The journey to naming Ozark Akerz started in late 2006 with a mugshot and fingerprints at the Welwyn Garden City Constabulary. I was applying for a green card to the United States. Part of the requirement was checking for criminal records in every country I had lived in since the age of 16. This included 3 countries, Canada, Denmark and my residence at the time, United Kingdom.

My mugshot and fingerprints were sent to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), MI5 and MI6 (yes, James Bond’s MI6) and Interpol. Once they had been submitted, there was nothing to do but sit back and wait for criminal records to arrive in the mail, which took 9.5 months, the same as a Pineywoods Cattle gestation period. The US Embassy in London contacted me and said I had been cleared for the next stage: more paperwork and a medical exam followed an interview with Embassy staff.

The day of interview at the US Embassy, my wife Sue and I were nervous. Let me explain why.

Risk. It makes me feel chaotic, disorderly, wild, vibrant. Risk makes me feel alive when I take it. And yet, through my work as a farmer risk is not something I take, it is given.

So this month I am ready to TAKE a risk, go to the Rage Against The Machine concert in Raleigh, North Carolina despite the resurgence of the disease. 

I’m sure you’re thinking “that doesn’t sound risky”.  Let me explain why it is.

There are a lot of different cuts of Heritage Pineywoods Beef and there are several personal factors that can effect your decision on which to choose.

In this post we share how to choose the cuts, the best way to cook them and seasonings to use to bring out the best flavor of wild foraged and dry-aged Pineywoods Beef from Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm.