Head of culinary at dnata Catering and Retail chef Rob Smithson with MLA corporate executive chef Sam Burke at the Toowoomba TAFE commercial kitchen on Wednesday.

Rob Smithson is responsible for creating a head-spinning 64 million meals each year.

Student chefs learning about the various MSA cuts.

As the head of culinary for dnata Catering and Retail, the largest provider of in-flight catering in Australia, servicing over 50 international airlines, Rob and his team of 400 chefs produce four out of every five meals served in the air.

Apart from being Australia’s number one airline chef, Rob is also a proud MLA Red Meat Ambassador.

Yesterday he joined MLA corporate executive chef Sam Burke and MSA master butcher and trainer Kelly Payne in Toowoomba to conduct a masterclass in “forgotten red meat cuts” to a class of 15 student chefs at Toowoomba TAFE college.

A Malaysian Rendang curry airline meal using slow-braised beef cheek and chuck.

The training day was facilitated by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) as part of its popular annual Darling Downs Beef Battle Week series of events.

Sam Burke will also join a team of chefs at Toowoomba’s Rumours International Convention Centre tonight to prepare 500kg of premium sirloin steaks from local nine beef brands for the 2024 Darling Downs Beef Battle Awards Dinner.

While prime cuts will shine tonight, yesterday’s training session shone a spotlight on the innovative ways non-primal cuts are being used to deliver a quality sky-high eating experience for economy passengers, while also helping to utilise all parts of the carcase.

Sam Burke cooking rump cap steaks on a  hibachi grill.

“It is impossible to get tenderloin at the back of the plane, so we’re looking at whole carcase utilisation, affordable cuts, cuts that will hold well and reheat in regethermic ovens at 30,000 feet,” Sam explained.

He noted that it was also important to use “a good amount of spice” in airline meals, because “you lose some of the taste receptors in your mouth when you are flying high.”

Examples of just how that is done took centre stage in Toowoomba TAFE’s commercial kitchen yesterday as Rob and Sam prepared airline meal examples of beef tagines and Malaysian Rendang curries incorporating slow-braised beef cheeks, chucks, oyster blade and various rump muscles – the latter expertly seamed out in hands-on demonstrations for the student chefs present by Kelly Payne.

Sam and his MLA industry team conducted a masterclass with Rob’s corporate chefs just last month to develop three beef and three lamb dishes incorporating non-primal cuts – or “master pieces” as Sam refers to them – for economy airline menus.

Students try their hands at plating an airline meal.

“We have worked with them to develop recipes and they will take these recipes and then they will use them to get more beef and lamb on menus, so it is a real win-win,” he said.

“We talk about how do we maximise value and sustainable eating, eating all of the carcase. It is right at the end of the supply chain where it all counts.

“It is impossible to get tenderloin at the back of the plane, so we’re looking at whole carcase utilisation, affordable cuts, cuts that will hold well and reheat in regethermic ovens at 30,000 feet, and meals that are easy to plate for the cabin crew too.”

Kelly Payne demonstrating seam cutting.

Rob said secondary cuts can even outperform primal cuts as an eating experience depending on how they are prepared.

“I am a little bit biased but I believe if you can cook a secondary cut properly it can actually taste better than a primal,” he told the students.

“It has got more flavour, it has got more connective tissue, more intramuscular fat, it tastes better, and from an airline perspective it regens better every time.”

Speaking to Beef Central during yesterday’s training workshop, Rob said Australian red meat was a prime choice for airline menus.

“Australian red meat has got a huge following internationally and it is seen as a premium product, not just out of Australia but for our international customers as well,” he said.

Kelly Payne

“In your premium cabins you always see beef as choice one, especially as a western choice, because they know it is in the highest demand.”

He said secondary red meat cuts cooked low and slow were favoured for economy cabins because they were more resilient to mishandling or overheating.

“If you get turbulence and the crew has to sit down, those meals could be in the oven for an extra 20 or 30 minutes, so you need something that is robust enough that it is not going to be affected by that.”

He said airlines were also playing a role in helping to communicate Australian red meat industry sustainability standards to consumers including the Carbon Neutral 2030 commitment and whole carcase utilisation.

“We can’t just use primals, tenderloins and sirloins and then forget about the rest. Sustainability also relies on making sure we’re using everything from the nose to the tail.

“We see ourselves as a conduit, we can add value on both ends of the chain.

“We’re telling our consumers and their customers what the industry is doing, but then we’re also the voice of the customer back down to the industry to say this is what the passengers and airlines are saying this is what we want to get to, this is what we want to see and we can translate back to the farmgate.”

• MLA has a range of information and educational tools available with red meat cooking tips and tricks for everyone from food service professionals to weekend backyard barbecuers – check out raremedium.com.au or the Steakmate App
• Keep an eye out on Beef Central tomorrow for coverage and results from tonights’ 2024 Darling Downs Beef Battle Awards Dinner.