To celebrate British Beef Week, we’ve teamed up with our friends at The Pointer Butcher in Brill to find out all you need to know about sourcing and searing the perfect steak!
Read our interview with Jon the butcher for some top tips…
So Jon, what should people look for when buying beef?
Jon: The advantages of buying beef from a local traditional Butchers like us, is that the customers are able to establish the following facts about the beef before they make a purchase;
a) The source of the beef, is it locally reared?
b) The breed, age and sex of the beast, all of which play a critical role in the quality of the beef.
c) Maturation time, how long has the carcase been hung? This is important to the quality of the taste of the meat. Our hind quarters are matured between 28 – 35 days, the forequarters approximately 14 – 21 days.
d) The colour of the beef should be a darker shade of red, with intramuscular fat and a covering of top fat that has a creamy yellow appearance, all of these factors will enhance the flavour off the meat, in particular the high quality steak cuts.
What is in your opinion the best cut of beef for steak?
From my own Butcher’s perspective, I am very partial to a thick cut, well hung rump steak, however I am also big fan of the Bavette/ Flank Steak which has superb flavour and maintains a juiciness and loose texture when cooked rare. Combining either of these steaks with The Beefsteak Club Reserve is a carnivores delight!!
Can you suggest any steak cooking tips?
Firstly, if possible buy your steak from your local butchers! Buy the best piece of steak that you can afford, it doesn’t have to be the biggest steak on the block.
Always let the steak adjust to room temperature before cooking, get your grill or pan smoking hot before placing the steak on the heat, brush some oil on the steak along with some salt and pepper, adding too many additional flavours will mask the flavour of the meat, after all that is why you are purchasing a quality piece of steak to start with, so as to appreciate the flavour!
Allow each side of the steak to have the desired time on the hot surface to achieve your preference of rareness, do not keep moving or turning the steak.
Once cooked, have patience! Allow the steak to rest before eating.
And finally, ensure that you have a decent bottle of red decanted to accompany your treat, I would recommend anything from the Beefsteak Club stable!!
About the Pointer Butcher
The Pointer Butchers is part of the Pointer brand that is made up of The Pointer Farm, Pub / Restaurant & Butchers. The purpose of the Pointer farm is to produce high quality Longhorn beef that can be sold through the restaurant and butchers shop. Although the Longhorn herd is approximately 150 head strong, they are not self-sufficient in beef production, so purchase additional beef from neighbouring farmers, which are usually Hereford or Aberdeen Angus.
Find out more at www.thepointerbrill.co.uk