Hillside Ranch: And Here's the Beef...Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly

Corned Beef Brisket and Slow-Roasted Beef Bely, classic comfort food reminiscent of countless Sunday meals with the family from years past. Both dishes took time, and the long prep time meant these dishes were special. Now, Hillside Ranch brings you all the beefy goodness for you to replicate those special Sunday meals...

Atoy and Chay Tayag, the young couple behind Hillside Ranch, decided the time was right to offer classic prime beef entrees that rival some of the very best restaurants in the convenience of your own home. And both Atoy and Chay know the food business, in fact, they have it in their dna, coming from famous culinary clans of Pampanga. Atoy Tayag is the nephew of Claude Tayag, an influential chef, successful restaurateur, food columnist, and owner of the legendary Bale Dutung in Angeles City. Chay Tayag's mom owns the popular Kapampangan restaurant Binulo in Clark, and her uncle owns the American restaurant Rumpa. And it's no surprise that the next generation would pursue a business closely linked to their family names.

Atoy and Chay perfected their classic recipes for Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly by serving these dishes in the family catering business, and the dishes became a hit almost immediately. Encouraged with the initial success of their dishes, the young couple decided to make their beef dishes available for home consumption, a real challenge for complex dishes like Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly. Without compromising quality, Hillside Ranch offers these quality dishes that are reheatable, even microwaveable, right in you own home. Atoy and Chay Tayag makes everything scratch, from curing to roasting, using the best prime USDA beef for consistent quality. And the results are immediately evident after your first bite. 

We recently sampled Hillside Ranch's signature beef dishes at Trellis, another culinary institution owned by the Tayag clan, starting with freshly prepared sandwiches. The French Dip, with Hillside Ranch's Slow Roasted Beef Belly, caramelized onions and au jus on crisp bread was an excellent introduction to their popular Slow Roasted Beef Belly. Tender, almost butter-like, with a flavorful layer of fat for that melt-in-your-mouth goodness that can only come from beef that's been lovingly slow-roasted for up to eight hours. One bite, and I'm sold. Seriously good. 

Hillside Ranch's signature Corned Beef Brisket is another memorable dish that simply reinforces that winning combination of time and quality ingredients. Hillside Ranch cures the brisket in their chillers for over a week, allowing the brine to completely penetrate the meat before the boiling process. And the result, tender and succulent corned beef that rivals, even surpasses, the offerings from the best restaurants in the metro. Corned beef perfection, and definitely one of the best I've tried.  

We sampled a classic Reuben, with tender Corned Beef Brisket, sauerkraut, Swiss emmenthal and horseradish cream on rye, and I go for seconds. Again, Hillside Ranch's patient and tedious process comes through in every bite, and you can taste the love that goes in preparing the Corned Beef Brisket in every bite. 

And here's the beef...the sandwiches were just a preview of more good things to come, as the Corned Beef Brisket was prepared and sliced. Served with boiled cabbage, string beans, carrots, marble potatoes and horseradish cream, a classic and traditional dish so familiar and comforting, yet timeless. And Hillside Ranch succeeds in preserving the familiar richness of the dish in each and every bite. The beefy richness is preserved, and the subtle briny note enhances the beef. And this is the way I remember it, and for a brief moment, images of childhood family meals are relived. It's simply that good.

This. A full slab, just can't get any better than that.

The Slow Roasted Beef Belly was sliced, and  it was pretty cool to see the carving knife cut through the beef with ease, like butter. A little au jus,and you have an incredible slice of pure beef belly bliss. Tender, moist and richly flavored, the Slow Roasted Beef Belly is definitely another winner. And I definitely go for seconds...

Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly, both absolute winners from Hillside Ranch. Now you can prepare these classic beef dishes in the convenience of your own home, every day. You no longer have to slave in your kitchen for days, simply grab a pack of Hillside Ranch's Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly and you have a gourmet meal in an instant. Eating in is pretty cool. Very cool.

It's reassuring to know that the new generation is continuing the family's culinary tradition, and Hillside Ranch is definitely on its way to becoming another classic for generations to come. 

The Hillside Ranch Corned Beef Brisket and Slow Roasted Beef Belly are available in 650 g slabs (P 550), 225 g Sliced packs (P 220) and full slabs at P 770 per kilo (advanced notice required).  Special thanks to Dino Tayag and Jom del Rosario, Hillside Ranch Manila distributors; and Chay and Atoy Tayag of Hillside Ranch for an awesome dinner. 

You can visit Hillside Ranch every Saturday at the Salcedo Community Market, Jaime C. Velasquez Park, Makati City or you can send an e-mail to hillsideranch@me.com for inquiries. Check out their cool Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/HillsideRanch for more information.

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