Is Galician Beef the best in the world? What is it and why should it be on your plate?

If you've been shopping with us for a little while now, you've no doubt stumbled across our Galician Beef Range. Here's why our Galician Dry-Aged Beef and Dry-Aged Steaks are some of the tastiest around.

Reared in the Spanish Hills of Galicia, Northern Spain, the Rubia Gallega (more commonly known simply as Galician) breed matures slowly on lush pastures, producing supremely flavoursome meat over a far longer period than is traditional in the UK. The majority of the cattle are slaughtered from 8–12 years old, having lived a fulfilled life on pasture while laying down intramuscular fat (marbling) slowly, producing intense flavour. The fat developed is unctuous and golden yellow, clearly denoting the length of time spent out on pasture eating natural sources of food — grasses, haylage and home-made silage.

There are two factors that contribute to the biggest contradictions when comparing to commercially produced UK beef: age of slaughtered cattle and style of animal husbandry/predominant food source.

First, due to laws after BSE, cattle in the UK will generally be slaughtered at or before 30 months. In Spain there are no restrictions — farmers can rear their cattle to any length of age, allowing them to generate a superior flavour profile as the beef matures over the course of its life roaming the lush grasslands. Secondly, as they are under no time constraints to rush the process, the cattle are allowed to roam freely outside — a stark contrast compared to commercially produced beef that is fed grain indoors to get to an appropriate weight as quickly as possible.

If like us, you love flavour and the idea of ethically raised meat, then Galician is certainly for you. It's an out and out powerhouse of flavour, something that really cannot be matched. The steaks are well suited to cooking over fire — the traditional method in Spain — and coupled with some decent red wine, your weekend couldn't get much better.

At TJB we offer a multitude of Galician options. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out via our email (hello@thomasjosephbutchery.co.uk) or on our shop number 01277 373656.
Galician Prime Rib
Galician Ribeye
Galician Sirloin
Galician Fillet