Cookin’ up meat for a good cause

The Blanco River Meat Company roasted a whole steer over an open fire over the weekend while raising money for the nonprofit Sunshine Kids, which helps children with cancer.

The steer came from Double J Ranch’s Beer Bourbon Beef.

“What makes this special is that he feeds the grains from local distilleries like Treaty Oak,” Arturo Ramon, owner of Blanco River Meat Company, said. “He goes and picks up grain every day and feeds his cattle that. Also Twisted X. These animals are raised three blocks from here. They are fed all this grain from local distilleries. They have tons of fat. There is not a lot of corn in there or a lot of sweets, so it lends itself to doing slow fire cooking. There is a show aspect to this, obviously, but at the same time if the food doesn’t come out right then wouldn’t be worth it.”

The distilleries and breweries like Twisted X, Treaty Oak and Still Austin Whiskey Co. that offer grain to Double J Ranch were also on hand at the outdoor facility at the entrance to Rolling Oaks to help refresh the crowd.