Williams’ meat ageing refrigerator helps to create a
Christmas alternative to turkey
It’s
the time of year where festive planning is underway. From presents and parties
to friends and family meets, food and drink are typically top of the list in
preparation for Christmas. It’s generally the season where the purse strings
loosen, especially when thinking about the main event, meat.
The
traditional Christmas turkey is of course a popular meat on most household and
commercial kitchens menus, but other meats, like beef, are proving just as
popular too.
In
fact, dry aged beef, or dry aged meats in general, is a growing trend, with
demand at butchers soaring.
“With
the possible shortages of turkey this year, people have been looking for
alternatives. Aged beef is a wonderful choice for Christmas dinner, very
flavoursome and the price is on par with a turkey now,” revealed Stephen Hill,
owner and master butcher at Perrys of Eccleshall.
Stephen
is no stranger to meat ageing and has racked up several years’ experience in
the field, while continually expanding his capability of ageing more meat
through acquiring additional Williams Meat Ageing Refrigerators.
From
having one cabinet in his shop, Perrys has four Williams Meat Ageing
Refrigerators that all play significant roles when ageing meats – even renting
some space to customers with special requests, with their current oldest beef
at a staggering 18 months.
“Our
aged beef has been such a hit with customers we need much more capacity to keep
up with demand, as well as providing room for other meats too,” says Stephen.
“For example, as a result of the flavour of the aged meat, we sold 50% more rib
of beef last Christmas. It’s profitable, too – we can add £5 per kilo on retail
sales.”
Another
advocate of meat ageing is Arthur Howell, owner and master butcher at Arthur
Howell Butchers in the North Norfolk coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea and
nearby Burnham Market, who has also seen an uplift in sales after purchasing a
Williams Meat Ageing Refrigerator. “There’s no doubt it’s had a positive impact
on business.”
“Customers
come in all the time asking about the beef,” says Arthur. “We can then talk to
them about it, tell them about which farm it came from, how the ageing changes
the flavour and tenderness of the cut. It adds a touch of theatre, it’s a great
point of interest.”
Back
to Perrys, other meats they have experimented with for festive period are geese,
duck and venison, while also working with pork and lamb for the New Year.
So
how popular has dry aged beef been in the run up to Christmas this year?
“All
our six month aged beef has been sold for Christmas already and we’re currently
preparing a batch of three month aged beef, although that’s going quickly too,”
said Stephen.
“We’re
currently holding four different kinds of beef for customers. One will be sent
to Barbados to help the customer celebrate the New Year, and we have two pieces
from a Dexter cow and one from a Belted Galloway,” he added. “Being able to
offer this service to customers with their preferred beef has opened up extra
avenues of income that weren’t possible before we got our meat ageing
cabinets.”
The
demand at Arthur Howell’s has also been just as strong. “There’s a lot of
demand from customers for aged beef at Christmas,” Arthur says. “It’s not a
something you can easily find everywhere, which means we can offer something
really special.”
“At
the moment we’re adding £4 a kilo, so a sirloin that starts off as £26 a kilo
will be £30 once it’s been aged.”
While
the basic process of ageing meat is simple, there’s an “art” to it, says
Stephen. “It’s definitely somewhere between an art and a science. You need to
make sure you’ve got the conditions right, and those can change daily.”
During
the ageing process, moisture in the meat evaporates, shrinking it slightly
while concentrating the flavour. At the same time natural enzymes and harmless
microbes begin to break down the meat’s structure, allowing natural fats to
further concentrate the meat’s taste.
The
process of ageing beef, and other meats, requires a carefully controlled
climate to do it properly, requiring a delicate balance of temperature and
humidity.
The
Williams Meat Ageing Refrigerator operates at the ideal temperature range
between +1 to +6°C and provides humidity between 60-90%, while Himalayan salt
blocks both manage moisture and improve the meat’s flavour.
Constructed
from stainless steel, the robust and reliable Meat Ageing Refrigerator has been
designed to work in ambient temperatures up to 43°C. The interior has room for
four 2/1 GN sized shelves capable of holding up to 20kg each, with hanging
rails as an alternative option.
Incorporating
a variety of other key features, from an insulated glass door to energy saving
LED’s and barrel lock, the cabinet acts as an eye-catching front of house
display and a point of interest for customers. The additional option of further
customisation through the Williams foodsafe vinyl wrap Chameleon service, can
enhance its appearance in any setting.
Williams
Refrigeration worked in conjunction with butchers and operators ranging from
Michelin starred chefs to casual dining to provide a comprehensive meat ageing
solution suitable for a range of different businesses. Alongside the Meat
Ageing Refrigerator, coldrooms can also be designed to create the precise
climate conditions required to age meat while also offering an eye catching way
to display product if used front of house.
A
final festive thought brings Stephen away from meat ageing but to the important
role a Williams Blast Chiller/Freezer plays at Perrys. “We use that to quickly
cool down our cooked products,” he says. “Scotch eggs, pork pies, cooked hams –
the blast chiller works by cooling the product very quickly, getting it down to
3°C without compromising on quality. If you cool things down the wrong way they
can go crusty and bad, but the Williams blast chiller gives us great,
consistent results.”
For
more information about Williams’ meat ageing capabilities visit the website.
Williams Refrigeration
offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm
cabinets and counters, specialist butcher and bakery equipment, coldrooms,
merchandisers and blast chillers.
To learn more about Williams extensive product range
visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk.
Press
Enquiries:
The Publicity Works: 01263
761000 williams@publicityworks.biz
For more news about Williams
visit the
press office at www.publicityworks.biz
Dan
Squires at Williams Refrigeration 01553 817103
Williams Refrigeration
is a division of AFE Group Ltd. It is an ISO9001-2008 Quality Management
accredited
company and has been awarded ISO14001, the internationally recognised industry
standard for Environmental Management Systems. Most recently Williams has demonstrated its commitment to staff welfare by achieving Occupational Health
and Safety Standard (OHSAS) certification 18001:2007.
Williams designs, manufactures and installs a
highly diverse product range, supplying hotels, hospitals, schools,
restaurants, bars and kitchens around the world. With a wide selection of
gastronorm cabinets and counters, prep stations, blast chillers/freezers,
bottle coolers, bakery and modular coldrooms the company provides products that
suit almost any application – a “one-stop” refrigeration purchasing solution.
The company has also developed a specialist
range of medical and pharmaceutical refrigeration, including bespoke coldrooms
and the Medi+ range of cabinets.
Williams’ commitment to customers is absolute,
offering extensive specialist advice and support from installation through to
after-sales, service and maintenance.