Native, heritage breeds slow grown on small farms in The Dales, expertly butchered and delivered fresh. Nose-to-tail, nutrient dense and immense flavour.
“I have tried smoking brisket a few times and never been able to get it right - something was always a bit wrong either the flat is too thin or it’s too lean or too fatty or dries out. I thought I’d try some where else and stumbled on Swaledale and the difference was night and day. To start with having grass fed beef already makes a massive difference - the fat is yellow and creamy and melts a little bit just handling it, it’s not the harder white stuff you normally see on cheaper reared beef - I may be wrong but I think it helps some of the fat render more easily. The flavour is completely different too. It has its own, noticeably different taste. However in terms of cooking I smoked 4.6kg for around 7 hours then wrapped it in pink butcher paper for the last 4 and rested in a Yeti for 2 hours - bark still crisp and had the right level of fall apart versus still holding itself together, It was so easy to cook it felt like cheating - it was a real crowd pleaser I’d go so far as saying brisket in the US is great but in terms of flavour nothing beats British beef in my opinion. I’m a Swaledale convert. Anyone trying to smoke this for the first time I’d recommend buying the bigger piece, it’s much easier than doing the maths and calcs for a smaller piece.
What I’d love to see on Swaledale is tri-tip - I have only found one butcher near me that recognises the cut and doesn’t try to convince me that picanha is the same thing!”
“Excellent brisket. Was worried that as grass fed it would be a bit leaner and therefore not enough fat content to keep it moist during a long slow cook, but it cooked really well and the flavour was exceptional. It came nicely trimmed and I didn’t have to do too much more to it apart from season and throw it on the smoker,”
