from our cattle should go to waste. Turning our own rendered tallow into something good for your skin is just one more way we honor the animal, support a local Texas maker, and keep it all close to home.

A little goes a long way. Warm a pea-sized scoop between your fingers and it melts right in, which makes it good for dry hands after a day of work, cracked knuckles in cold weather, and the rough spots on elbows and heels. Gentle enough for faces and for little ones too.

The seasonal jars make easy gifts. Pair the Pumpkin Pie jar with the matching balm and you have a stocking stuffer for $26, or set all three out and let people pick their own. Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie are only on the shelf through the holidays.

Shop Whipped Tallow →

Free Beef Fridays: November Calendar

Free Beef Friday runs all year here at the ranch. November has three of them, and Black Friday Week closes out the month. Every $100 you spend in the shop earns a featured cut on us.

Black Friday Week, November 23 to 27. We are closed Thursday the 26th for Thanksgiving, so that is four selling days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The same deals run every open day. In store only, and beef only.

Everybody who walks in takes something home. A 16 oz jar of Hooser Reserve beef tallow and a pack of broth knuckle bones, free, one set per transaction, no purchase minimum.

Wagyu ground beef is 50% off. Roasts, briskets, Hooser Reserve ground, hammers, osso buco, cutlets, stew meat and the whole snack and grill case are 20% off. Steaks are 10% off. No minimum and no limit on any of it.

Smoked items, prime rib and tenderloin are not in the sale. Prime rib supply is tight this year and we are not taking reservations on it.

There is no Free Beef Friday on November 27. Black Friday Week takes its place, and Free Beef Friday picks back up December 4.

• NOVEMBER 6 1 lb stew meat, Wagyu or Hooser Reserve
• NOVEMBER 13 1 petite tender, Wagyu or Hooser Reserve
• NOVEMBER 20 2 packs osso buco, Wagyu or Hooser Reserve
• NOVEMBER 23 TO 27 Black Friday Week, in store only

This is our little way of saying thank you for supporting a local ranch. On Free Beef Fridays the shop is open, the coffee is on, and that Friday’s featured cut is on us for every $100 you spend in the shop.

Free Beef Friday runs all year, but each Friday’s featured cut is only available while supplies last. Get here early for the best pick. Can’t make it in? Order and pay online or call 903-688-1446 on Friday, then pick up or get delivery the following week. Mark your calendars and we’ll see y’all on Friday.

Maggie Moo Round-Up: Thankful Edition

Maggie Moo is on the MOO-ve! All month long, the Maggie Moo Mobile is out and about on deliveries. Spot her, snap a photo, post it publicly on Facebook or TikTok, tag @HooserCustomMeats and your location, and use #MaggieMoosOnTheMove to enter.

The prize: 2 lbs of ground lamb.

November Double Day: announced on Facebook at least 24 hours ahead. On Double Day, sightings in Frost, Mertens, Blooming Grove and Italy count too, and the prize doubles to 4 lbs of ground lamb.

Maggie is running holiday deliveries all over Ellis and Navarro County this month, so keep your eyes open. The closer we get to Thanksgiving, the more miles she is putting on.

Not sure what counts? If you spot the Wagoneer at the shop or out at the ranch, that one does not count. Catch her on the road or making a delivery somewhere outside Frost, Italy, Mertens and Blooming Grove on a regular day, and you are in.

The Hay Comes Back Out

Out at J&L Farms, corn harvest is officially underway. The stalks reached full height this season (8 to 10 feet tall, tassels out, and ears full and ready) and the combines are now rolling through the rows. Good land, good rain, and the right timing all came together this year.

The hay we cut and rolled back in the summer comes out of the stack now. Round bales go out on the pasture a few at a time and the cattle work them down as the standing grass gives out. A dry winter means more bales off the stack. A wet one means mud, and a lot more hauling.

This is about more than a field of grain. A good portion of this corn goes right back into the operation, feeding the same F1 Wagyu and Hooser Reserve cattle you will find in the shop, and that grain finish is a big part of what gives our beef its flavor and marbling.

The trucks are rolling and the bins are filling, and we are right there with the camera. From the field to the freezer, every step matters, and you get to ride along for all of it.

Fall Is Here

The summer heat has finally broken, and fall is settling in. Mornings are crisp, the days are shorter, and the herd is enjoying the cooler weather. Fresh water, shade, and pasture rotation are still the daily routine, but the animals are moving comfortably and the grass is holding up well after a good summer of rotation.

This is also when our attention turns toward fall. The spring calves have grown fast over the summer, and we are starting weaning prep: checking weights, making sure they are healthy and ready, and planning the timing so it is as low-stress as possible on both the calves and their mamas. It is one of the biggest jobs of the year, and getting it right sets up strong, healthy cattle heading into winter.

There is a lot to look forward to as the season turns: cooler weather, good grazing, and the payoff of a summer of steady care. It is all part of how we make sure every steak that ends up on your plate came from a well-cared-for animal.

Fresh Beef, Always Stocked

We send roughly 20 to 30 head of cattle to the processor every month, which means the shop stays stocked with fresh cuts year-round. Every animal is dry-aged at least 21 days, hand-cut, vacuum-sealed, and flash-frozen so it’s ready for your freezer the same week it leaves the processor.

If you’re in the market for a quarter, half, or whole beef, just let us know and we’ll get you on the list. Custom cut to your preferences and packaged the way you want it. That’s a freezer full of beef raised right here on the ranch, and you choose every cut that goes into it.

Walk-ins are welcome too. The retail case stays full of steaks, ground beef, roasts, brisket, and everything in between. From the family cookout to the weeknight dinner, we have you covered. Fresh cuts, ready for everyone and anyone looking to stock the freezer.