Farmers market vendor: Rocking 3 W Custom Beef
With 19 years in the cattle business, Brian and Julie Watson’s Rocking 3 W Custom Beef continues to expand its footprint, most recently joining the Waxahachie Farmers Market.
The Ennis-based Rocking 3 W provides customers the option of purchasing grain-fed beef as either a half-side or a whole.
“I’m 100% customer service,” Brian said in a recent interview with In The Know Ellis.
“I’ve got wholes and halves of beef,” he said. “Our beef is dry-aged 16-21 days. There are no additives, no antibiotics.”
For those wanting to purchase in smaller quantities and pieces, he refers to The Yellow Farmhouse and Dineen family, another vendor on hand at the market. “We give each other customers; it’s two different markets.”
The Watson family’s cattle are grain-fed with a custom feed that was developed with nutritionists. The results are evidenced in the beef’s taste and marbling, Brian said, noting, “You have more flavor and marbling with grain-fed.”
Husband and wife Brian and Julie offer more than just beef at their booth; they’ve partnered with others, such as Cooper Farms Peaches of Fairfield.
“We’ll have peaches, peach hot sauce, all kinds of different things like that,” Brian said. “I’ll pick up 20 to 25 cases every Friday.”
They have another partnership with Midlothian-based Adkins brand seasonings, with whom they work on custom steak seasonings.
In addition to keeping Rocking 3 W thriving, Brian is a county precinct worker and youth baseball umpire, while Julie works for the state. He’s also a competitive griller and will again take part in Hico’s Original Texas Steak Cookoff on May 16.
“It’ll be my 15th year to cook (ribeyes),” he said. “There are 110 teams signed up, and I’ve made the top 10 twice.”
Julie notes that Brian was “born and raised here” and describes him as “one of the few real cattlemen,” adding, “He’s done this his whole life.”
The Watsons were raising cattle for their own use and consumption when friends started asking if they could get one raised. Word quickly spread about the quality of their beef.
“It just grew and grew,” she said of how their business came about.
Now, at any given time, they’re raising from six to 10 cattle (primarily Angus), with queries coming in from hours away based on the word-of-mouth exposure.
“They get the best feed,” Julie said of their cattle. “It’s what we’re (also) going to eat, our kids, and grandkids. We pour the time and love into them.”
The Waxahachie Farmers Market, which operates year-round except January, when it’s closed for maintenance, is located at 701 Howard Road. Hours are from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.
Rocking 3 W also has had a presence for several years at the Downtown Ennis Bluebonnet Market in the 100 block of North Dallas Street in downtown Ennis; that market is open from 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays through the end of October (the season runs from April through October).
For more information about Rocking 3 W Custom Beef, call 214-399-6300.
Written by Jo Ann Livingston/In The Know Ellis.
