Txuleta 1882 presents dry aged Simmental

Txuleta 1882 presents dry aged Simmental to Melbourne and Sydney fine diners

By Jacinta Cummins

Joshua Butt and Jyoti Blencowe have taken an unconventional approach to producing more environmentally conscious beef for their brand Txuleta 1882. PHOTO: Supplied

Grassfeeding gives txuleta a strong yellow fat which contributes to its distinctive flavour. PHOTO: Jyoti Blencowe

THE Australian and North American use of Simmentals has predominantly been solely for beef production rather than the breed’s original dual purpose as a milk and meat animal in Europe, but as Australia’s love affair with gastronomy continues, foodies are finding more ways to maximise full use of the animal and eliminate waste.

When husband and wife team, Joshua Butt and Jyoti Blencowe, wanted to juggle their passion for ethical and sustainable animal production with pursuing careers as a gastroenterologist and a GP respectively, they had limited options because they couldn’t just move to the country permanently.

But growing up, Jyoti had spent her weekends and school holidays on her grandparents’ farm and she and Josh wanted their own daughters to experience farm life as they grew up.

So in 2017 Josh started looking for their own little patch of paradise in South Gippsland and when he showed Jyoti photos of the property he was interested in, she realised she was looking at the farm her grandparents used to own.

Jyoti says the opportunity to buy the farm after it had been owned by another family for 23 years really felt like it was meant to be.

They initially purchased 40 acres of the original block at Kardella and have since bought more bringing their farm to 150 acres.

But the question was, what could they produce?

Although the region is renowned for dairy that wasn’t an option as Josh and Jyoti couldn’t relocate, but they wanted to do something which complemented the area and environment.

Josh speaks Spanish and had spent time in Chile as a teen.

It was in later research that he first noticed high end restaurants in London introducing Txuleta and thought Australians would embrace the delicacy.

Txuleta (pronounced choo-le-tah) is beef from older cattle, originating from the Basque Region in Spain.

Txuleta boasts an intense flavour due to the age of the animal and its

high fat marbling achieved by pasture feeding.

And so Txuleta 1882 was born: Txuleta being the type of meat and 1882 being when Jyoti’s great grandparents started farming their block.

“Txuleta was a natural fit as there are plenty of dairy cows locally which we could rotationally graze and give them a good retirement after a lifetime of service while using regenerative practices,” Jyoti said.

“Sustainability and nourishing and improving the soils for future generations have always been core to how we farm.”

But the couple had their work cut out trying to buy old cows.

More than one farmer who thought they “were bananas” laughed at them, but they eventually came across dairy farmers Rob Monk (since retired.) and Greg Templeton who supplied them with Fleckviehs.

The couple have found the Fleckviehs to be the perfect fit because of their size and impressive weight gain and note the only downside is the cows sometimes need to be moved frequently to avoid damaging the often-wet-underfoot paddocks.

But as all farmers know, just as you overcome one challenge, you’re met with another.

Given their experience trying to share their vision when sourcing cattle, they were understandably nervous when trying to find a butcher for the cows which they turn over after a year or more on the farm – often around the 700-800 kilograms live weight bracket.

But butcher Troy Wheeler who coowns Meatsmith, a speciality butcher, providore and wine merchant in Fitzroy, Brighton, Balwyn and St Kilda, took a leap of faith on the product.

And he found the final product was well worth its lifetime of preparation.

Meatsmith now markets Txuleta 1882 as prime dry aged beef “well worth the wait”, applauding Josh and Jyoti’s appreciation of older cattle and their role in the food cycle while realising their potential as incredible beef.

Foodlovers say it’s hard to describe Txuleta’s distinctive taste because it can’t be compared to the younger beef which most people are used to eating.

Producers generally aim for a bright red meat with white fat to ensure they are not penalised by the grading system developed by Meat and Livestock Australia which classes meat as poorer quality if the meat is too dark or the fat too yellow.

But once again, Txuleta goes against the grain (Pun intended.) and is closer to a deep maroon with strong yellow fat because of the animal’s lifelong grass diet.

But chefs and aficionados say the diet and fat are what create the intense, full bodied taste.

“It’s this amazing intense flavour and character which you can really savour,” Jyoti said.

“It’s got body but is still quite tender, not tough like some people assume old beef would be.

“You need less of it to be satisfied because it’s such high quality.”

Just as the secret to Txuleta’s distinctive taste is time, the same goes for how it is cooked.

Purists say it is best cooked over charcoal and Victor Arguinzoniz who is Head Chef at Asador Etxebarri, a Michelin star restaurant in Spain’s Basque region, will only cook it on a grill using charcoal burnt from grapevines and olive and fruit trees.

But if you are cooking at home, the trick is a hot plate, grill or barbeque and allowing time.

The steaks should come to room temperature before cooking and are best enjoyed rare to medium rare.

State based legislation and transportation have been one of the biggest challenges as Josh and Jyoti have started selling through Emilio’s Butcher in Sydney and Hungerford Meat Co in Maitland.

Their off farm income gives them the freedom to take an unconventional approach to beef production by introducing Txuleta to the Australian menu, but like anything in farming, you don’t reap reward without putting hard yards in behind the scenes.

Josh and Jyoti employ a local woman to manage the farm during the week, but the majority of manual labour, infrastructure and planning is up to the couple on weekends and during holidays.

“The whole process of Txuleta 1882 has been a steep learning curve,” Jyoti said.

“We don’t live on the farm, Josh was new to farming and we are trying something very different.

“It’s not all about the bottom dollar, it’s about producing more environmentally conscious beef and recognising our animals for what they have given us over their lives.

“We have a responsibility to our land and ecosystems as well as our animals and we want to improve them for generations to come.”

As part of their long term plan, Josh and Jyoti have planted over 4500 trees and shrubs on the farm with the help of family and friends to increase biodiversity, soil carbon and native habitat.

It’s yet to be seen if Txuleta becomes a staple for Australian gastronomists, but in the meantime, one thing is for certain.

Most old cows are usually sold for a small return to make mince, but because the Fleckvieh truly is dual purpose, some of them are now enjoying their retirement eating grass before being used to produce a high end product which commands a higher price than their peers do.

Txuleta 1882 gives Josh and Jyoti’s daughters the opportunity to spend time on the farm as they grow up. PHOTO: Jyoti Blencowe

The trick to cooking txuleta is using a hot plate, grill or barbeque. PHOTO: Jyoti Blencowe

Cooking txuleta calls for more than a dash of salt! PHOTO: Jyoti Blencowe

Fleckvieh graze on grass at Josh and Jyoti’s Kardella farm for at least a year before being turned over. PHOTO: Jyoti Blencowe