The Meat Lessons: Meat and potatoes on Prince Edward Island

The Olliffe Team recently took a trip out to Prince Edward Island to see how the tiny province has begun producing, in our opinion, some of the best tasting beef in North America. Included on the trip was head butcher George Madill, my brother Ben Gundy and Le Patron of George Restaurant and me.

In Prince Edward Island, the most important agricultural employer is the potato industry, and therein lies part of the answer. Unlike in other Canadian provinces and across the U.S., the fields on the Island are lined with potatoes and not ubiquitous stalks of corn.

In essence, the P.E.I. beef industry was designed to enhance the sustainability of both the potato and beef industry, and it all comes down to the three-year crop rotation cycle of the potato.

As the province’s main industry, a potato field can only be planted with potatoes once every three years. For the PEI farmer running the family business their land has to be productive when not growing potatoes. In other words, the beef and potato industries are complimentary, as both require pasture and fallow land.

Our first visit on the island was to Tim Dixon who owns a mixed farm producing some organic products. It includes a large Black Angus operation by PEI standards with 150 head of cattle. Tim breeds some of his animals and buys calves from other maritime provinces which he pastures until they reach about 900lbs. From there his animals are “finished” with a diet of silage lots of grass, potatoes, sometimes barley and navy beans. The potatoes are culls or rejects by island processors looking for specific size requirements. In fact, a ton of rejected potatoes delivered to the farm costs about $10 dollars therefore they are inexpensive and enable the PEI industry to compete pricewise.

Another farmer we talked to Dean Baglole, says an important factor accounting for the superior taste of the beef are that the cattle are culled at a minimum of 26 months and quite often over 30 months. This compares to cattle in confined feedlots that can be slaughtered as young as 18 months. Unlike in industrial feedlot operations where animals are processed in batches according to a fixed schedule, PEI animals are sorted individually when a farmer determines if they are ready. The greater maturity of the animals provides superior beefy taste, more fat and better marbling.

Also Mr. Baglole said that taste would be affected by the cattle receiving smaller daily doses of grain averaging 5 -8 pounds per day compared to up to 20 pounds for regular North American commodity beef. You cannot call PEI beef Grass-Fed due to inclusion of some grains in the feed with the exception of corn.

Going it Alone

In 2002 the Maple Leaf subsidiary Hub Meat Packers located in Moncton, New Brunswick was shuttered. The farmers of the Maritime Provinces no longer had a local packer who had the certified regulation to be able to ship across provincial lines. Needless to say this was devastating not only for PEI beef farmers but potentially the potato farmers who operate both types of farms.

Beef farmers from PEI were forced to send their live cattle to large meat packers predominately in Quebec and Ontario. These trips are very difficult for the welfare of the animals and consequently the financial returns on each animal, said one farmer we spoke to Dean Baglole. He likens the experience to long-haul flights where passengers are subjected to thorough searches, cramped cabins, and then refused vital services like food and water for two days.

Atlantic Beef Products was established on PEI in 2004 in order to combat the problem. The average farmer who sends his steer or cow to the federally inspected abattoir currently receives on average 7 cents less than sending down the road to Quebec or Ontario. But the success is clear with a penetration of nearly 90% of PEI’s farmers keeping their cattle in-province to be slaughtered.

The trucking of live cattle is not preferred but even avoided when the farmer is compensated at a lesser level.

The Inadvertent Success Story

According to Atlantic Beef Products (ABP), the sole federal meat packing plant in the Maritimes, the average beef cattle farm on PEI has 40-50 heads generating annual sales of 100 million dollars to the industry. Compared to the beef economy of Alberta and even Ontario, the PEI beef cattle industry is tiny.

The method of raising the animals is far different from conventional confined feedlot operations. The feedlot consists of the family farm, its pasture and barns.

Growth promotants such as hormones or steroids are not administered. As well, preventative antibiotics are never given to the cattle. These are low volume family farms, which supply beef to the Atlantic Provinces and now Ontario. Can the beef be called natural? A debate rages as to what this means. But 35 year old Tim Dixon, the PEI farmer told us “my farm has been in the family since 1916 and we have been raising the animals the same way since then. I would call that natural.” And he has a point.

Our tour of the newly built, and provincially subsidized Atlantic Beef Products meat packing facility was instructive. Modern automated machines are manufactured in Holland and made of stainless steel. One of the interesting achievements of the Atlantic Beef Products operation and its supplying farmers is their ability to send an unusually high level of premium graded beef through the system.

In Canada, we have four grades of beef: A, AA, AAA and Prime. Mike Nabuurs, the head of ABP is able to get up to 65% of all beef graded as AAA or higher. This is a formidable achievement as mostly all other abattoirs in North America cap out AAA or higher at a rate of up to 40%.

Atlantic Beef Products Mike Nabuurs and the farmers we met attribute the exceptional grading to two instances; letting cattle age on farm longer than normal and the unique PEI feeding program.

PEI Beef Tastes Better

All of this serves to explain why the beef tastes differently and why we think better. With its greater age before kill and unique diet, to us the beef has a more beefy taste– resembling what beef used to taste. With age comes more time for marbling to develop. The marbling produces a smooth richness that is satisfying.

Further, it is the close proximity to the abattoir plus the relatively light-graining of the animal that is a contributor to the success story.

Why should anyone be surprised that a small-scale carefully cultivated agricultural alternative beats an industrially large scaled product? It all makes a good case for supporting the efforts of the farmers and people in PEI who are promoting a product as an important answer to their community.

We returned from Moncton using the new Confederation Bridge which one of our party was stunned to learn was not floating. To catch the flight on time, we had to drive reluctantly by Shediac, New Brunswick where some delicious east coast seafood could have been had. Perhaps next time.

Read more: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/10/13/the-meat-lessons-meat-and-potatoes-on-prince-edward-island/#ixzz12HFBuZw8

Is quality deli meat a myth?

At Olliffe we boast about the selection of high-end charcuterie encompassing pig, fowl and beef bits and bobs. But in reality our fresh deli meat counter is a busier hive of activity on any day. Our customers enjoy the simplicity of making their own signature sandwich using deli style turkey breast, black forest ham, Hungarian salami and roast beef. These simple sliced meats are an efficient and economical way to satisfy hunger at any time of the day.

You can be sure that there is a quality difference in the many deli counters across the country. Here are a few quick considerations next time you are at your favourite meat purveyor.

Pre-Wrapped v Sliced-to-Order


Sometimes you are in the situation when a pasta recipe calls for 50 grams of pancetta. However larger stores seem to prefer to portion and/ or pre-wrap their deli meat for whatever reason. We find deli meats that are sliced fresh and to the customer specification tastes better and last longer.


Artificial v Natural Aging


It is important to ask your butcher or meat purveyor if their deli meats are artificially or naturally aged. Many store bought salamis are artificially (chemically) aged overnight which can be an attractive method for some producers to speed their product to market. 
A good Salami should be cold fermented in the traditional German or Italian style and aged for at least six week depending on the taste/texture objective of the final product. Most importantly fillers such as water or starches should never be included and if they are then the retail handlers should be aware of this fact.

In-House Made Product


Rare sliced roast beef, pork loin and fresh turkey breast are a great way to avoid preservatives that are inherently used in deli meats. The best stores rotate their “fresh deli meats” very quickly and avoid spoilage. You want to look for freshness; is the meat drying out? Are the holding trays clean and maintained? Has it been rotated recently? Feel free to ask these questions and expect forthright answers.


Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/theappetizer/archive/2010/04/23/the-meat-lessons-is-quaity-deli-meat-a-myth.aspx#ixzz11JHLhkKr

A good sausage or burger begins with the perfect grind

At our butcher shop we have been noticing many of our customers are buying small 1hp or less meat grinders for their homes. Quite often the home meat grinders can serve double duty acting as a sausage stuffer as well.

Our butchers are often asked about meat grinding for hamburgers or sausages and they will answer by asking the customer some more questions, such as; Do you like your burgers/sausages to have a bit of chew or less textured? When you find a good burger or sausage is it a little fatty or lot, Which do you prefer? Do you add spicing ingredients or enjoy au naturel?

When making hamburgers and sausages it is quite important to have your own “perfect grind.” Here are a couple of tips on what we find to be our “Perfect Grind.”

It Is All About The Fat

Use coarse ground chuck, also known as shoulder or blade. This muscle sits beside the start of the highly prized rib loin and makes a top-notch base to your grind. This muscle can be fatty so have your butcher trim the fat well and cubed. Better yet, ask to be instructed on how to seam out each muscle. Meat should be your butchers passion, they are usually happy to share their knowledge. Of course you can experiment with your grind mixture by using ratios of chuck, striploin ends, brisket or short rib meat.

At Olliffe, we start the grinding process by including half the meat with all the fat our recipe calls for and passing (grinding) through a fine plate. This disperses the fat evenly throughout the mixture and the small plate ensures the fat is finely ground and not present when chewing. Spicing may be added in to the mixture but this time passed a coarse plate to be finished.

We recommend you purchase hard fat that is trimmed from either the rib or strip at the loin. This hard fat is the best on the animal, flavorful and will stand up to the heat of a hot grill without rendering too quickly. Be generous when buying your fat, it is “trim” and should be inexpensive.

To Kick it Up a Notch, Or Not?

Many people like to add spices, seasonings and marinades to their burgers and sausages. In our opinion, if you are buying excellent quality chuck with hard steak fat for a hamburger then why mask it?

For sausages spicing and seasoning is perfectly acceptable and fun to have that “eureka” moment when all elements combine to make a great sausage mix.

Adding water to your sausage mix is permissible at times if you do not have enough fat, however bread crumbs or gluten should be avoided.

For instance a happy sausage sales person called on Olliffe with their sausage product. We looked at the package and inquired about the baking soda ingredient. The excited salesman replied, “it is the crumbled Soda Crackers that gives you added flavor.” We then cut the sales call short and stated we make all of our own sausages in-house.To help bind your hamburgers use an egg rather than bread crumbs.

Forming and Pressing

Be very careful to not over mix to the point of kneading your burger or sausage mixture. This will result in a dense and compacted cooked result. When forming your “perfect grind” into patties, whether you are using a patty press or not, be gentle and lightly compact to the patty to the point of light resistance.

Read more: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/07/22/the-meat-lessons-a-good-burger-or-sausage-begins-with-the-perfect-grind/#ixzz11JGQHbiz

The Secret to Beef Striploin

Tissue steak, anyone? Now that’s a tough chew

Definition: Tissue End, beef — The sirloin end of the striploin that contains a half-mooned shape of very tough connective tissue.

We are going to let you in on a little secret. Armed with this knowledge any person can visit a butcher shop and immediately identify the retailer’s philosophy in terms of both product quality, and how they view their customers. Stop by the beef striploin section and look at each steak closely for a half-mooned perfectly shaped white line; if you see this your “red-flag” should go up.

This is called a “tissue” or “vein” steak. It is very tough and will easily spoil a great backyard barbecue dinner.

Most striploins will cut on average 10 to 12 regular sized steaks. The final three or four steaks running into the tougher sirloin can be called the tissue end. Until recently, the primary measure to rate the quality of the striploin was by how tender it can be (the other measure and growing in clout is flavour).

The tough connective vein in the tissue end left a huge problem for butchers and meat sellers as to what to do with up to 25% of tough (and costly) beef.

Tissue end good for steak burgers and kebabs

Nearly all grocery stores stock and price tissue end steaks on their shelves without discrimination. But at the same time, so do some of the independent butcher shops. At Olliffe, we always separate the end and use it in three ways: send to the kitchen for prepared foods, grind and use in big-flavoured steak burgers or make steak kebabs.

Next time you are at your local meat purveyor, have a look at the tray holding the striploin. If you find a half-mooned line in the centre of the steak, you will know how they not only view their product but also how they view you, the customer.

Read more: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/08/18/the-meat-lessons-the-secret-to-beef-striploin/#ixzz11JF7gB3o