A MULTITUDE OF CHOCOLATE milkshakes made me the man
I am today: that’s right, round and with a sweet centre. Yes, back
in the day I’d do just about anything for a Milo, Ovaltine, Oak or
Moove, not to mention a chocolate thickshake from McDonald’s.
Surprisingly, when I land at South Australia’s Mayura Station,
one of a handful of Australian Full Blood Wagyu farms, an odd
revelation has me reminiscing of my milkshake diet way back. “We
feed the cattle a chocolate ration,” says owner Scott De Bruin.
“Wait, what?” I ask.
“Yep, chocolate is part of their diet,” he confirms with a grin.
“Do the cows produce chocolate milk?” I have to ask.
“Ha, no, but they certainly love their ration,” he confirms.
I’ll get to the chocolate shortly. First, let’s take a step back. On
South Australia’s famous Limestone Coast (about 60 kilometres
west of Mount Gambier), tucked behind rising knolls and above
incredible underground caves, is Mayura Station. Here, a sea of
windmills and pumps work together in a harmonious vertically
integrated agricultural display to both grow crops and feed cattle.
“We don’t rely on surface water as with a lot of agriculture,”
says Scott. Instead, the limestone filters free-flowing spring water,
meaning farmers in the region don’t always need to rely on what
falls from the sky. At Mayura, the spring water is pumped to the
surface and used as drinking water for the cattle.
Mayura Station was one of the first pastoral leases granted in
South Australia (in 1845) and it stands out as an example in an
area known for its pine trees, vineyards, rock lobster,
abalone and, of course, red meat.
The cattle themselves – Full Blood Wagyu – were
imported into Australia in
1997, and the bloodlineshave remained pure since – a combination of artificial insemination
and, well, let’s call it ‘bringing all the bulls to the yard’.
But Mayura is not just breeding and growing cattle; it’s growing
their feed, too. There are two stages: when the cattle are young
they graze on the grasses covering the hills – rich in calcium from
the limestone, then they’re moved to ‘Mayura Moo Cow Motel’ for
finishing in smaller pens. Here, they feed on a grain-rich formula
grown on the property, including oats, wheat, legumes, broad
beans, clover, alfalfa, ryegrass, maize and, well those chocolate
rations Scott mentioned. But why feed the cows chocolate?
“It improves the flavour,” says Scott.
It’s actually a mix of confectionery chocolate, biscuits and lollies.
He leads me to a pile of them on the ground.
“Scoop up a handful. What do you like? Cookies and cream?
Teeth? Jaffas?” he asks.
“When we bought our cattle, the breeder advised us there was
one ingredient you need to feed them to get the marbling,” says
Scott. It’s called corn hominy – a by-product of cornflour
production – and it helps develop the signature intramuscular fat
and also deliver a richness of flavour. “At the time I couldn’t buy it
because all the supply was going to other, larger Wagyu feedlots,”
explains Scott. He asked for the nutritional analysis and
discovered, after much experimentation, that a recipe using
confectionery chocolate was almost identical.
“We started feeding it to the cattle and our customers said,
‘Wow, your beef has this really unique flavour’,” says Scott. He
simply thought it was the breed that was generating such interest,
but then, a few years later when his business was big enough to
access the hominy, he made the switch.
“My customers complained that the beef didn’t taste the same.
Some even accused me of substituting inferior beef!” he laughs.
In response, Scott reverted to the chocolate mix, and business
has been booming; his Wagyu is in high demand from China to
Singapore, and can be found in some of our best restaurants.
At Butcher and the Farmer in Sydney’s Tramsheds
development, it’s the hero on a menu celebrating meat in all
its glory. It stands alone on the plate – cooked to your liking.
As for the taste? Mayura Station beef has a light nuttiness,
and with the marbling throughout boasts a rich buttery
texture, while maintaining a clean taste. No wonder it’s
bringing all the best chefs to the yard.@huckstergram@anthuckstepA trip to Mayura Station in South Australia has Anthony Huckstep
checking out a closed-circle Wagyu farm, and craving the chocolate
milkshakes of his childhood. Why? There’s one secret ingredient.ALL SHOOK UP
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