Texas style Dry Aged Rib Ragu Chili

A British take on an American classic…….

Dovecote Park, off whose legacy the Juicy Meat brand was launched, are an industry leader when it comes to dry age. We were among the first to bring dry aged beef to the supermarket shelf, the only company to boast a specialised dry age butchery team, and have pushed the boundaries of dry age in our innovative products – including dry age meatballs and burgers. We have recently been expanding into dry aging pork, lamb and venison. Our bespoke dry age refrigeration facility, installed in 2019 in collaboration with our sister business Newtech, brought robotics to the dry age arena. A trio of robots select cuts according to maturation date, and picks the meat in individual trays – ensuring the product ages evenly and without the need for manual handling.

Of course, bringing the perfect dry age steaks to our customers means generating a fair amount of ‘trim’ – surplus dry aged beef which we need to find use for. This product can be made into superb burgers or meatballs – and now our side business, the Juicy Meat Company, have found another great use for the trim – the Dry Aged Rib Ragu. Consisting of rich, flavourful rib offcuts, this product is ideal for a decadent slow cooked dish – a bourgignon, goulash or a British take on a Southern classic – Texas chili.

A true Texas style chili is somewhat different from chili con carne as we tend to see it in the UK. For one, there are strictly no beans in a Texas chili – a source of great contention among chili purists.

Secondly, minced beef is not generally used in the traditional Texas style – Lone Star chili is closer to a spiced beef stew. While this can be served with any number of accompaniments – rice or jacket potato being the most commonly seen in the UK – we’ve paired ours with a traditional buttermilk cornbread – quick to make and perfect for soaking up the rich gravy.

We’ve put this one together, taking influence from tried and tested chili recipes and bringing our dry age ragu the spotlight. Give it a go, and feel free to experiment with beer, coffee, or even bringing other meats into the mix. We used a dark porter here, matching with the rich beef – but experiment with other beers and see what works!

You can find our Organic Short Rib here - while there, take a peek at the rest of our selection!