We breed Dexter cattle for our own freezer and sell a small quantity to local friends. The popular stuff always runs out fast - steak, roasting joints; then I have to find umpteen ingenious ways to use all the mince and stewing cuts I always have left over.
I do a lot of batch cooking, so tend to take out about six packs of stewing beef at a time and fill my two large slow cookers with beef and vegetable stew, leaving them on all day to bubble away happily.
Dexter meat is rich tasting, ours very rarely eat anything but grass or haylage, this being the best dexter food as they are a slow growing cattle, being able to be fattened from grass, with extra forage in the winter.
We hang our carcasses for four weeks, which gives the meat a wonderful dark red colour, and a flavour second to none. Our butcher is excellent in his cutting and preparation work, and liaises with me when I've sent a beast to the abattoir very well. I then go and collect copious amounts of joints, steaks, packs of mince and stewing meat, plus all the offal and a box of bones for the dogs!
We have a slight difference of opinion in the house as to how it gets cooked though. Myself I like it medium, whereas Michael likes it well done, so I try to cook it somewhere in between. The marbling you get on Dexter beef is second to none, filling the meat with flavour. I always let mine rest for at least half an hour before carving and always use the juices in the gravy.
For more information about Dexter meat and where you can buy some please visit - www.dexterbeef.org.uk
This is one I cooked yesterday -
You can plainly see the line of fat down the middle and coating around the top, keeping all that flavour in. This will get used in sandwiches and salads now, but won't be around for long!
Stats today -
Eggs produced = 10
Sales -
1 & 1/2 dozen eggs £2.80
1 x Geranium plant £1.50
Expenses -
Nil
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