Irish Beef: Time brings the character

Ireland's cattle

There’s something in the air. No, we don’t mean manure, although there is a certain odour. That’s hardly surprising, given that hundreds of cattle live here on John Purcell’s farm, which has just less than 500 acres. But something else is perceptible here. Tradition. Calm. ‘Heritage,’ says John. Perhaps it’s because this place is steeped in history – 3,000-year-old bronze tools have been found here – or because the 61-year-old has a mischievous, easy-going nature. Whatever the case, the cattle share this laid-back demeanour. They amble over, curious, as soon as the farmer approaches. No sign of any shyness or skittishness. Just like the island’s human inhabitants, the livestock are the picture of calm.

Cattle breeding: Sustainability and biodiversity

‘We don’t import anything. We even grow our own feed – it’s a closed system,’ explains John. ‘Sustainability and biodiversity are our two important pillars.’ His farm exemplifies best practice in regenerative farming: he planted 10,000 trees recently, doesn’t use pesticides and pays close attention to insect diversity around the pastures. His cattle come from nearby family farms with small herds. ‘That’s part of our responsibility, too,’ says John. ‘Maintaining the Irish tradition of family cattle farming and safeguarding rural sources of income.’

Secret ingredient: clover

The cattle – Angus, Hereford and other breeds – come to John’s farm when they’re 18 months old. They stay in family groups consisting of 15 to 20 animals per herd. Every day, they gain a good 1.5 kilos in weight eating a diet based on grass and silage. As John says, Ireland’s lush green fields are already packed with nutrients. ‘The “secret ingredient” is the clover,’ he explains. ‘That’s full of protein.’ If you thought vegetarian food didn’t contain enough protein, think again. John’s livestock spend 220 days a year out in the fields, and even when they’re in the cowsheds, they aren’t really indoors. As the Irish winter is so mild, the spacious barns don’t have solid walls. This ensures the animals get enough daylight and allows fresh air to circulate.

Heifers are ready for slaughter at the age of about 24 months and steers at around 30 months. All males are castrated because amorous bulls cause unrest, and the aim is to avoid stress at any cost. The cattle are ready to be slaughtered when they weigh 700 kilos. It takes 15 minutes to drive them to the slaughterhouse. Weight permitting, they’re kept in their herds for the journey. Here too, the prime objective is to minimise stress. John explains: ‘We like to keep the journey time as short as possible.’ That’s good for animal welfare – and the quality of the meat.

The Kettyle production

Maurice Kettyle is also responsible for the latter. His production facility is in Lisnaskea, a village just beyond the Northern Irish border with a population of 3,000. Maurice knows all the farmers like John personally. You could even say he knows all the cattle as they each have a unique ear tag allowing them to be identified. After slaughtering, the meat delivered to the Kettyle production facility is scanned and remains traceable throughout the whole process – all the way to METRO’s chiller cabinets – thanks to the use of bar codes.

Each animal is initially divided into four huge pieces, and once these arrive at Kettyle’s site, they are initially hung for at least 21 days. By the end of this time, a dark outer crust has formed and the meat is dry-aged. Each of the six large ageing rooms (known as chills) contains approx. 1,000 pieces of meat hung from hooks the size of an adult’s forearm. Fans provide constant ventilation while rows of salt blocks along the walls draw the moisture out of the meat. The salt comes from the Irish coast. ‘That’s a unique selling point,’ explains Maurice – focusing on the good things the local area has to offer.

This is a closed system, too, adds Maurice. ‘Our chills have a culture’ – in two ways, not just one. At microbial level, this means that moisture is an absolute no-no in the drying process. Mould must not be allowed to form. Unlike in some amateur dry-ageing set-ups, safety and hygiene are paramount. When asked what makes Kettyle different, he says: ‘Passion, knowledge and craftsmanship.’

METRO Chef Dry Aged Beef

Established in 2004, Kettyle now has about 40 employees. They expertly carve the dry-aged beef into the pieces that restaurateurs want – from fillet steaks, entrecôtes and rump steaks to tomahawk steaks and tri-tips. The METRO Chef own-brand range now includes dry-aged Irish beef, which is available in countries such as Germany, Portugal, Croatia and Bulgaria and from the delivery specialist JHB. This is all thanks to the common sourcing system which procures goods centrally for numerous METRO companies.

So what makes dry-aged products special? ’The beef becomes much stronger in flavour and will caramelise much better when you’re cooking,’ explains Maurice. The 53-year-old keeps his own cattle and is a keen amateur chef who can sometimes be found capably cooking his firm’s meat in the staff kitchen. He does this with the same calm that seems to pervade the whole island. Is it the emerald-green fields? Or perhaps Ireland’s rich history? Whatever the case, there’s definitely something in the air.