Beef from Australia
by Qian Leung
@ 13 Sep 2018
To find the best beef for their creations, three chefs gather for a blind tasting of beef from Australia.
Among the five items, the three chefs – Chef Victor Loy of
Plentyfull, Chef Erik Gustafsson of
Sear, and Chef Alvin Tan of
Xin Divine – have unanimously picked Westholme wagyu hanger steak from Culina as their favourite.
Westholme wagyu hanger steak from
Culina
“I like it the most because it has a high flavour intensity,” says Chef Gustafsson. “I love old milk cows, where the fat is yellow, with lots of foie gras and nutty notes.” Chef Loy calls it a ‘sexy’ piece of meat. “I’m the kind of guy that loves the onglet, or skirt steak. With the slightly bigger muscles, it can take on any marinade, such as a basting of butter or garlic.”
Chef Tan likes it for its gaminess and texture. “It is also easy to control the doneness.” It has been butter-basted, and served with a black pepper sauce and carrot cremeux by Chef Tan. “To me, hanger steak is the most flavourful cut. To go with it, I’m adding touches that remind me of the beloved Chinese classic, black pepper stir-fried beef.”
The next favourite is Stockyard Wagyu prime rib from Huber’s. “I like it mostly for the texture,” says Chef Gustafsson. “It has medium-high flavour in terms of intensity, which makes it a very good everyday steak.” Chef Loy notes that he can almost hear its crispiness. “The texture is superb. It is crusty on the outside, and melts down to a delicate texture inside.”
Stockyard Wagyu prime rib from
Huber’s
Chef Gustafsson first sears it quite hard on the outside, then bastes it in thyme, rosemary, butter, and garlic, and cooks it on low temperature, 120°C, till it hits 46 to 48°C inner temperature.
This is served with a burned broccoli purée, which has a thought-provoking, smoky scent. “This is a good cut, and is also super tender. I love Swedish mountain cattle, with a lot of blue cheese flavour, and this has a good beef flavour which I personally enjoy.”
The third favourite is Jack’s Creek F1 wagyu T-bone from
Angliss. “I’m not sure if it’s because I’m Scandinavian, but I think chefs, in general, love to eat the fat,” says Chef Gustafsson. “I always say to the customer, don’t miss out on the fat. Therein is all the flavour.” Chef Loy agrees that its buttery texture, and flavour, are remarkable. It has been presented by Chef Dinesh Nagalingam of Wooloomooloo with sauces of mushroom, red wine madeira, peppercorn, and beef reduction. “F1 Wagyu is a cross-breed of the Angus and the Wagyu, so it has the best of both worlds – meatiness from the Angus, and marbling from the Wagyu.”
Jack's Creek wagyu T-bone
Adapted from the
Jul Aug 18 issue of Cuisine & Wine Asia.
