WHILE new cooking methods and brands linked with all types of stories are forging inroads into bigger and better markets all over the world for Australian beef, the importance of consistency and quality in the product remains the foundation.
This message was delivered by commercial end users of the eating quality program Meat Standards Australia in a forum on creating new opportunities for beef at the big industry event Red Meat 2019, held in Tamworth last month.
P&O Cruises executive chef Uwe Stiefel said it was "absolutely important not only to have the right quantity but also the right quality and consistency throughout the year" when it came to beef supply.
P&O operates three large cruise ships sailing out of Brisbane and Sydney carrying 9000 guests and 2500 crew.
That comes down to 16m meals served each year in 22 different restaurants and food outlets - and a fourth ship is in the works so coming up next year the company will have another 3000 guests to feed.
P&O invited Meat & Livestock Australia executive chef Sam Burke and end user training facilitator Kelly Payne on board for three days this year to help trial new red meat methods of cooking, cuts and dishes.
In those three days, Mr Stiefel reported the ship served up 2.5t of beef and just under a tonne of lamb.
"Having a host of different cuts which we can use in all restaurants is very important," Mr Stiefel said.
One experiment which the chef described as having incredible uptake was brisket, slow cooked overnight, in several styles including Texan, Mexican, Hungarian and Hawaiian.
A total of 30 per cent of guests selected the brisket.
"People loved it for the tenderness and flavour," Mr Stiefel said.
"It is a dish which appeals to all the different crowds we cater to."
A hundred percent of the dishes the MLA team trialed have now been permanently taken up by P&O.
Teys Australia's Jasmin Green said it was common today for processing plants to break down big primals such as brisket or blade into small subprimals, with full carcass utilisation and being able to maximise value very important.
"We have access to many different markets around the world which have different cooking methods and that allows utilisation of different parts of the carcase," she said.
"China, for example, really uses shank products.
"We want to make sure we find a home for every single cut. Brisket has traditionally gone into an Asian markets for hotpots but now we are also seeing a demand, particularly out of the US, for barbecue style - that change in cooking method to long and slow really advances the eating quality that cut can offer."
Teys operates six processing plants across Australia and last year processed 1.2m head through the MSA grading system.
"When you look at the different regions we operate in, we obviously get a lot of variation in the type of cattle coming through our plants," Ms Green said.
"The beauty of MSA is it allows us to underpin our brands with an eating quality guarantee so we can provide consistency.
"If you buy a Grasslands premium striploin it doesn't matter if it comes from our Biloela or Naracoorte plant, it's the same eating experience.
"This is critical to achieving repeat purchasing of a product."
All Teys plants are export accredited and product is sent to 60 different countries.
"We have four major brands and all are underpinned by the MSA guarantee of eating quality, with each brand unique and bringing its own story," Ms Green said.
The 36 Degrees South brand in South Australia, for example, hangs its hat on provenance.
"In some markets we are also using the eating quality graded (EQG) cipher to sell product - it's a description based on eating quality outcome as opposed to the traditional dentition."
MSA program manager Sarah Strachan said EQG had gained good traction in the US, China, Japan and Korea, along with the domestic market.
Reiterating the message on quality, Ms Strachan spoke about market research which involved taking brisket from a range of cattle quality types, sourced from Rockhampton to Wagga Wagga, and shipping it to Texas for consumer tests under different protocols like smoking and low and slow cooking.
Consumers around the world, regardless of their income or where they live, think the same about eating quality, she said.
"However, what came out was the difference between a brisket off the highest animal to lowest was 70 points out of 100 - that's a very big number."
Ms Green said a key part of meeting and exceeding consumer expectations on eating quality was good feedback through the supply chain.
Producers who sell direct to Teys get a comprehensive set of carcase data on an individual animal level.
"The hope is this allows them to understand the different factors on-farm they can tweak to get the article that will meet the expectations of our consumers," she said.
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