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Beef Shorthorn is the only choice “I don’t put beef on in the restaurant unless I can get Beef Shorthorn,” says Chef Alex Greene. “I won’t serve anything else – I’d rather change the menu.”
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ith a family background in farming it’s perhaps not surprising that Alex Greene has strong views about what makes a good piece of beef, but his passion for Beef Shorthorn doesn’t come from a background in the breed. For him it’s all about the quality of the beef. “My grandfather farmed cattle, but it was always Continental breeds, like Charolais or Salers,” said Alex. “I always liked them because they were nice looking animals, but they took a lot of looking after. I didn’t really get interested in native breeds until I started working with Glenarm Shorthorn beef.” Alex, one of Northern Ireland’s top chefs, is head chef at Belfast’s Michelin star eatery, Deane’s EIPIC. Originally from Dundrum, in the Mourne country, he grew up on a farm and is passionate about the provenance of his ingredients. His public profile soared after appearing on the BBC’s Great British Menu in 2020 where he scored a double win, cooking both the starter and the dessert at the children’s literature themed final banquet. 100+ Days Aged At EIPIC Alex develops innovative, stylish dishes with a strong focus on flavour, and Beef Shorthorn features prominently. “I got introduced to Shorthorn beef
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through Peter Hannan about 10 years ago and it was the way Shorthorn beef aged that struck me as being special,” Alex explains. “I love the marbling and the layers of fat that’s in Glenarm Shorthorn – there’s nothing that can touch it. The 28 day aged standard product is already very, very good, but I could see that with it being a great piece of meat with a really good fat covering, it could go even further.” “The beef fillet I serve in the restaurant is aged on the bone to 50 days and the sirloin is aged to 100 days plus. Of course it’s more expensive, but it’s a completely different product. It’s so tender you can nearly take a knife and spread it like butter and that length of aging massively intensifies the flavour. “We don’t want it too gamey a flavour though. What I’m going for is beef that tastes like beef, but intensified. Super tender with serious flavour, that’s what it’s all about and I think Beef Shorthorn is pretty unique in its ability to deliver that.” A Signature Dish The flavour created by such a long aging is an essential element of one of Alex’s favourite dishes – a classic steak tartare made from 100+ day aged sirloin that’s become a signature dish of the restaurant. The 50 day aged fillet has proven exceptionally popular too, particularly during lockdown when Alex developed
B eef Shorthorn C attl e S oc i ety J o ur n al 2 0 2 3
