BEEF PROFILE: Irish Hereford Prime
I am often asked what my "favorite steak" is and I always answer: "I don't have one." It depends on the situation, but if I had to choose one for the rest of my life, it would be an Irish Hereford Prime dry aged Ribeye. At our tastings, there are two steaks that are always at the top of the list. And IHP is one of these two benchmark steaks. - By David Pietralla
There are a lot of cattle in Ireland. This is because the Irish have a lot of land, which is not particularly productive due to the climate. However, grass grows well there and the idea of turning it into delicious steak meat is deeply rooted. If you ask an Irish person why they don't fatten their animals like the Americans do, you'll get a skeptical look and the answer is short and prompt: "Whiskey". The really good meat breeds originally came from the Emerald Isles, but nowadays farmers have a very mixed stock. The key to the success of Irish Hereford Prime is, as is so often the case, selection, but also processing after slaughter. But let's start with the breed. As a quick note: Irish Hereford Prime is a brand name. The Prime here does not stand for an independent quality rating, as in the USA, but is part of the brand.
Hereford cattle, along with Angus, are the dominant meat breed in the world. They are robust and produce very good meat. Fine fibers with a tendency to store fat form the basis of the Irish Hereford Prime brand. Of course, there are not only beef cattle in Ireland; here we have the first selection step. The animals are slaughtered under 24 months of age and are oxen and heifers. The animals eat primarily grass and grass silage, which gives the meat a strong flavor. If marbling is present, it is usually only slightly pronounced. Very fine, thin veins of fat are characteristic of IHP. The color of the fat is slightly yellowish, not like that of an old cow but significantly yellower than, for example, the fattening fat of US beef. The color of the meat is also more of a dark, strong red.
The high standards during slaughter and the naturally short transport routes (small island) are mandatory. The real difference to "normal" Irish meat, however, is what happens after slaughter. Here the Irish have developed a process that makes a clear difference. It begins with cooling after slaughter. In order to avoid so-called "cold shortening" of the fibers, this process takes place in several stages. Not to three degrees Celsius within 24 hours as required in Germany, but much more slowly. This prevents the muscles from contracting and the meat remains more tender. Stimulation with electric shocks ensures additional loosening of the muscles directly after slaughter. The cattle are also not hung by the heel in the classic way, but a so-called hyper-stretch process is used, in which the animal is hung by the lock bone so that the back is stretched in a natural shape. In the dry-aged line, the meat remains on the bone for 28 days and is then vacuum-packed. The final step is an ultrasound treatment, which breaks down the collagen structures and makes the meat even more tender. In summary, it can be said that the maturation process has been perfected using physical methods. Yes, this is also very technical, but unlike US Prime Beef, the Irish do not want any chemical additives and leave the cow's lifespan as natural as possible.
As always, we start with tenderness when describing the taste. We have a very fine fiber without much intramuscular fat, but it is still perceived as extremely tender. The intermuscular fat deposits are also very tender, not lumpy, and melt in the mouth. Of course, the collagen in the fat also breaks down during ultrasound treatment.
The melting fat gives the T-bone a unique succulence when grilled.
The juiciness depends more on the cooking point than with marbled meat. It should be eaten at a maximum of 55 °C, but preferably at 50 °C to 52 °C, to name a sweet spot. Of course, heavily marbled meat may seem even juicier, but IHP has a very good water-binding capacity for the fat level. You just shouldn't cook it medium well/well done, because then a lot of the quality is lost.
The taste is the highlight, along with the tenderness. It is full-bodied, strong and yet not unpleasantly animalistic. The primary grass-fed meat results in a meaty, mineral and clear meat taste. The relatively short dry aging phase does not yet lead to so-called funky flavors, but there is a constant aroma that I attribute to the ultrasound treatment. The additional fragmentation of the collagen could also bring an additional, stronger taste.
I am writing here specifically about the dry-aged rib-eye, many of the processes used apply to all cuts. However, the effects are not always 100 percent the same and it is and remains a natural product. But with the exception of US beef, I hardly know of anything with such a high level of consistency in quality. A small price/performance tip for fans of lean meat is the rump. The rump fillet in particular, i.e. the smaller of the two muscles, is extremely tender and has a very intense meaty flavor.
Tenderness: 8.5/10
Juiciness: 8.5/10
Taste: 7/10