The Great Taste Awards are hosted by the Guild of Fine Food and the competition takes place once a year to celebrate the fantastic produce that not only this country can produce but countries Globally. We as a family company with traditional values are honoured to be even entering such a prestigious competition. With this in mind, there is no doubt that the success will be all about the prior planning and preparation, which takes us to the beast which was featured in our article last week.
We have chosen a fine specimen of cattle, this being the Aberdeen Angus, which was taken for slaughter on the 9th April 2018. The carcass was then delivered to our cutting plant, in Hothersall, Longridge, where the aging process has begun. We dry age specific cuts of beef for a minimum of 21 days usually and for the steaks we are entering we will be doing exactly the same. Maturing meat is somewhat an artform with only higher grades of beef being able to be dry aged due to the requirement of a large, evenly distributed content of fat, something which isn’t found in lower grades of beef.
Dry ageing itself saturates the natural meat flavours causing a beautiful concentration of taste, this is due to the process of desiccation in which moisture is able to naturally evaporate from the muscles of the beef. Ageing also naturally tenderises the meats texture, this is done when the natural enzymes encased in the muscles break down the connective tissue, both of these process’s acting together, results in creating a truly mouth-watering beef product, with only one other small dimension required in the process, time. The story continues next week…
We wish you good luck and will look forward to seeing you and your wonderful produce when we come for our annual visit in June.