You’ve heard about free range and hormone-free beef. Want more info? Here are some fundamental points worth knowing… courtesy of Hawksmoor in London.
• Cross breeds that grow quickly and are killed young are normal, and they are fed unnatural high protein diets, additives and steroids so they bulk out quickly and produce lean meat (people try to get rid of fat, actually fat is good and gives lots of flavour and succulence).
• They are given a lot of preventative medicines (especially antibiotics) because the unnatural lifestyles they are forced to endure mean that they are prone to disease and infection. Residues of these remain in the meat.
• The meat isn’t hung for very long (5 days is standard). Why? Because it takes longer to sell that way and beef loses weight during aging (up to 20%).
The end result is cheap meat that doesn’t taste of much.
Discerning butchers and farmers [e.g. The Ginger Pig] do the exact opposite.
• They select breeds that taste as good as possible regardless of how much the meat costs to produce.
• The cows eat a natural diet (almost exclusively grass) and graze, roam and grow naturally.
• They are butchered at 30 months (12-18 months is standard) which gives the animals time to mature naturally and for the flavour to develop
• They hang the beef on the bone for at least 35 days which intensifies the flavour and improves the texture. It also means the steaks are not bloody when served, even rare.
The end result is meat with amazing flavour and texture.
[Better for the animal's life and better for your health -- consider your source when you're buying next time.]
