Overview
The two biggest problems faced by the food industry are painfully oppositional. On one hand, huge swathes of the planet don’t have enough to eat and on the other hand, Australians with plenty on the table are wasting up to 25 percent of fresh food that passes through our stores. We all want the best produce, the perfectly ripe avocado, the Instagrammable baby carrot bunch and the juiciest prime cut steak, but in the search for photoworthy food we pass over 'uglier' specimens.
Last year, Harris Farm Markets sought to address this and launched ‘Imperfect Picks’, a range of 'ugly' but perfectly edible fruit and veg sold at half price in an attempt to reduce their food waste. This year, the legends are Harris Farm are back at it again, only this time they’re addressing meat waste with a range called ‘Curious Cuts’. Rolled out over the course of five weeks, the range include a selection of cheap, non-traditional cuts that are generally unavailable in Australia supermarkets. Weekly meats will include beef brisket, beef chuck ribs, beef bavette and beef tri tip plus a pork oyster shoulder.
Meat prices are on the rise in Australia, sneaking up over 30 per cent in the last six months. 'Curious Cuts' looks like a solid option to save money and encourage sustainable practice while you're at it — something the industry is actually embracing. "It’s essential we start driving Australian demand for cuts of meat that are not as popular as the traditional eye fillet or sirloin steak," says Doug Piper from Meat and Livestock Australia. "Curious Cuts will help strengthen the local meat industry by encouraging the consumption of the whole beast on-shore, increasing its value while reducing the amount of production resources wasted."
We know cooking with strange cow bits is a little intimidating, but some of the biggest names in the culinary circuit swear by said bits and they’ll guide you through. Plus you’ll save a bit of money and be able to brag about how to ethical it is to eat every part of the animal. Everybody wins.
To start you off, here are some pretty top notch recipes that use non-traditional beef cuts. Try Curtis Stone’s tri-tip with green bean and red onion (via ABC’s The Chew):
Luke Nyugen’s slow-braised beef ribs (via cooked):
Or Jamie Oliver’s 'Perfect Roast Brisket' (via nourish magazine).
To find out more about 'Curious Cuts' and to check which weekly meat is going for cheap at a Harris Farm near your place, head over here.