The lush texture of veal is one of the carnivore's pleasures. Mild, pale pink meat is adaptable to many flavors, so feel free to indulge your inner chef with this rib rack.
This might be a special order cut for a butcher, but we've got it all the time. That's because we're always ready for a special occasion. And this veal rack is the perfect choice for such a meal.
Not to bore you with technical terms, but this is called a chop-ready, unfrenched rack. Here's why. You can trim it and carve out some juicy chops to sear. Or you can roast it whole, crusted with savory herbs and carve it at the table. That makes a spectacular presentation.
The bones are still ensconced in their thin caps of meat (that is, unfrenched). These bits will get crispy when cooked and offer a crunchy texture to complement the velvety mouthfeel of the veal.
Just the facts
- Exclusively available at D’Artagnan
- Humanely raised in a stress-free environment
- Never caged or penned
- 5 Freedoms compliant, a strict EU standard
- Male Charolais and Limousin breeds
- Raised to 6 months, a maximum of 450 pounds
- Milk-fed; 14 days on mother’s milk, then a high-quality natural milk formula
- No antibiotics or hormones
- Never irradiated or injected with any substance
- Sold in an uncooked state
- Product of France
- For best taste on fresh products, use or freeze within 3-5 days of receipt; for frozen products, use within 1-2 days after thawing
Like everything else at D’Artagnan, our veal is raised humanely to produce the best flavor. This is the only place in the United States you will find this exquisite veal. We work exclusively with a cooperative of small farms in Southwest France that raise Charolais and Limousin breed cows, prized for meat, not dairy production. The veal calves are not simply a by-product of the dairy industry but are raised for their quality meat. They live in group housing, in open spaces with clean straw bedding, free to socialize with other calves in a sunlit, comfortable environment.
Their diet is different than the average veal calf that is removed from mother’s milk immediately. Our calves get mother’s milk for 14 days before being weaned onto a milk-based formula for the remainder of their life cycle. They are not grain-finished as is so common in veal production.
This is an important distinction because mother’s milk is important in building and stabilizing a young mammal’s digestive processes. In this more costly process calves are properly weaned to ensure they have an easy transition to a milk-based formula feed. They also get a daily ration of natural ruminants to aid in digestion, along with clean, mineral-enriched water, and iron. This important nutrient keeps the calves healthy and is often withheld by other veal farmers to produce pale veal meat.
Our French veal complies with the “5 Freedoms” statutes of the E.U., a guarantee that far exceeds the humane standards for veal in other countries. These are the freedom to express normal behavior; freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom from fear and distress.
We are proud to work with these French farmers who are famous for providing the highest quality veal to the best restaurants, and butcher shops throughout France and Europe. After all, France is the largest consumer of veal in the world, and expectations of quality are high.
