Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
If you buy your piece of meat from the butcher, do you know exactly where that piece comes from? And we can go two ways with that. Namely the actual origin of your meat, but also where that piece of meat is exactly on which part of the cow. I went to St Oedenrode and followed the workshop from head to tail at farmer Leon. In this blog I will report on this super interesting day at the Crole Hoeve
The Crole farm
The farm of farmer Leon Moonen is located in Brabant not far from Eindhoven. When I arrive I see the Scottish Highlanders already grazing in the meadow outside. Today, the meat of this animal takes center stage in the workshop from head to tail. You will also find Limousine cows on Leon's farm, which is actually his specialization. These are still inside because several cows have calved. This herd will also go outside again from April. The calves stay here with the mother and the animals really live in groups. I'll take a sneak peak at the B&B because it is under construction and will open its doors one day.
The taste room
A beautiful taste room has been built at the farm where the workshops are given. A fully working kitchen and all kinds of BBQ's are used to prepare the dishes. You can't miss it when you enter. A large piece of meat hangs from the ceiling on a sturdy hook. It is the front part of the cow with the ribs and a piece of front leg. Slowly the participants trickle in and everyone is handed an apron. Brabant hospitality is not strange here because there is already delicious bread with some ox sausage and filet Américain ready for us.
Boning the cow
Leon has selected a Scottish Highlander for this workshop. Because these are somewhat smaller than the Limousines, that meat is less suitable for the catering industry. Those are the main buyers of the meat at this farm. In the video that accompanies this blog you can hear Leon talk about the Highlanders and their specific taste.
Butcher Leon starts by cutting the various pieces of meat from the bone. And that requires quite a bit of knowledge and strength. With years of experience, Johan does this well. During the boning process, he tells us exactly which pieces of meat are on the cow where. This way you get a very good picture of the butcher's work. Of course you can ask all your questions while he is working. I am also put to work for a while because I am going to saw an ossobuco from the leg with a saw.
head to tail
Why is the workshop called head to state? During this workshop, three parts of the cow are boned. The head piece, the back piece and the tail piece. This way, all parts can also be used for the dishes that are made on this day. During this workshop, two chefs will be present who will explain how to prepare the meat. Leon had asked me in advance if I wanted to prepare the main menu. I opted for a delicious baked potato from the greenegg with a tasty ribeye.
Instructive day: workshop from head to tail
And all fun comes to an end, of course, and so does this day! With a bag full of delicious meat and my own sawn ossobuco I said goodbye to Leon, but certainly not for the last time because soon I will be back at the Crole Hoeve for a similar day for food bloggers and BBQ bloggers. If you are interested after seeing the images and reading this blog, click this link and book your workshop! I can guarantee that you will have a very nice, pleasant and educational day!
Delicious Happen is a multi-media company, so you can also find me on various social media. follow me on Facebook, Pinterest en Instagram under @delicioushappen. If you make this recipe I would love it if you tagged me #delicioushappen. A comment below in the comments is also nice of course!