Windy N Ranch — Local services in Ellensburg

My wife and I chose to purchase our first-ever Heritage turkey. We have been concerned with how “factory-raised” animals are treated and have been very active in identifying alternative options which focus on improved sustainability and overall more humane treatment of animals. After quite a bit of research we discovered WindyNRanch. The descriptions of the farm and the focus on sustainable, organic farming practices was a perfect combination for us. Additionally, the detailed descriptions online were very helpful.

The fact that we could pick up a turkey in Bellevue sealed the deal for us. We purchased a small 8.5 lb Heritage turkey as it was just the two of us for Thanksgiving. We allowed the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator for 4 days before placing the bird in a bribe solution with bay leaves, lemons and apple cider. We brined the bird for 24 hours and then rinsed the brine solution off, patted the bird dry and left it uncovered in the frig overnight.

In the morning, we took the bird out about 2 hours before grilling. We placed butter and herbs (rosemary and thyme) under the skin and stuffed the turkey with onions, apples, garlic and thyme.

We then set up our Big Green Egg for an indirect heating at 450 degrees. Once at temperature, we placed some apple wood chips into the oven and placed the turkey breast-side down for one hour. We lowered the temp to 350 and after one hour, we flipped the bird so the breasts were upright for the final hour.

After about 2-2.5 hours total, we monitored the temp until the lowest reading was about 150 degrees.

We then removed the turkey from the grill and allowed it to cook for about 30-45 minutes and then carved the meat and disposed of the stuffing (that was only in there for flavor).

My wife has not traditionally been a turkey eater and I haven’t cooked a turkey in over 15 years due to what I perceived as a bland and mushy experience. Let me tell you that this Heritage turkey was the best meat we have ever eaten. It was perfectly moist, nicely smoked and the herbs were a perfect match. The flavors of the meat were amazing and the texture was so much better than traditional turkeys. Yes, the dark meat is a bit “chewier” but only in the best way possible. The white meat was outstanding.

We managed to eat the whole turkey in two days as we couldn’t keep away from it.

I want to thank Laurie for the help in securing this bird and we look forward to expanding our purchases...

Wow. What an all-around lovely first-time experience with Greg at Windy N Ranch! First, our family manages life-threatening food allergies so we have to be extremely careful about any potential sources of cross-contact with these allergens. I asked many questions of Greg about where these risks might exist and how to mitigate those risks. He was thorough, patient, and willing to take extra precautions to make sure our pork was as safe as could be for our multiple food-allergic daughter.

Second, we hadn't eaten pork for several years when a beloved organic family farm near us stopped raising hogs, but we decided last year to resume our search for another place to buy a hog for our family's freezer this year. After spending many, many hours trying to find a farm that offers humanely-raised, humanely-killed, and organically-fed pork, we realized that Windy N Ranch was the only farm in Oregon and Washington that met our high standards. "Pasture-raised" is great, but we also wanted to be very mindful of the stress on these intelligent animals in the days and hours leading up to slaughter as well as reducing our young children's exposure to glyphosate by eating only organically-fed animals. (We also get the extra fat to render into delicious lard so organic is even more important when eating all that yummy pig fat!). Greg's pigs never leave the farm for slaughter, never have to endure the stress of transport, and only eat certified-organic feed and pasture. One-of-a-kind farm, for sure.

We live in the Portland area and weren't able to drive all the way to Ellensburg for pickup so he got us a very reasonable quote to ship an entire hog in insulated boxes. Less money than we would have spend on gas and staying somewhere for a night to pickup from the farm.

Ok - the taste! We've only tried the ground pork so far, but, man, it is amazing! It has a rich, lovely, mild porky taste. It's so good that one of my kids wanted to "have Greg's pork" for dinner last week as a reward for needing to get a blood draw she had to get. :) We've been eating pasture-raised pork from small, family farms in the Pacific NW for the past 15 years and this is right up there with the best we've eaten.

We will definitely be one of Greg's repeat hog customers now for years to come. We're thankful that he's doing the difficult work of...

My family and I are so impressed with this butcher. When I shared that I had been burned by another local butcher in the past and was shopping for a new butcher, Greg (the owner) invited me to come out and see his operation. It was a wonderful experience. I was treated with respect and my questions were answered without condescension. His employees were so professional and kind. Not only did I get to see where the meat is processed but I also got to see the hanging room, the freezer, and where they cure bacon, etc. Everything was immaculate and everyone working there seemed proud to keep it that way. Greg even gave me advice about selling our older cows, and buying calves and piglets. Greg arranged for Luke’s Custom Slaughter for us and communicated with us at every step of the process. (Luke is the best guy in the business in this county! This was our third time using his services.) We have had our homegrown beef ruined by another local butcher in the past. It was so upsetting. We put countless hours (and $) into raising animals. And the cost of processing is not cheap, either. The butcher at Windy N listened to our experience and was able to identify the previous butcher’s error and give us a scientific explanation as to why our meat turned out the way it did. When we picked up our meat I was shocked. It was packed in shrink sealed bags and was well labeled. It was all boxed up and they even loaded it for me! We got it home and, after loading it in the freezer, we cooked some of the ground beef. I’m not sure if I have ever tasted anything so delicious. Even the very picky 8 year old asked for a second helping. Tonight we will have steak! Oh, and our prime rib roasts were cut and tied. Absolutely amazing! I cannot recommend this butcher enough.* *I am leaving this review because I am so happy with the service. I was not compensated in anyway for...