Is Galician Beef the best in the world? What is it and why should it be on your plate?
Is Galician Beef the Best in the World?
If you’ve been shopping with us for a little while now, we are sure you have stumbled across our Galician Beef Range. No doubt you’ve wondered what makes it special and why it’s a bit more expensive than some of it’s UK counterparts? If so, this post is for you! Read on and we’ll explain why our Galician Dry-Aged Beef and Dry-Aged Steaks are some of the tastiest around, ENJOY!
What is Galician Beef?
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.
What is the difference compared to “normal” UK beef?
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. If slaughtered after 30 months, the spinal column needs to be removed making hanging and keeping the beef problematic. 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 it’s 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 which is a stark contrast compared to commercially produced beef that is fed grain indoors to get to an appropriate weight as quickly as possible – the two methods could not be more different.
Why should it be on your plate?
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 which is the traditional method in Spain and coupled with some decent red wine, your weekend couldn’t get much better!
What options are on offer at TJB?
At TJB we offer a multitude of Galician options and on request can get plenty of other cuts in if asked. Hit the links below to take you to one of our product pages, if you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to one of the team either via our email (hello@thomasjosephbutchery.co.uk) or on our shop number 01277 373656.
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