Our Story
Crossbuck Cattle Co. is a collaboration between two friends, Tim McLaughlin and Richard Kincheloe, who came together years ago to create a company dedicated to producing the best-tasting beef.
It turns out that making great beef is a lot like making great BBQ…it's best when use a long, slow process and treat it with care.
Tim McLaughlin
The Men Behind the Company
Tim is the famous chef-pitmaster that founded Crossbuck BBQ with a mission of crafting the finest BBQ in the country and putting “Dallas BBQ” on the national map.
Richard's family owns a large ranch in Clifton, Texas and they were interested in taking "cattle raising" to the next level.
The Goal
As the two spent more time talking with each other they figured out that they shared a common goal - producing the best-tasting beef.
The Interesting Research
Starting years ago, the two focused heavily on trying to figure out the ideal feeding program for the cattle. Along the way, they figured out something very interesting…
The same breed of cattle, raised on the same ranch using the same exact feeding program turned out beef that was incredibly different in quality.
In fact, during one set of tests, they worked very hard to control every variable and yet the two steers being tested generated meat that was very different in quality. One was especially tender and tasty while the other was tough and bland. The two observed that the only real difference was, in Richard's words, "that one steer was an ass----!" This led the two to ask…
Do Happy Cows Taste Better?
Turns out some other really smart people had already studied this topic and yes...there is science behind this theory. Dr. Temple Grandin, the celebrated animal behaviorist and top proponent for the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter had dedicated her life to this topic.
Her studies and others showed that when cattle were subjected to large amounts of stress and movement, the muscles used up the glycogen needed to produce energy. This led to lower levels of lactic acid production post-mortem and yielded meat that was pale, tough and tasteless.
The Crossbuck Cattle Co. Mission
With this, the idea was born. Tim and Richard would focus on raising “happy cows.”
From the moment they are born, the cows are raised in an open, natural, comfortable, and stress-free environment, with programs in place to ensure an abundance of shade, easy access to multiple clean and fresh water sources, and other elements like scratching brushes and aggressive fly control and prevention.
It’s more than just a feeding program. It’s about creating the optimal environment for these cows, because we have determined that happy cows make happy beef.
However, the feeding program is still a vital part of Crossbuck Cattle Co.’s process. The cows are grass fed, grazing freely on open pastures, nourished by their mother’s milk. Once they are weaned, they move to a sustainable pasture where they are fed a carefully balanced diet of natural grass, hay and grain to develop optimal fat content. To ensure natural and healthy growth, no growth hormones are used.