With distinction..........

I do get confused by some company advertising and in particular the use of phrases associated with certain trades. One that really got on my nerves yesterday was a butchers in Watford who used the phrase "Butchers of distinction" under their company name.

After going in I have to ask myself what criteria does a butchers shop have to meet to become a "Butchers of distinction"?

I this case I think the only thing that set it apart from any other in the locality was that is was not at the back of a supermarket next to the deli counter. It was quite possibly the most pointless butchers I've ever been in.

If you wanted beef, pork, chicken or lamb you'd find what you need or if you wanted to be adventurous you could always take a peek into their deep freeze containing frozen exotic meats such as wild boar or kangaroo but these days I'd hardly called that distinction.

The lamb was all from New Zealand too! What's wrong with the produce on our own doorsteps?....knocks the spots off this imported rubbish.

Where was the game? An independent butchers of any pedigree should have venison, rabbit, hare, pigeon, pheasant etc but there was absolutely none of this to be seen. I want to see it hung up in the windows. I want to see kids pointing at it and wondering what it is and maybe saying "eeeeeewwww I can't eat Bambi" or "Is that a little bunny rabbit?". I want to see grandparents telling children how they used to eat it when they were kids.

The (red) meat on show at this "butchers of absolutely no distinction at all" was bright red in colour with hardly any marbling. To me that means no ageing, intensive (predominantly indoor) farming and protein pellet feeding, these combined means no flavour.

Meat needs to be hung (aged) for a period of time to break down enzymes and muscle fibres which in turn makes the meat more tender. Cheap meats come virtually straight from the slaughterhouse and because they are not hung they have more moisture in them adding up to 15% more in weight and what happens when you cook this? The moisture comes out, it shrivels up and it becomes tough.

The butchers who sell this know exactly what they are doing, they know they can sell more per kilo for a mass produced poor quality product than they can for something locally sourced and well farmed. Low end supermarkets do exactly the same so where's the "distinction"?

So what are my tips for buying good red meat?............

Look for a darker coloured meat, more deep, dark red than bright red. This shows some signs of ageing. An aged joint of similar size to a non-aged joint will weigh less as it has less excess moisture, it'll also shrink less when cooked and it'll have bags more flavour. Don't be afraid to ask how long it's been aged for, a good butcher will gladly tell you, two weeks should be minimum. If they can't or won't give you an answer walk away......this includes supermarkets!

Think of what you are going to cook and how long you intend to cook it for before buying. Meat from the harder working parts of the cow are cheaper to buy but will be tougher as they have more well used muscle fibre and these will take longer for the heat to break down.

Cuts from the less used part of the animal are usually sold at a premium because they are the most tender and take less time to cook but that does not mean they will have a superior flavour, quite the opposite. One nice beef middle fillet medallion for one might set you back the same amount as a whole beef brisket for 8 people. Cooked the right way the brisket will have much more flavour and can be equal or even better in texture.

When buying a roasting joint or thick steak look for thin layers of fat weaving between the meat. This is know as marbling, it's a natural baste for the meat, as you cook it the fat will melt into the joint keeping it moist and giving it extra flavour. Joints with little or no marbling will go dry unless you thread other fat pieces through it using a process called "larding", even then it's usually pork fat that is used.

Where possible with any meat if the budget allows do yourself a big favour and by something that is 100% organic and certified as such. It's more than just a marketing ploy because it really does reflect in the flavour and texture of the meat.

One day I'm really going to go into the science of meat in a blog because it's fascinating once you really take a look at it and understand how it works from field to table.

Toodlepip xxx