TheTipperaryButcher (liambourke) on Pinterest

TheTipperaryButcher (liambourke) on Pinterest

STEAK - HOW I COOK IT!

My personal favourite is rib eye or onglet. However, the rules are the same for rump, sirloin or fillet. Whichever type of steak you are using, take it out of the fridge one hour before you want to cook it and pat it dry with some kitchen towel.


Heat a cast iron stove top griddle pan or a heavy non stick frying pan. When the pan is searing hot rub oil on each side of the steak. Recently I have started to use an organic rapeseed oil. It has a higher burn point than olive oil, and adds a slight nutty flavour. There are a lot of questions asked as to when you should season a steak. Is it before, during or after cooking? Personally, I season after the steak has rested, using sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.


Lay the steaks on the grill pan cooking for one to three minutes on each side. Depending on the thickness of the meat, the idea is to let the steak sear and brown creating delicious savoury flavours. If you want a rare steak you need to cook for one minute on each side for every one centimetre of thickness. If you want a medium steak add one minute extra for each side. 


Meat varies in thickness, temperature and density, and different cuts behave differently. Onglet has long fibres that become tough and chewy if cooked beyond medium rare. Rib Eye has lubricating fat running through the meat that needs time to soften and melt, therefore medium rare is better than rare for this steak. 

When the steaks are done, transfer to plates in a low temperature oven and leave to rest for five minutes.


As a butcher and food lover, I believe you should never have your steak well done as it is such a waste!!

THE BUTCHER AND THE HERB GARDEN

I have always loved and used herbs in cooking. Even the simplest dish, a common everyday meal can be made more appetising, and can take on a different flavour just by using herbs.

It is important to know which herbs are most suited to certain food groups. A grilled pork chop for example can gain added flavour with the addition of a little thyme or oregano. Just the smell of a herb can change our appetite.

Herbs are generally used in small amounts in order to add flavour and aroma to a dish. They are usually added to food at the time of cooking. Nevertheless, there are other ways to include herbs in dishes. For example, you can use scented olive oil, butter or vinegar, flavoured sauces, cheese or salt. Salads, boiled or grilled meats, fish as well as vegetables can gain taste and flavour if they are served with olive oil or vinegar scented with herbs. Cheese flavoured with herbs not only tastes better but can also be kept longer. Flour flavoured with herbs imparts aroma to pastry or dough.

Food taste can be improved with the addition of the right herb seasoning. The art of creating flavour is usually a matter of personal preference. Sight, smell and taste should guide you to find the right quantities of herbs as well as the right herbs to go with each dish.

Here are a few suggestions;

•  Oregano – with vegetables, sauces, soups, lamb, fish and poultry.
•   Dill – with soups, salad, sauces, fish and omelettes.
•  Basil – with vegetables, soups, salad, seafood, meatballs and pasta.
•  Sage – with stuffing, poultry and pork.
•  Rosemary – with poultry, lamb, fish and seafood.
• Parsley – with …anything!  Meats, fish, soups, sauces and salad.
• Mint – with sauces, lamb, vegetables, and fruit.
• Coriander – with sauces and salads. (The seeds with soups and stews).

There are also traditional herb mixes such as;

• "Bouquet garni” -  which is a bunch consisting of equal amounts of bay leaves, thyme and parsley. It is used in soups, stewed meat and fish.
• “Herbs de Provence” - consisting of savory, thyme, lavender, rosemary, oregano and sage. You can use parsley and basil instead of oregano and sage. It is used with poultry, lamb, rice, pasta and soups.

However, remember with herbs to use them sparingly, unless you are familiar with them. Begin by adding a small quantity until you have the right results.

The flavour of dried herbs becomes stronger the longer they are cooked, which is not the case with fresh herbs, which should be added late in the cooking process (e.g. basil, chives, dill) or should be better added to food just before serving. Herbs with a subtle flavour, such as parsley, release a stronger flavour with long, slow cooking.

A personal favourite of mine is olive oil scented with herbs. It is very easy to scent your own olive oil. The olive oil should be of low acidity and have a mild taste and aroma, so that the scent of the herbs is more intense. The herbs can be either fresh or dried. Fresh herbs should first be washed and dried completely. The bottles used for storage should be sterilised. Place the herbs of your choice in the bottle, mix with olive oil and wait for two to three weeks. Select a bottle which will allow you to remove the herbs later so that the olive oil can be preserved for longer.  

With some herbs, olive oil, pepper corns, seeds and spices we can all make our own marinades, flavoured salts and sauces. It is a much healthier option. Don’t be afraid to experiment, it is all part of the fun of creating unique and individual flavours.

 

THE TIPPERARY BUTCHER

I have often thought what led me to a career as a butcher, and more importantly why I have stayed in this work for 26 years.

I can remember at a very young age trying to help my Mum cook. I remember her baking pies, cakes and also making delicious stews. She was and still is a great cook. From helping her and watching her, I knew even then that I would work with food.

My Grandparents were small farmers. They milked their own cows, grew potatoes, kept chickens, pigs and turkeys. I spent most of my school holidays helping them, and learning from them. When I look back my first butchery experience was on my Grandparents farm. I helped him to slaughter and pluck some turkeys. I can still remember everything clearly, and was fascinated with the whole process of producing a food from start to finish. It was also the best turkey I have ever eaten!!

On another occasion, my Grandad along with my Uncle Eamon and myself, butchered two pigs. We packed them into large wooden barrels with salt. I have never seen this done since with the wooden barrels. The fat was like butter and the meat was a little bit darker than bacon is now……and truly delicious!!

So for the next two months I would cycle to Grans for dinner, just for the bacon and the potatoes, all produced on the farm. This is when I think the seeds were sown for me to become a butcher.

The following summer I got my first job in the local butchers. It was a summer job which led to twenty six years as a butcher so far.

During my career I have learnt a lot about meat and am still learning, and looking for new ideas. In this period of time I have seen a lot of changes in the meat industry, some for the better and some not so good. These things I will cover later. I believe now is a very interesting time to be a butcher. People are becoming more and more conscious of what they eat. The Customer is quite rightly now more particular about their diet. Food is something we should be enjoyed and not just a necessity.

I am passionate about food and a bit of an amateur home chef. I love trying new things and flavours, and always looking for something different. I take lots of inspiration from my travels.

I am currently working for James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel, Tipperary. It is a multi - award winning shop with very high standards.

Now I have decided to embrace modern technology in Twitter and Blogs. It is all a bit new to me but I am going to use this as the next level in my career. Looking forward to sharing my knowledge, wisdom and experiences within the meat industry with you!

HAVE WE LOST SOME FLAVOUR?!!

Flavour, smell, sight, as anyone in the food industry will tell you are very important. However, over the last few years I have noticed that we may have lost some flavour regarding meat. Have our tastes changed over a period of time? What has modern methods done to the taste of meat?

Flavour results from the combination of basic tastes, which are;

·         Sweet

·         Sour

·         Bitter

·         Salty

·         Umami (savoury, brothy or beefy)

The flavours and aromas associated with beef are generally those that develop during heating.

Marbling i.e. Intra muscular fat, has a big impact on the flavour of beef. Marbling occurs because of the increased amount of fat available for formation of flavour compounds. Traditionally it has been considered to have a significant impact on beef flavour.

It is important to understand what role diet, processing and cooking have on flavour. Beef flavour can be affected by the breed of cattle from which meat is derived.

High energy grain diets produce a more intense flavour in red meats than low energy forage or grass fed diets. Grain feeding generally increases carcass weight and intramuscular fat content, compared with forage feeding.

Ageing improves tenderness but questions remain concerning the effect of ageing on flavour. Ageing alters the aroma and flavour, and can affect the sensory characteristic of the cooked product. Un aged beef has a weak, bland flavour while aged beef has a strong, savoury, roasted flavour.

Dry ageing increases beef flavour more than ageing in a vacuum pack or carbon dioxide (wet ageing).

Beef flavour also results from many compounds present in various proportions.

These are as follows;

·         the breed of the cattle and their diet

·         post mortem changes (enzyme activity or ageing)

·         the muscles in which changes are occurring

·         addition of ingredients (enhancements and marination)

·         storage conditions (time, temperature and atmosphere)

·         heat treatment and post heating storage.

The resulting flavour requires control of all of the above.

Also, an important factor in flavour is what I would call the “nose to tail butchery”. The flavour from oxtail, beef cheeks, bavett, onglet and beef on the bone is a lot more intense than wet aged vac packed boneless beef. We have all seen the old photos of butchers with sides of beef, lamb and pork. I think sometimes we have to look back to go forward.