What’s better than prime cuts of meat cooked to perfection by masters of open flame, cooking over wood, fire and charcoal? Nothing! And that’s the idea behind Matilda, Chef Scott Pickett’s latest concept in Melbourne. He’s also got Estelle and St. Crispin, and Pickett’s Deli over at the Queen Victoria Markets. After touring some of his favourite spots in the city, we sat down for a quick chat with him at Matilda about his cooking and love for Aussie beef.
“I’m a beef man, I grew up on a farm. I think a true meat eater will prefer the taste of grassfed. The flavor profile that you get, with earthy, grassy notes, the texture, it’s how meat was meant to be raised, and how it’s meant to taste. Here we dry age it for 21-28 days to intensify all of those qualities.”
ABL: Do you have a favorite cut or source for your beef?
“Personally I love the beef from Tassie (Tasmania), even though I'm from Victoria. The land there is amazing, and the beef is big, red, deep with flavor. It’s hard to beat the porterhouse or sirloin over the coal fires. We serve a 2.2 kilo (77 oz!) tomahawk that’s a showstopper, too. Our guests come here for that experience, and for the finest quality beef in Australia. Cooked over coal, acacia, pinot grape vines, and cherry. It’s aged well and handled with care, and served pretty simply, letting the natural flavor and the fire itself do its thing.”
ABL: What is it that makes Australia a great place to raise high-quality beef?
“Here in Australia, we have the best climate, the best pastures, the best grass, the best air…cows just hang out in a pasture as they like, and that produces the best grassfed beef in the world, in my opinion. It’s packed full of flavor, it’s juicy, it’s tender, and it’s the best cut of beef you can buy.”
For more on our day with Chef Scott in Melbourne, click here.