We didn’t make it to the annual Devon meeting this
year---the first time in a long time. But at the time of the meeting I got the
fall ‘Devon USA’ magazine. One thing of interest was a reprint of a 1952 ‘Devon
Cattle Quarterly.’ At this time we have the only Devon herd in Mississippi. I
know of a couple in Louisiana and one in Alabama. But in 1950 there were Devon
breeders prominently mentioned that lived in Wilkinson County as we do. Several
more were mentioned in other towns in southern Mississippi and several in
adjoining parishes in Louisiana. Maybe someone remembers Sam H. Williams of
Monroeville, Alabama or CA and James J. Cravey of Florala. Devon almost
disappeared in the United States as producers began more and more to ship to
feed lots where Devon did not do well. I got in touch with Devon when searching
endangered breeds.
Devon are a breed meant to be finished on grass. One article
in the Devon magazine touted the health benefits of grass-fed dairy, especially
milking Devon: lower amounts of the types of saturated fats that raise levels
of LDL cholesterol, higher in omega-3 fatty acids, and lower in omega-6 fatty
acids.
The grass-fed beef market is growing. Grass-fed beef has
grown from a $5 million dollar a year industry ten years ago to a $75 million
dollar industry today. I was in Baton Rouge at Whole Foods the other day and
the butcher was recommending to a lady the grain finished beef as superior
eating. He grudgingly admitted the health benefits of grass-finished but not
the eating quality. Not all grass-fed is finished equally and quality can vary.
It’s best if you know your producer and he finishes the beef properly. That is
hard to do. In Britain, Devon have long been known as the butcher’s breed. One
writer called Devon as a “just look at a cake and put on weight type of girl.”
It is the fat in the finished product that is not only healthy but gives the
finished beef superior flavor.
While I was at Whole Foods I bought a grass-fed brisket and
I usually do not cook a brisket. I know it to be tough and that it has to be
cooked long. We know brisket is used for
barbecue and there are so many recipes out there for barbecue. I just decided
to do a simple beer brisket recipe and cook it slow. It was delicious and I can
say I will cook brisket more often.
This brisket turns
out so tender and juicy---no knife required.
Beer Brisket
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 (4 pound) beef brisket, trimmed of fat
Salt to taste
1 large onion, sliced
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cube beef bouillon
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to
350 degrees F.
Season the beef brisket with salt, and place in a baking
dish. Cove the entire roast with onion slices. In a medium bowl, mix together the beer, brown
sugar, beef bouillon, pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Pour over the roast.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven. The brisket should
be fork tender. Mix together the cornstarch and water; stir into the juices in
the baking dish to thicken. Remove the bay leaf. Slice and serve the meat.