100 | NORTH & SOUTH| JUNE 2019
pricedeterminedbythemarket.
Theanimalsleavethefarmandthe
supplychaintakesover– there’s
nointeractionwiththeconsumer,
letaloneselectionofmeatwitha
focusonwhatit’slikeontheplate.
If there’sa droughtoranissue,you
havelesstosell;if thepricesspike
thenyouhavea goodyear.Running
thebutcherymeanscreatinga
continuoussupplychainthroughout
theyearandit meansa staffof 13
andit meansworkingoutanentire
supplychainthatincludestheir
butcher’sshop,anonlinedelivery
andfarmers’markets.It’scomplex,
anddemanding:inthepastcoupleof
years,they’veworkedlongerhours
thanbefore,sevendaysa week.
Diversificationaside,theydoit
becauseit givesthema chanceto
showoffjusthowgoodtheirmeat
is.Athome,thefamilyhadalways
beenveryspecificaboutwhatthey
ate.“Wehavea setofrules,”says
Smithoftheirapproach.“We’re
breedspecific,weightspecificand
genderspecific.”Theyuseonly
AnguscattleandSuffolk-Texellambs,
andtheytakeonlyfemaleanimals,as
maleanimalshavemorehormones,
whichcanmakefora stringier,
toughercutofmeat.“Wecontrol
what we put into it,” says Smith.
“Weonlyputthebestoftheheifers
andthebestofthelambsthrough
thebutchery.Themaleswillputon
weightquicker, butthefemalesare
slower– andit’sworththewait.”
Theotherdifference?“Wedry-age
onthebone,”saysSmith.“That’s
reallycritical.Mostguyswillcutit
down,putit ina vac-pacandthat’s
itsageing.”Hewaitsa beat.“That’s
notageing.It’sdeterioration.”
Fromthere,theirteamofbutchers- averageage 45 – breakdownthe
carcassesbyhand.It’sa returntoa
styleofbutcherythatisincreasingly
rareinNewZealand,wherewhole
animalscomeintothestore,and
everypiecegetsusedsomewhere
alongtheline– theyusethetrim,
forinstance,intheirhighlyexcellent
sausagesratherthanbuyingit in.
Whichmeans?“Wecandefinitely
tastethedifference,”saysTapley-
Smith.“It’stenderandit’slight,
andthetasteisexceptional.”
Notsurprisingly,it wasn’tlong
beforewordspreadaroundHawke’s
Bay,andthechefcommunitycame
calling:twoyearsinandtheyhave
a waitinglistofrestaurants,though
youwillfindtheirmeatonthe
menuatthelikesofaward-winning
BistronomyinNapier,alongwith
Craggy Range and Black Barn.
There’sa goodstorybehindtheir
cuts– youcanseetheprovenanceon
themenu– butit’salsoconsistentto
cookwith,andtheydon’thavetodo
muchtoit.Theherois,inshort,the
meatratherthanwhatgoeswithit.
Youcanfindthemeatinthe
butchery,ofcourse,oronline
(waipawabutchery.co.nz)– I
canhighlyrecommendtheir
meatpacks. Youcouldalsobuy
a ticketto“HardHittingReds”
thismonthatF.A.W.C!(Food
andWineClassic): fivecourses
ofsmoked,grilledandbraised
beefandlamb,incollaboration
withlocalbarbecuelegends
BareknuckleBBQandseveral
GimblettGravelswineries. Smith
willbetheretotalkaboutthemeat.
It’sallpartofa wholenewway
offarmingforthefamily. “We
wentfroma businessdoingoneor
twocattlea weektoeightornine,
andfromfourorfivelambsto 35 a
week,”saysSmith.“Froma farming
perspective, thatwasrapidgrowth- andwe’vegottoputproductinthe
displayeveryday,regardlessofwhat
theclimatethrowsatus.” +
HardHittingReds,Saturday 8 June,
BareknuckleBBQ, 1024 PākōwhaiRd,
Hastings( fawc.co.nz).SmithonPātangataStation.WaipawaButcheryusesonlyAnguscattleandSuffolk-Texellambs,andtakesonly
female animals, as male animals have more hormones, which can make for a stringier, tougher cut of meat.