The strength of Dierendonck and the taste of their meat lies in three key words. Craft, terroir and passion. Hendrik and his father Raymond Dierendonck have in recent years become the reference when it comes to meat. In the meantime, the brand has become indispensable and you will find branches all over Belgium. They deliver quality of the highest level and are followed by numerous top chefs! Meet Hendrik Dierendonck: butcher in heart and soul!
Hendrik, could you briefly explain the history of Dierendonck?
My father Raymond and my mother Anneke started their own business in 1970. They started small and chose Sint-Idesbald, a tourist village between De Panne and Koksijde. After a few years, he had thirty cows, a few chickens and some fields. His maine-anjou cattle produced marbled, red and juicy meat. The flavour comes from the fat. The taste comes from the fat, which you get from the breed of animal, the breeder’s know-how and a good diet.
My father’s cows used to graze here, in the polders, they still do. The grass is excellent. The sea wind, the salt, it all plays its part in the quality and the taste. Grass is nature on your plate. Animals that eat pure grass produce tasteful meat, and there has always been a passion for taste. Reared animals with a bad diet do not end up on the Dierendonck cutting board. The cows must be able to enjoy sufficient space and freedom for a long time. It goes without saying that the welfare of the animals is an absolute priority.
Hendrik, can you tell me how you experienced your personal course?
Dierendonck is a family of butchers. After my butcher’s training, I was able to take over my parents’ butcher’s shop in Sint-Idesbald with pride in 2001. Being a butcher is about being a craftsman. Therefore, together with my team, I am constantly looking for new products and breeds, such as Oedslach and Menapic pig.
The Menapanese pig? What is that anyway? Well, this breed has its origins a thousand years back in time: the time of the Menapians, a barbaric, Celtic tribe that lived in the region between the coast and the Scheldt. The pig was the absolute delicacy par excellence! But, for 2,000 years the Menapanese pig seems to have disappeared for eternity…
2001, a year full of innovation and the start of the artisanal ripening and affinement. After years of experimentation with food and scientific research together with UGent, Ruben Brabant and Hendrik Dierendonck bring the breed back to life. The comeback of the Menapische pig is a return to the pure quality of meat. The new Menapanese pig combines old traditions with a new desire to do things differently and better.
©Toon Stockman
Since 2010 , the West Flanders Red Beef has been on our menu and in 2011 we made it to the stage at The Flemish Primitives. This year was special for several reasons. I became craftsman of the year, the first atelier was opened in Nieuwpoort and we worked with top chefs, such as Peter Goossens, Kobe Desramaults, Sergio Herman, …
2014 was the year of the opening of our restaurant Carcasse. A year later, we released ‘The Butchers Book’, opened the Dierendonck Butchery and then theAtelier in Brussels. In 2016, Carcasse won the Golden Palm at the Concept Restaurant Awards. Carcasse went like a rocket and won the International Concept Award in Paris in 2017 and was awarded a Michelin star.
© Toon Stockman
In order to offer our products all over Flanders, we decided to build an Dierendonck webshop accessible for everyone. Our products also became popular in Switzerland, Germany and France. In the last few years, we have opened a number of other workshops in Kortrijk and Uccle, as well as an outlet in the Wolf Food Market.
© Thomas Sweertvaegher
Can you explain why your product is unique?
Maturing and preparing meat is one thing. Theright selection of breeds is another. At Dierendonck we deliberately go back to basics. All cattle I choose must have had a good life and be able to reach an ideal weight without stress. I prefer animals that are 6 to 7 years old, that have already calved 2 or 3 times. That way, they always produce natural fat, which gives them a special taste.
In addition, Dierendonck has special maturation cells in which the meat ripens and dries. The dry crust pulls the meat as it were vacuum and after three weeks the meat becomes nice and tender due to the breakdown of proteins. This makes the flavour very intense. Ripening and drying can take a long time, so we follow various ripening schedules. A maturation of4 to 5 weeks will please just about every meat lover. But at the request of some customers, we sometimes allow the meat to mature for up to 150 days. Meat made to measure…
© Thomas Sweertvaegher
Nowadays, everything can be copied, but not Dierendonck’s passion for his profession. It is thesecret ingredient of our butchers to create unique products. Dierendonck is not just a name, it is a philosofie: Passion for craftsmanship! With respect for tradition, but also with an eye for innovation.
Where our meat comes from and how it was raised is the most important thing to us. After all, each terroir gives that delicious meat a different flavour. Whether it is West Flemish Red from the polders or lamb from the Pyrenees, each region has its qualities. How the animal is raised and slaughtered is also important, always with respect.
©Piet De Kersgieter
All information on Dierendonck can be found here:Website Dierendonck
PRACTICAL
Restaurant Carcasse: avenue Henri Christiaen 5, 8670 Sint-Idesbald: Booking here
Butcher’s shop Dierendonck: Strandlaan 331, 8670 Sint-Idesbald
Atelier Dierendonck: Nieuwpoort: Albert I Avenue 106, 8620 Nieuwpoort
Atelier Dierendonck: Brussels: Katelijnestraat 24, 1000 Brussels
Atelier Dierendonck: Uccle: Vanderkinderestraat 409, 1180 Uccle
Atelier Dierendonck: Kortrijk: Doorniksewijk 99, 8500 Kortrijk
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