HAVERICK MEATS – ACADEMY, SATURDAY STORE, CHOPHOUSE COOKING CLASS + A GIVEAWAY! 6

I’m not sure about you, but I’m a massive creature of habit. I get my coffee from the same place every day, at the same time. I buy my fruit and veges (normally the same 8 varieties) from the same store, every week. I’ve used the same brand of make-up since I was 16 and I have worn the same pair of earrings every day since 20008.  There’s nothing wrong with this necessarily, but sometimes if you become too set in your ways your mind can narrow slightly and you don’t explore the possibility that there exists something bigger and better out there. I’d been tossing this up in my mind several weeks back when I received a lovely email from Haverick Meats inviting me out to their “Saturday Store” to attend a private cooking class with the amazing Eric Tan, (Head Chef, Chophouse.)

As my regular readers know, I get asked to come out and see LOTS of different markets, restaurants, food stores, cafes and the like 24/7, but with two small kids I just don’t have time to accept each and every invite. And nor do I want to. Apart from the ‘time factor’ the first major thought that runs through my mind is “Would the readers gain from this?” When the email came through from Haverick, I was excited straight away as I knew this was EXACTLY the type of place that you guys would want to hear about. Aside from me doing a preliminary screening of where I want to visit and review, I always ask myself the same question AFTER I have been somewhere, BEFORE I write my post, “Would the readers gain from this post?” If the answer is “No” or even “Hmmmmmmmm” then I write NOTHING. You can read more about that in the second last paragraph on this page.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, Haverick started out as a small butcher shop in Oxford St, Sydney, a billion years (ok, about 50 years ago) and today they are Australia’s leading supplier of high-quality Aussie meat to some of the world’s best restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, airlines and cruise liners! To cut a long story short, they have opened a distribution warehouse in East Botany (Sydney) to sell this same delicious, fresh, award-winning meat to the public, yup, that’s YOU!  And this is where I went for a visit. I’m all about convenience and cost-saving when it comes to my food shopping and Haverick gets the tick here. There are parking spaces directly out the front of the warehouse, beautifully packaged Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, Game and local and imported Artesian Charcuterie. They also have really experienced Butchers on hand if you are wanting something specific (a unique cut) or even if you need help / advice before making your selection. There’s lots of great value for money specials available too. On top of this, there’s a BBQ being cooked so you can grab your lunch (or breakfast) when you’re done shopping!

After roaming the warehouse and wanting to take home one of everything, I made my way up to the office area to begin the class with Eric. Haverick Academy and Chophouse have run a few classes and there are more to come! This 2 hour session was absolutely jam-packed with SO much information, from the type of cuts you should use for different dishes, to the food philosophy of Chophouse, to the meat cooking methods that exist from boiling to broiling, to the types of cow on the market, to the recipe for Chophouse’s FAMOUS BBQ short rib (which I have for you! See below!!!) Not only is Eric an incredibly talented and highly-respected chef, he’s a really great guy who answered the millions of questions that were thrown at him with a smile on his face and a depth of knowledge that I aspire to. He talked us through how he works with Haverick to develop the exact cuts that they use in the restaurant and he also showed us how they cook their (also famous) “Tomohawk” (pasture fed black angus weighing between 1.5-1.8kg) at the restaurant. We sat down to an amazing lunch afterwards of BBQ short rib, “Tomohawk” and a delicious Chophouse Fattoush Salad.

All in all a cracker of a day for this Phoodie.

http://www.haverickmeats.com.au

 GIVEAWAY: Haverick Meats would like to offer one PHOODIE reader a voucher for $250 to spend at their Saturday Store!! All you have to do to enter is answer the following question “What is your favourite Meat dish?” – You can leave your answer either here, in the comments below, on the PHOODIE Facebook Page or you can tweet me with the hashtag #HaverickMeatsCompetition – Comp closes on 18th April 5pm with winner announced shortly after. Winner to be selected by PHOODIE + Haverick Meats. 

Below: Lunch cooking away at the Saturday Store

Below: Condiments available for purchase at the Saturday Store

Above: Loads of information available at the Saturday Store

Below: Just SOME of the great products available at the Saturday Store

Below: Pictures from the Haverick / Chophouse Class

 

Above: The Broiler – INCREDIBLE

Below: The Short Rib – before

 

Below: The “Tomohawk”

Below: “Tomohawk”

Below: BBQ Short Rib – potentially the most delicious thing I have EVER eaten!

CHOPHOUSE’S FAMOUS BBQ GLAZED BEEF SHORT RIB

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

2kg piece grain fed short rib, triemmed, bone in (available at Haverick Saturday Store)

Dry Rub

2 sticks lemongrass

3 pieces birds eye chilli

100g ginger

1 bunch coriander

BBQ sauce

200g tomato paste

300ml apple cider vinegar

20ml sweet chilli sauce

5ml tabasco sauce

7g ground ginger

10g hot english mustard

20ml dark soy sauce

40ml light soy suce

10g ground black pepper

400ml honey

100ml water

METHOD

1) Steam whole piece of short rib for 3 hours.

2) Place dry rub ingredients in a food processor and blend until a rough paste forms, set aside.

3) For BBQ sauce, add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. As it comes to the boil, mix thoroughly to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Simmer for 20 minutes, removing any residue that floats to the top. Cool and strain through a fine strainer.

4) Once the short rib has steamed for 3 hours scrape excess fat and apply dry rub to the top of the short rib. Marinate for at least 6 hours.

5) Scrape off dry rub marinade and transfer into a baking tray. Pour BBQ sauce on top and place in a slow oven at 160 deg. cel for at least 30 minutes, continually basting with the delicious home made BBQ sauce. If the sauce starts to caramelise, add water.

6) Baste until a glossy shine forms and the edges of the short rib start to turn a dark red colour. This will ensure an authentic smoky BBQ flavour.

ENJOY!