I recently left Jamaica’s #1 attraction to pursue my passion of producing Grade A Beef products because… many Jamaicans believe that we do not have quality beef. My plan is to debunk that myth!

The problem is not our local beef — indeed it is actually better than imported meat as it is organic and hormone-free — but the processing of the meat causes the beef to be tough and sinewy.

Before returning to Jamaica to help with the family business in 2000… I spent many years mastering the art of butchery and was a practising master butcher in Canada, at one of Toronto’s leading gourmet stores.

My training was… at the Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology, where in 1999, I received a degree in retail meat cutting.

I am an expert in the process of dry-aging beef, and am confident that through this process our locally produced quality meat will rival any beef you may get overseas.

The dry-aging process is… the process of keeping the meat at a consistently cool temperature for several days, allowing enzymes naturally present in the meat to break down muscle tissue, resulting in improved texture and flavour. There is no cooking method that can generate the depth and flavour of a dry-aged piece of meat.

The plan is to… work very closely with local farmers. It is important that we support our roots and eat local. The quality is better, healthier, and our Jamaican farmers need to be recognised for their hard work in producing such high-end meat.

The cattle used are… hand-selected. I take Jamaican grass-fed, hormone-free Red Poll Cattle; process and age the meat naturally at controlled temperatures for 28-32 days.

This breaks down the collagen and tendons to produce a more flavourful and tender cut meat.

This technique is of North American Standard — where I trained and worked in the industry in Canada for six years.

Jamaicans should support The Meat Experts because… the goal of the company is to put Jamaican beef on the map.

The Meat Experts is located at…

Shop B3 A & B,

Shoppes of Pineapple,

Main Street, Ocho Rios

Tel: 876-633-3790

Cell: 876-383-7922

kristen@meatexpertsja.com