Episode 94: Gregg Allen & Katie Allen Bolner, A Bar N Ranch (Live from Chefs for Farmers, Dallas, TX)

The Southern Fork

Well, it’s the day after Thanksgiving, and if you’re like most Americans, you are whining about having anything other than turkey. Well, I got you covered. Here’s the beef (sorry, I just had to say that. Milennials, youtube this Wendy’s reference, ok?) Anyway, it’s a beef-centric episode with A Bar N Ranch from Sherman, TX.. I met Gregg Allen and his daughter, Katie Allen Bolner, at the recent Chefs for Farmers event in Dallas, TX then headed to the ranch, which is storybook, it seems, especially for a woman from the Carolinas. Rolling hills under white overcast skies were dotted with black cattle, each sporting a bright tag in its ear. Dusty gravel roads crisscrossed the land past varied structures, feed trucks, fences, and occasional ponds. This is the home of Texas Wagyu beef, and since I’ve been seeing Wagyu showing up on a lot of menus lately, I wanted to learn -- and taste -- more. The ranchers hosted a delicious beef brunch after a tour of the ranch, and it was one of the best meals of the whole weekend, especially the beef bacon. The next day we reconvened at The Adolphus Hotel in Dallas for a chat and a sip of whiskey.