ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS
Knowledge, patience and understanding.
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Our passion and experience for selecting the finest beef in Ireland combined with generations of know how has taught us how to create the perfect piece of beef with outstanding flavour which is rich and distinctive. This skill and method has earned us the reputation for creating the prevailing standard in dry aged beef.
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TIM STONE
THE ELEMENTS OF
OUR PHILOSOPHY
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We bring years of heritage, decades of craftsmanship and natural quality to deliver the most incredible eating experience.
There are FIVE ELEMENTS we continue to spend much care and attention on to deliver a product that is truly distinguishable in taste, flavour and tenderness.
THE FARMS
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FARMING TRADITION FOR GENERATIONS
Irish farms are traditionally family owned with generations inheriting the wealth and knowledge in natural farming techniques to offer consistency and reliability. We select from farmers with smaller herds as they know their individual animals, their habits, appetites and state of health. Their start in life is stable, consistent and as close to nature as possible with calves suckling on a diet of rich milk from their mothers for the first ten months. Each animal is fully traceable throughout their lives from field to market place.
Whilst Irish farming is non-industrial and by nature more traditional, being part of the EU gives the added assurance that hormones are forbidden and the use of antibiotics are strictly controlled. Ireland has a leading reputation around the world for innovation in food safety.
THE ENVIRONMENT
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IRELAND’S RICH AND FERTILE LAND
Ireland has the longest grazing season in the northern hemisphere with a temperate climate where grass, clover and natural herbs thrive. The winters are mild and the summers are wet enough to encourage fertile growth enabling the free ranging cattle to graze outside for most of the year, giving our beef its distinct grass-fed flavour and tenderness.
We are meticulous about ensuring our product is fully traceable and only comes from Irish farms with the finest natural environment and who uphold the highest standards in sustainable farming principles.
THE SELECTION
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OUR MASTER BUTCHERS SELECT THE BEST
At the heart of our business is a selection process that we believe is unsurpassed in terms of quality and consistency. Our master butchers have been known to pass on 90% of the carcasses they inspect before they approve one for the John Stone line. Our team assess over 650,000 beef carcasses per year and refines the selection to the most premium cuts of meat for quality and taste.
Our skilful butchers hand pick the best loins using the ‘EUROP’ classification scale and our unique in house marbling criteria.
THE AGEING TRADITION
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CREATING TENDERNESS AND FLAVOUR
For over sixty years we have been masters of the traditional dry ageing process. Perfected over these many years, the process we carry out is complicated and thorough. Our carefully selected meat is allowed to rest and breathe whilst stored in meticulously controlled conditions.
Ultimately this allows the meat to dehydrate and intensifies the flavour further as well as creating a superior texture. With our experience and craftsmanship of this respected tradition we know how to generate the depth of flavour and beautifully tenderised meat which no cooking method can achieve.
THE MASTER BUTCHERS
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CRAFTSMANSHIP AND PRECISION
After 21-28 days of ageing, our master butchers will remove the sides of beef ready for preparation. Only after maturing, deboning and trimming to perfection are the best cuts selected for our customers. This is what makes us different and is the most important element as we cut by hand for greater accuracy, meeting our customer’s exacting specification.
Our butchers are masters of their craft, with the utmost respect and understanding of the love and care that has been taken to produce such fine meat up until this point. They instinctively have a keen eye, a sharp knife and a true love of creating the perfect cut.
