Life at Rebel Hollow Farm

  For generations, families cooked with tallow. Then it disappeared from kitchens, replaced by industrial seed oils and highly processed fats. Today, more people are rediscovering what our great-grandparents already knew: Beef tallow is one of the healthiest and most versatile fats you can use — both in the kitchen and in skincare. At Rebel Hollow Farm , we render our own farm-raised beef tallow and are bringing this traditional fat back to modern homes. Let’s talk about why. What Is Tallow? Tallow is rendered beef fat, typically taken from suet (the fat surrounding the kidneys). When slowly heated and purified, it becomes a clean, shelf-stable cooking fat with incredible versatility. Properly rendered tallow is: Solid at room temperature Stable at high heat Mild in flavor Long lasting And when it comes from healthy, responsibly raised cattle, the benefits go even deeper. Why Tallow Is Excellent for Frying One of the biggest benefits of tallow is its high s...

   If you’ve ever stood at the meat counter wondering what “Prime” or “Choice” actually means, you’re not alone. Beef grading can feel confusing — but understanding it helps you make better decisions for your family’s table. At Rebel Hollow Farm , we believe informed customers are confident customers. So let’s break down the different grades of beef and explain how that applies to our farm-raised Tennessee beef. What Is Beef Grading? Beef grading in the United States is overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) . Grading is voluntary and primarily measures marbling — the small white flecks of fat within the muscle. More marbling generally means: More tenderness More flavor More juiciness The three most common grades you’ll see in stores are: Prime Choice Select Let’s break those down. USDA Prime Beef Prime is the highest grade given by the USDA. Prime beef has abundant marbling and is typically served in high-end restaura...

Well… this could honestly be a book , but I’ll try to keep it short. Thirteen years ago, I was at a turning point. A couple of hard things had happened, and I found myself struggling to figure out what came next. My boys were 12, 8, and 4, and we desperately needed a new direction. At the time, I was working concession stands at University of Tennessee Athletics football games to help our Cub Scout pack raise money. It was great income—but it was tough work. A friend suggested we start our own concession stand, so we did. After about a year of that, he started talking about building a corn maze. That sounded fun, so I began researching what it would take. Turns out… you need to be a farmer. When I told him that, his response was, “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a farmer!” I thought he was crazy. But I love animals, the boys were excited, and I figured—why not? I asked what kind of farm he wanted. “A goat dairy.” Then I really thought he was crazy. Still, I started learning about goat...

 At Rebel Hollow farm our main goal is to get great  TN beef, pork, lamb, and chicken to your table.  We want this process to be simple and easy.   You do not have time to figure out all the lingo, become an expert on what cut of meat coes fom what part of the cow, become a math whiz while calculating how much meat you might get ffrom a cow that weighs 1400lb.  How much the processing might be based on the hanging weight and all the oter complicated things involved in uying a half cow.   We were spending a astronomical amount of time on the phone trying to help you understand all that and decided that was a waste for both of us!   I sat down with my frined and processor at the time and made a package that is pretty close to what you can expect if you buy a whole cow and go through all the trouble of filling out a cut sheet, figuring ourhow much it wil l cost, what will the processing cost and all that conusing stuff!  We made it sim...