Cabinet a cut above

Award-winning butcher Arthur Howell says his business has been boosted since taking delivery of a meat ageing cabinet from Williams Refrigeration.
 
The Howell family first opened a butcher’s shop in the North Norfolk town of Wells-next-the-Sea in 1889, and believe strongly in traditional methods, provided they deliver the quality their customers expect. 

​Arthur has always been keen on meat ageing and, when Williams launched the cabinet, he was keen to try it out.  “Dry meat ageing is a centuries-old method and the reason it’s back in fashion is all about quality,” he said.  “The process delivers more flavour and tenderises the meat.  Having said that, it’s also about theatre – if you want to stand out you need to be different and the more you display, the more you sell.” 
 
Meat ageing is popular in restaurants and hotels, especially for displaying front of house. The full-length glass door and internal display lights on the Williams cabinet ensure the meat is eye catching, while the solid, stainless steel construction is said to be easy to keep clean. The Pink Himalayan Rock Salt Williams supplies with the cabinet adds a touch of the exotic, as well as helping the meat ageing process. Arthur says: “It’s a real conversation starter. People will ask about the darkness of the meat, and they’ll say things like, “Dry aged meat – wow!  That’s different.”  There’s no doubt it’s had a positive impact on business.
 
“We’ll keep the meat for 4-6 weeks and all the joints are expensive cuts of meat – mainly sirloins and ribs.  So we need to be confident that the cabinet will look after it. And it does: all the meat ages really well. As the meat loses moisture it shrinks a little – over four weeks in the Williams cabinet we’re losing less than 10%. Also, with dry aged meat there can be an issue with mould. We’ve had none of that with the Williams cabinet. I can’t fault it!”

The Williams cabinet operates at a temperature of 1-6°C and controls relative humidity at 60-90%. The refrigeration system’s CoolSmart controller ensures it operates safely and as energy efficiently as possible, by only switching the system on when its required – so during quiet periods, such as overnight, power consumption is minimal. It is also available in a wide range of colours and textures, thanks to Williams’ Chameleon vinyl wrap service, to match a site’s décor. 
 
Made of stainless steel throughout, the cabinet has a capacity of 620 litres and measures 727mm wide by 824mm deep and 1960 high.  It runs on eco-friendly natural refrigerant R290 (propane) with low GWP and zero ODP. The insulation foam is precision injected, high density 80mm thick polyurethane, delivering maximum thermal properties with low GWP and zero ODP.  
 
“People like theatre, things that stand out and are different. The Williams Meat Ageing cabinet certainly delivers. It looks great and it looks after the meat really well,” says Arthur. 

www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk