Limavady butcher wins All-Ireland steak competition

Limavady butcher Glenn McDowell has achieved one of the top accolades in the meat trade, coming first in the All-Ireland steak competition on his first time competing.

Organised and run by the Butcher Excellence Scheme, which has over 240 members, the annual event invites entries from all over Ireland. The competition is run across 10 different steak categories.

Judges score the different cuts of meat in each category with the overall winner having the highest cumulative score. This year, it was the Limavady butcher who came out on top as having the best steaks in the country.

His steak entries included dry-aged sirloin, ribeye, fillet, onglet, flat iron and chump steak that had been matured for up to 64 days.

The first place award comes on the back of being runner-up in three other meat competitions this year, organised by the same butchery body. These include the All-Ireland barbecue, speciality fine foods, and sausage and burger competition.

Glenn now moves forward to compete head to head with the other winners to stake a claim for the All-Ireland butcher of the year award.

International success has also come this month with prizes for pork sausages from the prestigious Commanderie des Fins Goustiers du Duché body in France.

Operating as Glenn’s butchers, Glenn has run his butchery business for 10 years. He employs four full-time staff supplying walk-in customers, as well as a number of local caterers and restaurants.

Chicken is sourced from Rockvale Poultry and pork from Grants. All beef sold through the business is sourced from Linden Foods. Heifer beef is always purchased and hung for a minimum of 21 days before it is delivered to the shop.

From there, all steaks are aged to 35 days before they are put on sale in the shop. Beef can be matured for longer at the customer’s request.

Hereford cross heifer beef is the preferred option for Glenn. “It has a good covering of fat and marbling, which helps to add flavour. Heifer beef is much more tender than steer or bull beef which makes it higher quality.

“We also want a smaller carcase. The steer carcase produces a bigger eye muscle, which makes it difficult to sell quality steaks. You have to cut the larger sirloins much thinner and they dry out during cooking. The smaller heifer carcase means you have a smaller eye muscle for sirloin or fillet, so you can cut steaks much thicker, which is what the customer wants.”

Changing trends

The butchery trade has seen major changes in the supply of meat and the buying patterns of customers in recent years. Very few factories will sell beef in full or quarter sides.

Most processors now sell the carcase broken down into primary cuts, which helps to cut down on waste for the buyer. For Glenn, buying specific cuts of beef means he doesn’t have to discount or mince the cuts of meat that are harder to sell.

Instead, he can focus on buying the higher value cuts that are in demand, namely steaks, along with forequarter meat for mincing. These cuts are still bought on the bone to help add flavour.

Consumer buying habits are heavily centred on convenience. Roasting joints are no longer a big market for butchers.

“People come in and want the pre-made dishes or convenience dishes. A lot of customers have a budget and like the three for £10 meat range. This is the big seller in the business. We do everything on site from cutting, mincing, preparing and pre-packing of products.

Future

The local butcher trade has become very competitive and crowded. Competition with larger retailers has pushed many independent businesses down the route of value-added products and convenience.

For Glenn, the focus has to be on meat quality, which comes down to the type of meat sourced, hanging and presentation, which is not offered in supermarkets.

If the quality is high, customers will come back to the shop. “We just keep doing our own thing. I would like to expand the business with an online aspect and possibly a second shop if I can get the right location. I have lots of ideas for expansion, but restricted by the size of the current shop premises,” said Glenn.

When buying beef: