Championing red meat from station to ocean

MLA’s corporate chef, Sam Burke, has dedicated his working life to showcasing the paddock-to-plate story of Australian red meat. 

As a young man, Sam considered a career as a truck driver – but after a stint in a McDonald’s kitchen flipping burgers in the 1990s, he found his way, full circle, to a role at the other end of the supply chain.

From cruise ships to cattle yards, our industry’s hands-on advocate has plenty to say about what goes into plating up the best possible product, in all its forms – from a humble chuck steak to a premium eye fillet.

A three-day visit to a Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) cattle station, ‘Newcastle Waters’, in the NT reinforced what Sam has shared for decades with the chefs, industry professionals and diners he engages with.

“A great steak comes down to each step in the supply chain – starting with how the cattle are bred, then fed, mustered, loaded and transported on trucks, processed and, finally, prepared and presented to the consumer on the plate,” Sam said.

At CPC, Sam got a close-up view of the routines, management strategies and cooking techniques that produce tender, flavourful red meat, using the whole carcase.

“There’s so much we can do with all parts of the animal, not only the high-end premium cuts – I worked with the station butcher and cook as they prepared a whole range of delicious meals that met the nutritional and practical needs of the workers,” he said.

“Slow cooking, selecting the right cut for the right end product and having a ‘no-waste’ mentality are ways we can all bring red meat to life in all its forms.”

Taking customers on the journey

Sam collects insights from the wide range of businesses he works alongside and integrates them into the training and presentations he delivers to cooks, chefs and business owners across the globe.

“Knowing which cuts to use that fit into a budget and how to get the most out of each part of the animal is important in running a profitable business,” he said.

“It’s also important to know and share with customers the backstory of where the meat you’re working with comes from.”

A recent trip to the US saw Sam demonstrate just how versatile Australian red meat is and how its provenance story and eating quality can drive demand. He presented at the Chef Culinary Conference at the University of Massachusetts and the Marriott Hotel Group’s top chefs’ conference in Washington, DC.