Monthly Q&A May

With winter upon us, it is a great time to get out the crockpot and cook up a roast beef.  But which type to choose?  We have around 10 cuts of beef that could be roasted.  Here’s our pick of the top ones to choose:

• Yearling Prime Rib Roast – This is the perfect roast to really impress at your next dinner party. Sear first, then oven roast then slice for a juicy flavoursome meal. This recipe looks amazing!
• Bolar Blade Roast – this is General Manager Steve’s, and  Shop Manager Brad’s top pick for a cost effective beef roast.  From the shoulder of beef, it’s tender and great on flavour.  We found a couple of perfect recipes that look like winners with this roast
  • Roast Bolar Blade with Mustard and Red Wine.
  • Soy and ginger roast beef with mushroom rice
• Topside Roast – Topside is a very lean cut of Beef.  Best to slow cook this one, so as not to dry it out, due to the low fat content in the meat.
• Rump Cap – For something a little different, watch this video for a how to roast Beef Rump Cap

For the most part, yes our products are gluten free.  Our sausages and burgers are formulated without gluten, however we always say may contain traces of gluten.  The varieties to steer clear of though are the Lamb, Rosemary and Caramelised Onion Sausages, which does contain Gluten, and the Lamb, Haloumi and Caramelised Onion Rissoles.  Plus of course stay away from any crumb product and our filos, pies and sausage rolls.  With regard to sauces its best to check the individual labels

You may have spotted some Wagyu Products in-store or seen our limited edition range online and keen to give it a try.  Shop Manager Brad recommends if you’ve never had Wagyu before, the Rump is a good place to start.  It has slightly lower marbling than a Rib Fillet or Porterhouse cut would, hence a more delicate flavour than some of the richer, higher marble score products.  You can cook Wagyu steak the same as a regular steak, however thinner slices are the way to go to render the fat content more easily when cooking.  The meat will release more fat when cooking, so limiting the amount of oil in the pan is a good idea.  Top tip is to not cook on an open flame as it may catch alight!

Good news is that we have the Black Opal brand Cap Off Wagyu Rumps Marble score 6-7 on special at the moment for $29.99kg (limited stock).  Plus we also have Jacks Creek F1 Wagyu Chuck back in stock for a limited time – take a look here at Paul’s tips on how to slow cook this one on a BBQ smoker, and shop online here.

With winter about to hit, it was a great time to stock a supply of Best of the Bone Broths.  You can shop them in-store at the registers or online.  These varieties are a living (not powder) grass-fed Australian-made slow-cooked broth gelatin.  40% collagen protein and rich in 19 vital amino acids & essential fatty acids.

A spoonful of the Best of the Bone broths with warm water makes a highly nutritional broth. We have had a few customers ask what to do with them, and there is really several ways you can include this in your diet for optimal gut, joint, skin and bone health.

1. As a cup of tea – You can replace your morning tea or coffee ritual with a cup of warm bone broth, simply stir a teaspoon or so with warm water and sip slowly.  If that’s a little on the strong side for you of a morning, you could also try this before your dinner of a night, like a soup entree.
2. As a base for soup – Make a stock base using the broth and warm water when making any kind of soup.
3. As a gravy or sauce – This gravy looks simply delicious!
4. Add it to your slow cooker meal, bolognese sauce, or casserole – too easy, just a teaspoon or so in the slow cooker of a morning to add extra nutrition to your meals this winter.

So this one isn’t technically anything customers have asked, but facing challenges in getting more iron into her young family’s diet, Kristy did some online research and found a couple of great resources from our partners Meat & Livestock Australia on their commitment to nutrition.  Meat and Livestock Australia promotes consumption of red meat in a healthy diet as recommended in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Lean red meat is recommended in a healthy diet because it is an excellent protein source of iron and zinc, essential nutrients important for good health.

The MLA Healthy Meals website has some great resources and advice for helping make choices to include iron in our diets – visit www.mlahealthymeals.com.au

Download copies of these guides that Kristy has found helpful.  Often finding cookbooks and food magazines overwhelming, Kristy comments that these guides are easy to understand and keep things simple.