Beef Week

What a great and versatile meat. And a prime example of the difference between buying a quality local product and a mediocre supermarket commodity.

The trouble is, beef is complicated. Breed, time and type of hanging/maturing, age, different cuts, butchery method, type of feed, are all factors influencing taste and tenderness. And why so many people opt for what little they know and often pay far too much.

A great example is my cousin who bought the finest 'fillet' of beef from a supermarket only to throw most of it away because it was so tough. A piece of well-hung 'topside' would probably have been half the price and twice as good. Likewise the 'chopped shin' of a well-hung rare breed animal could be better and cheaper for stewing, than the more expensive 'best stewing steak' from the supermarket.

The great news is you don't have to go to college or even buy a book, simply ask. Go and see your local butcher or better still, local beef farmer and ask what they recommend as well as how to cook it. It is in their interest to look after you, as they want to see you buying again.

So all you have to do is use our map to find your local beef, or for a delivery check our MarketPlace for beef and don't be afraid to phone first and get a recommendation. And for inspiration try our recipes.

Comments

Posted by Declan on 7th 2009f July, 2009 @ 9:21pm:

One problem I find with steak is that the flavoured is all greyed out and tough eg from the supermarket. I would like it to be lush and flowing. Similarly even with very expensive rib of beef from the popular butchers typically £16 for 1-2 ribs, it just doesn't seem to taste as good as it did from the covered market in Leeds where all the housewives used to queue. God that beef was divine and £1/ pound! It used to be nicely brown on the outside, moist and melting on the inside. Now if its browned outside, it seems dry and insipid inside eg 2-3 hrs roasting gas mark 4. Or 11/4 hrs its pink inside, but the outside has no character ie not brown, and the fat in side hasn't melted. Its too expensive to keeping eating expensive old leather or blubbery fat. After all isn't that the whole point of the fat marbling in rib, so get it to melt through the beef and provide that luscious flavour. Missing Leeds market beef. Declan London SE5

Posted by Declan on 7th 2009f July, 2009 @ 9:25pm:

PS Maybe I've forgotten how I used to cook it in Leeds (foil/ not I can't remember). I imagine lots of people might say have you tried this and that butcher. But maybe it was yorkshire beef that was the difference. Are there really notable regional differences in taste/ finish eg I heard a guy from Hereford claim that Scottish beef was insipid due to all the rain. Most butchers in Lonond seem to sell scottish beef adn get quite upset if you ask them for anything else.

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