Now Starring in the 6ix - Aussie Beef
As part of a series of events co-hosted with Trade Investment Queensland taking place all over North America this year, we recently brought a few of our Beef Mates together in the 6ix (that’s Toronto, as Canadian rapper Drake calls it). With an #aussome cadre of chefs from the US and Canada, plus all the grassfed, Wagyu, and grain-fed beef you could want, the Westin Harbour Castle was the place to be. Let’s get into what went down Up North!
Who Cooked What
Our mate and Aussie Beef Mate Chef Ian Ramirez came up from the US (and brought a few cases of the finger limes he imports from Queensland) to share two dishes. First, Grilled Flat Irons served with smoked beet demi, crispy onions, and sheep cheese potato mousse. And in a nod to his experience in Australia teaching chefs from around the world the wonders of the taco, Ancho Chile Skirt Steak Tacos with avocado cream, cotija cheese, watermelon radish, and finger lime salsa.
Aussie Beef Mate and pasta chef Ryan Peters also made the trip North and did his thing with Aussie Wagyu Beef Raviolo with brie and beets, garnished with micro-arugula. And because you can’t really have too much Wagyu, he also served Braised Aussie Wagyu Short Ribs over tomato-purslane polenta with Macadamia gremolata. Fun fact: Purslane and Macadamias are native to Australia – we see what you did there chef!
Host Chef Dan Craig and his team (more on him here) weren’t just #aussome hosts, they crushed it with a full suite of dishes.
Cured and Smoked Australian Grassfed Brisket Agnolotti with caramelized turnip in mushroom brodo, with truffle. Earthy, smoky, umami, in a perfect pasta pouch.
“The agnolotti was a play on a signature dish that I’ve done for years, that I learned when I lived in Melbourne. The theatre of it is using a Cona vacuum siphon coffee brewer and making ala minute infusions of savory consommés right there at the station. We smoked that gorgeous Aussie grassfed brisket and tucked it inside agnolotti, held it perfectly at temperature in a circulator, then each guest got their agnolotti and a fresh pour of consommé.”
Wow! [ed. Note: Chef Dan’s setup was definitely on another level, but this video will give you the general idea]
A stand out dish was Chef Dan’s Australian Grassfed Flat Iron Tartare with tamarind, smoked mussel aioli, Australian Urad beans and Lime Caviar, all in a savory tart shell. An ode to indigenous Aussie ingredients! Chef advises you to be judicious with the finger limes – they pack a punch, and while the acidity and textural pop are a great fit, they can overwhelm the flavors
And there was even a bonus station put together by Chef’s team – more on that here!
As more Aussie beef makes its way to Canada, events like this make for an #aussome introduction for area chefs to the range of product available, and where to get it. Nice one team!