Maurice Kettyle is one of the Ireland’s most popular butchers selling high quality beef to premium restaurants across Ireland and Britain. Maurice is supplying all the ethically sourced Irish meat that will be served at Guinness X Meatopia, including a 7-year-old Galloway cow finished on fermented Guinness grain and aged for 45 days in Kettyle Irish Foods salt chambers. We had a word with him ahead of Meatopia.
Are you looking forward to Meatopia? What are you expecting?
Absolutely. We are delighted to be involved in Guinness X Meatopia at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery this July. The successors, who have supplied produce at Meatopia events in the US and UK, are where Kettyle aspires to be. Kettyle’s core pillars are consistent with those of Guinness’s – the passion, craftsmanship, innovation and going the extra mile. We have a good synergy together. Kettyle’s is consistently aiming to add value via sustainability in the agricultural industry and respects everything from grains and ancestry to cultural, generic cross over.
What’s on the menu at Meatopia?
For the events we have prepared two seven-year-old Galloway cows, finished on fermented Guinness grain and aged for 45 days in Kettyle Irish Foods salt chambers. We will be bringing the full animals and working with the chefs to use the forgotten and different cuts of meat. If we are to change consumer mindset and be more sustainable, we need to educate and share knowledge on how different cuts can be used. I am looking forward to meeting global chefs, such as Angie Mar and get a different angle on what they’re doing.
You ethically source all your meat? How important is knowledge of the chain from farm to fork?
It’s so important. From top to tail and land right through to the chef. We have transparency across customers, and our customers customers. It is vital that we have better knowledge in order to develop industry firsts and ensure our produce is premium. The Guinness Open Gate Brewery has opened gates to knowledge and experimentation in beer, we want to do the same when it comes to meat.
Is butchery a craft that’s innovating? If so, what the ones you’ve noticed.
Butchery is a craft born on knowledge, that has been forgotten and lost in the last fifty years. We don’t just slaughter for fillets, we look at the whole cow and how to prepare and cut every element. We need to share this knowledge now again with one another.
People now have more of an interest in food, and creating different dishes. They are also conscious of food safety and health benefits. In a similar way to independent breweries, it’s all affecting the trend.
Globally there’s a knowledge out there, it’s the type of information I can’t wait to learn more about at Guinness X Meatopia. You can look at different global trends, say Asian and French cooking methods, and adapt them to suit the Irish market.
In terms of pairing beer with meat, any advice?
I’m still learning a lot from Guinness about pairing beer and meat. For so long it was wine that was paired but actually beer can pair so well. For example, the fruitiness of Hop House 13 works really well with Pork and Guinness and its full bodied consistency matches perfectly with beef burgers.
I’m looking forward to seeing more food and beer pairings at Guinness X Meatopia and beyond!
GUINNESS X MEATOPIA will take place on Saturday, 1 July (4-10pm) and Sunday, 2 July (1-6pm). Tickets are €70.00 for Saturday, 1 July and €65.00 for Sunday, 2 July. Tickets include four dishes, each paired with a taster serving of an experimental brew. A specially brewed GUINNESS X MEATOPIA beer will also be included in the price.
Tickets are available via https://www.guinnessopengate.com/meatopia now. Strictly over 18s.
