Beef's signature Nose to Tail curtain raiser dinner just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The sell-out crowd of more than 550 people was the biggest in the event's history and took place at the newly established Long Paddock restaurant on Sunday.
In a first for the highly popular event, an all women team led demonstrations. Butcher Girl Alison Meagher and Signature Beef general manager Tess Camm unveiled the carcase's hidden gems that were all featured as part of the five course meal. Leading the kitchen was Steak Maestro and Guru of the Grill, Chris Wade.
The pair told the full story of the Angus carcase, produced by Signature Beef. Some of the unique cuts to end up on the knives and forks of attendees included beef ragout arancini, grilled bavette (a flank cut from the abdominal muscles of the steer) and a braised sticky short rib.
Centre to the duo's demonstration was the process of value adding and getting the most out of the beast's carcase.
Ms Meagher has spent the last ten years in hospitality travelling in Asia, the United States and Europe. The transient butcher highlighted the need to look outside the box to maximise yield and profit.
"Looking at different cultures and how they enjoy different products of beef, we can find so much more yield potential from the carcase," Ms Meagher said.