If we allow beef to be taken from O.T.M. (Over thirty months) cattle, there are several distinct traits that can be spotted in carcass form. Older females tend to lose their muscle mass and their fat loses it colour. Whilst the males will be extremely tough with poor marbling. It’s all very well saying that an animal has been procured from the UK, but unless it is from clean beef, it’s an inferior product that no amount of dry hanging can bring up to speed.
After going out and procuring clean beef, it would be folly to fall at the final hurdle by not allowing the beef to be finished in the proper way. Dry hanging beef has gained in popularity recently, but in order to do it properly, you must use a dehumidifier. This allows the moisture in the chills to be removed and the beef can be hung for longer without a build-up of bacteria.
Different cuts require different forms of hanging. For example, our fillets are vac packed after 14 days due to their very low fat content, but a rib eye on the bone can be left up 35 days. Most of our beef will be ready to cut down at 25 days.