Sure, we’ve heard the questions. A burger shop seems a little casual for Underbelly Hospitality. But actually, when you think back to Underbelly’s origins as a whole animal restaurant, it makes perfect sense.
At our steakhouse Georgia James, we sell more steaks a year than you can count—which is fantastic—but that comes with both a price and a need to use more than just prime cuts. On a 950 lb cow, there are 20-26 portioned ribeyes and 12 8oz filets. Roughly 250+ lbs of that cow have to be used as ground beef.
We opened Underbelly Burger to provide an outlet for 44 Farms and R-C Ranch to sell their grind so they can continue to provide us with steaks at Georgia James—utilizing the whole cow so nothing goes to waste. This is one way we’re working toward a more sustainable cattle industry.
Our burgers are about showcasing the best possible meat from our friends. You won’t find gourmet toppings or five different styles of fries. Just high-quality, old-school burgers that we think are delicious, and we hope you do, too.
About R-C Ranch
R-C Ranch is a 2,800-acre Wagyu ranch in Brazoria County, Texas. Owners Blake Robertson and Ryan Cade (R-C is their combined namesake) started their ranch in 2010 to provide high quality food for the people they love. They raise Wagyu because they want to raise and sell the best meat they can—and they consider Wagyu the absolute best. They follow a sandwiched breeding process that creates the most desirable animal possible using three Wagyu bloodlines, each representing a different region of Japan and gene trait: Kedaka, a cow known for its large size; Tajima, which produces the best marbling; and Shiname, a cow with the best maternal traits.
“When bred—sandwiched—together, these genetics produce what we think is the perfect product: large cows with beautiful marbling raised sustainably on our ranch,” said Ryan.
Their butcher shop is located right next door to Underbelly Burger, where you’ll find R-C Ranch Wagyu burger in the case, as well as products from like-minded producers that have similar expectations of quality, sustainability, and treatment of animals.
About 44 Farms
44 Farms was started in 1909 as a farming ranch and has evolved into a working cattle ranch. They are the largest Black Angus cattle producer in Texas, and their beef is truly natural—there are never any hormones or antibiotics.
We’ve worked with 44 Farms since Underbelly opened in 2012. We use them because of the quality of the cattle and the care they give them. Because of the way they raise their cattle, their Angus beef is the best in our opinion.
About Chris Shepherd Bacon Sausage
Chris Shepherd made bacon sausage for the first time at Underbelly. The restaurant only used the whole animals, and a farmer needed to sell lamb bellies. Chris asked Javi Salvador, his butcher, to cure the bellies like bacon, grind them, stuff them into a casing and smoke them like sausage. The lamb was good, but he knew he had a winner when Chris tried it with pork. Chris and his team now work with Belville Meat Market to sell bacon sausage to H-E-B and to other restaurants. We serve it here as a hot dog, but you’ll find it at our other restaurants in many different forms. It’s one of the most versatile sausages we’ve worked with!
