Vacca Vecchia Padana Tomahawk Steak

Name: Vacca Vecchia Padana Tomahawk | Italian Dry-Aged | FINE & WILD
Brand: TXULETA
SKU: 55657457975681
Price: 120.0 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£120.00

1.2kg 1.4kg 1.6kg

Variant

Italian 40 Day, Dry-Aged Beef

A bone-in tomahawk steak of Vacca Vecchia Padana — the prized Po Valley ex-dairy beef of northern Italy, dry-aged 40 days from Parma. Deep colour, intense flavour, dense intramuscular fat. The proper Italian counterpoint to young grain-fed beef, behind the Bistecca alla Fiorentina tradition.

A bone-in tomahawk steak of Vacca Vecchia Padana — the prized Po Valley ex-dairy and working cow beef of northern Italy, dry-aged 40 days from Parma. This is a different category of beef from the young grain-fed luxury that dominates the premium UK market. The cattle are mature working cows from the Po Valley dairy tradition, retired from milking and finished for meat at full maturity rather than slaughtered young. The result is meat with deep colour — often a near-purple shade in the raw — intense beef flavour, dense intramuscular fat, and a structural integrity that comes from years of working life rather than weeks of feedlot finishing. It is the beef the great Italian butchers and chefs have always preferred, and the meat behind the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina tradition at its most authentic.

The dry aging is what makes the difference at the table. Forty days in a controlled-environment dry-age room concentrates the flavour as moisture evaporates through the muscle, breaks down connective tissue, and develops the deep nutty, mineral, almost cheese-like aromatic notes that no fresh beef can replicate. The hand-trimmed bark that forms during dry aging is the producer's signature work, removed before sale to leave the prime meat beneath. The tomahawk cut keeps the long rib bone attached for visual impact and structural integrity during cooking — but more importantly, the bone insulates the meat, slows cooking, and provides the basting fat that runs through the eye of the rib as it cooks.

This is a centrepiece cut and a serious eating experience. The flavour is intense without being heavy. The texture is dense, substantial, with a long mineral finish that lingers. Where Australian Black Angus is sweet, clean and buttery, Vacca Vecchia Padana is deep, complex and savoury — the proper Italian counterpoint, and the cut to reach for when the dish is built around the beef itself. Cut and blast-frozen IQF in-house by FINE & WILD to preserve the work of the dry-age room.

Producer: Vacca Vecchia Padana — Po Valley ex-dairy beef, Parma, Italy

Breed: Mature Italian dairy and working breeds, Po Valley

Aging: Dry-aged 40 days Cut: Bone-in tomahawk

Ingredients: Beef (rib, bone-in)

Storage: Store frozen at –18°C or below. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours before cooking. Once defrosted, use within 2 days. Do not refreeze.

Allergens: None

Defrost in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours, in the vacuum pack on a plate to catch any liquid. Do not defrost at room temperature. Once defrosted, use within 2 days.

Take the steak out of the fridge at least 90 minutes before cooking — ideally 2 hours for a piece this size. A cold core makes accurate cooking on a bone-in tomahawk impossible. Pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper, season generously with sea salt and black pepper. No oil — Vacca Vecchia has enough fat of its own to render in the pan.

The reverse-sear method (essential for this cut):
Preheat the oven to 110°C. Sit the steak on a rack over a tray and roast slowly until the internal temperature reaches 48°C for medium-rare — typically 45–75 minutes depending on thickness, but a meat thermometer is the only reliable guide. Remove and rest, loosely covered, for 10 minutes while you prepare the sear.

Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet or grill to smoking hot. Sear the rested steak on all faces for 60–90 seconds per side until a deep mahogany crust forms. Hold the steak vertically with tongs to render the fat strip along the bone for a further 30–60 seconds. The internal temperature will rise to 52–54°C during the sear, which is true medium-rare.

Konro / binchotan grill (the dramatic alternative):
The right grill for this cut. Set the binchotan or lump charcoal to a hot, even bed. Cook the steak directly over the coals, turning every 60 seconds, until an internal temperature of 50–52°C is reached. The direct radiant heat from real charcoal develops a crust and a smoke profile that gas grilling cannot match — and the bone insulates the meat against overcooking on the inside.

Resting:
Rest the cooked steak loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving. Resting is non-negotiable on a piece this size; cutting early loses everything you have just cooked in.

Carving:
Stand the steak on its bone end and slice the meat away from the rib in one piece, then carve across the grain into 1.5–2cm slices. Serve on warmed plates with the resting juices, sea salt, lemon if you like, and a green vegetable. The bone goes to the centre of the table for picking.

Doneness guide (internal temperature, after rest):
Rare 50°C · Medium-rare 54°C (recommended for this beef) · Medium 60°C

The mistake to avoid:
Cooking past medium. Vacca Vecchia Padana has had a long working life and the muscle is built for it. Beyond medium the flavour stays but the texture becomes tough. Treat this as you would a great fish — gentle confidence, never aggression.

Serving:
Sea salt, the resting juices, a green vegetable. Béarnaise or peppercorn sauce if you must, but the meat is the dish at this level — let it lead.

Order Cut-Off Times & Delivery Date Selection

Orders placed before 2 PM (Monday to Friday) are dispatched the same day, unless you select a future delivery date at checkout.

Our Delivery Service

We use reliable third-party express courier services and high-quality insulated packaging. While our couriers are generally excellent, occasional delays can happen. We pack everything to stay fresh, even if transit takes a little longer.

Time-Sensitive & Event Orders

Can we guarantee delivery on a specific day? Unfortunately not - we rely on third-party couriers and can't control their schedules. All items leave us in perfect condition with good use-by dates, but final timing depends on the courier.

If your order is for a specific event, let us know in the notes section at checkout. We can often dispatch a day earlier to give you the best chance of timely arrival.

DELIVERY Changes After Dispatch

Once dispatched, your package is with the courier and we're unable to redirect it or change delivery details.

Saturday Delivery

Saturday delivery is available, though please note our couriers don't operate phone support at weekends and our office is closed. For event-critical orders, a weekday delivery gives us more flexibility to help if any issues arise.

Full delivery details and shipping rates: here

Description

A bone-in tomahawk steak of Vacca Vecchia Padana — the prized Po Valley ex-dairy and working cow beef of northern Italy, dry-aged 40 days from Parma. This is a different category of beef from the young grain-fed luxury that dominates the premium UK market. The cattle are mature working cows from the Po Valley dairy tradition, retired from milking and finished for meat at full maturity rather than slaughtered young. The result is meat with deep colour — often a near-purple shade in the raw — intense beef flavour, dense intramuscular fat, and a structural integrity that comes from years of working life rather than weeks of feedlot finishing. It is the beef the great Italian butchers and chefs have always preferred, and the meat behind the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina tradition at its most authentic.

The dry aging is what makes the difference at the table. Forty days in a controlled-environment dry-age room concentrates the flavour as moisture evaporates through the muscle, breaks down connective tissue, and develops the deep nutty, mineral, almost cheese-like aromatic notes that no fresh beef can replicate. The hand-trimmed bark that forms during dry aging is the producer's signature work, removed before sale to leave the prime meat beneath. The tomahawk cut keeps the long rib bone attached for visual impact and structural integrity during cooking — but more importantly, the bone insulates the meat, slows cooking, and provides the basting fat that runs through the eye of the rib as it cooks.