Buffalo meat appears on Adelaide restaurant menus as beef prices soar

As the cost of lamb, chicken and beef soar, a new meat could be the next big thing – and it’s already on the menu at an award-winning Adelaide restaurant.

Buffalo meat could become more common on restaurant menus as chefs look to cheaper proteins.

Industry body Meat and Livestock Australia reported a 12 per cent jump in retail beef prices for the quarter ending March, compared with the same time last year.

On the ground, trailblazing South Australian chef and restaurateur Duncan Welgemoed says beef prices have jumped 14 per cent in the past six months – and it’s becoming more difficult to pass on the cost to consumers.

Mr Welgemoed estimates his current pricing for buffalo at $19kg, compared with $48kg for beef.

“I’m happy to buy beef at whatever the cost but when that translates to the menu, are people willing to spend $120 on a steak?” he said.

Mr Welgemoed has put buffalo meat on his Africola menu, sourced from Mypolonga-based dairy farm, SA Buffalo Co.

Africola head chef Lauren Southwell with a plate of buffalo sirloin at the restaurant. Picture: Mark Brake

“A really good pivot is buffalo – it’s a red meat, it does taste like beef … you just have to be a bit gentler with the cooking,” he said. “It’s an incredible replacement using essentially a waste product of the buffalo steers.

“The big focus for us at Africola is shifting towards using more evasive species of a particular fish for example, regenerative food, and things like buffalo. Using caviar and wagyu, I’ll leave that to the other guys to do, but it’s not sending the right message.”

SA Buffalo Co owner Corey Jones, who started his farm in 2014, is on a mission to raise the profile of buffalo meat as a sustainable alternative. Earlier this month, he showcased the product to more than 50 industry heavyweights including internationally-recognised Mark Best, Melbourne restaurateur Adam D’Sylva, SA food legend Cheong Liew, Magill Estate’s Scott Huggins and Restaurant Botanic’s Justin James.

Cheesemakers including SA’s Kris Lloyd have been using the milk for buffalo cheeses since the early days, but the meat market is picking up, Mr Jones said.

“In the past year or so with the beef price so expensive, people are looking for different options,” he said.

“Chefs are certainly interested in the idea of sustainable food options and all the by-products of the buffalo. I did talk to a chef who was interested in the tongue of the buffalo – that’s an option that hadn’t been on our radar until now.”

The event, held at Rio Vista Olives, also showcased carp.

To make Africola’s new buffalo sirloin dish, chefs first age the meat, then cold smoke it at around for 2.5 hours, roll it in miso and mustard and then cook it in a 300-degree wood oven. Resting time is essential, Mr Welgemoed says, then: “It’s beautiful.”