December News & Slow-cooking Tips

The cattle in Denmans’ barns are more than happy to be safely indoors during this mostly damp and dull weather, munching on some very good quality hay, haylage and occasionally silage. Hamish is reigning supreme in a custom built, spacious pen with Lola and her calf for company.

The first of our White Park, ready for the pastures above, has left us along with an Aberdeen Angus - we should have some really good beef ready immediately before Christmas. We have had very enthusiastic and positive feedback including high praise for the flat brisket, described as “delicious, I would go so far to say incredible...covered in one of our rubs and slow cooked for hours the meat simply melted in our mouths."

During the recent lockdowns cooking and entertaining the permitted number of people has become increasingly an outside activity, even in these colder months. Thus slow cooking beef is an attractive alternative alongside the more common BBQ options.

As a flat brisket is of uniform thickness it lends itself to even cooking. The bottom part of the brisket is called a “flat” and contains much less fat than the top part which is called a “point”. Covering the flat brisket with your favourite dry “rub” (too much salt means that precious juices might be lost), wrapping in foil for up to 24 hours then slow cooking in an oven or on a BBQ, should produce a delicious dish. After allowing the beef to rest for 30 minutes or so the best way of carving is to cut the brisket against the grain.

Lynda Martin