WE have seen it happen with lamb shanks and beef cheeks – now skirt steak could be the next big thing in Australian households, according to one prominent WA chef.
Speaking at the recent Harvey Beef Gate 2 Plate Challenge field day, renowned chef Guy Jeffreys said secondary cuts of beef are set to grab consumer’s attention as they look to explore different eating experiences.
Mr Jeffreys is the head chef at Millbrook Winery, Jarrahdale and has worked in some of WA’s most awarded restaurants, including Leeuwin Estate and Star Anise.
In 2017 he was named West Australian Good Food Guide Chef of the Year.
His desire to work in a restaurant that grows its own vegetables led him to Millbrook Winery in 2010 and he grows his own vegetables from seeds that have been saved from the previous year’s crop, cultivating the true paddock-to-plate philosophy.
“I’m passionate about seasonal produce and maintaining quality soil to produce flavorsome fruit and vegetables,” he said.
“I’m proud to say that we haven’t bought in any fruit and vegetable for the restaurant for over a year.
“We grow heirloom varieties so we can cultivate the seed for use in the future.”
But when he bought in half a steer carcase Guy’s interest in secondary beef cuts was piqued.
“We decided to break it down in-house and through that process, which was a big learning curve, I discovered that the prime cuts made up only 11 per cent of the beast,” he said.
“I then had to work out what I was going to do with the rest.
“So we tried a few different ways of cooking these secondary cuts and found out that some of them have a flavour all of their own.
“Beef doesn’t have to melt in your mouth to have flavour and skirt steak can be simply barbecued as you would a scotch fillet and it can have tremendous flavour and texture.
“As a chef, we hate wastage and like to utilise all aspects of an animal so it is quite an exciting challenge coming up with new ways to make the less obvious cuts of meat into something interesting.
“Consumers are also looking for value for money and this is where I see these less well known cuts becoming popular because if cooked right they can be a cheap meal for families.”
