Scotch beef refers to beef that has been born, raised and slaughtered in Scotland and has been assured from birth by Quality Meat Scotland Assurance schemes or equivalent. Scotch beef is well known for its tenderness and rich taste, and make excellent steaks. Additionally, Scotch beef butchers hang and prepare meat in the traditional manner, on the bone for up to four weeks, enhancing both tenderness and flavor.
Feeding
editScotch beef are grass-fed within the fertile Scottish borders for its distinctive flavour. Cattle from other areas are often grain fed. The Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, discovered that grass fed beef has the same beneficial health properties as oily fish, as it's packed with Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids.
Hanging
editScotch beef is hung on the bone to mature for up to five weeks, compared to the typical five to ten days in the UK. The hanging process allows enzymes longer to tenderise the meat and reduces moisture content, concentrating the flavor and preventing shrinkage during cooking.
Why hanging?
editHanging is one of the key factors in beef texture and flavour. Hanging the whole carcass "on the bone" adds to flavor. The animals chosen for longer hanging times must also have enough fat to prevent the beef drying out. The longer you hang beef, the longer the enzymes have to break down the muscle fibres, making the meat increasingly tender. A 15-17% weight loss also occurs over the four to five week hanging period, and because this weight loss is moisture, it has the effect of concentrating the flavour.
Hanging process
editMost British beef is hung for only five to ten days. In the US, it's nineteen days. Scotch beef is hung for up to five weeks. Scotch beef typically hangs at low temperature (e.g., 32 degrees F). It is possible to age beef in a vacuum pack, i.e., boning-out the carcass, vacuum packing the large primals and leaving them to age. However, it does not produce as much flavour, nor the all-important moisture loss that concentrates the flavours as when you hang meat on the bone. With modern methods the forequarter is removed after two to three days and minced, but we hang this as well for the full four weeks, so the flavour goes right throughout the whole carcass.