MasterChef Australia 2021: Curtis Stone takes masterclass on eight cuts of beef and how to prepare them

Curtis Stone’s live appearance on MasterChef Australia tonight will leave contestants in a sweat as they learn more about beef.

When Curtis Stone was forced to close his two restaurants in Los Angeles last year, the Michelin-starred celebrity chef turned to his roots and found a lifeline in the humble Aussie meat pie.

The true-blue staple helped the Melbourne-born chef, TV presenter and author keep his staff at two restaurants – Gwen Butcher Shop and Restaurant and Michelin-starred Maude – active and employed through the pandemic.

“We’ve been closed for over a year now, in all our restaurants,” Stone said.

“We have a butcher shop which got busier and busier during COVID, which was a bit of a saving grace.

“We did a picnic pop-up, we have an events company that’s been doing catering to people’s homes and we also have a pie shop in Beverly Hills [that] does Aussie meat pies, a variety of sausage rolls, different kinds of game pies and then sweet pies too.”

Curtis Stone turned his LA eatery, Gwen, into a produce store selling fresh fruit and vegetable and making meals to deliver to people in quarantine. Picture: Supplied

With up to 50 per cent of Californians reportedly having received at least one dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Stone said life was quickly improving.

“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) have just announced [this week] that you don’t need to wear a mask inside or outside if you’re fully vaccinated, which is pretty unbelievable, I can’t even imagine that’s real yet,” he said.

“We’ve been wearing masks for at least a year all the time, never had one off unless you’re in your own home.

Curtis Stone and wife Lindsay Price at Gwen pre-COVID-19. Picture: Chris Mohen

“We’re just in the throes of reopening and in about three weeks’ time, we’ll be welcoming guests back into the restaurant, which is very exciting for us.”

Despite his parents and brother living in Melbourne, Stone said he and wife, actor Lindsay Price, and their two sons, Hudson, 9, and Emerson, 6, speak with them regularly.

As a bonus for his family – and Australian fans – Stone will appear live from LA on Sunday night’s episode of MasterChef for the final day of Masters Week, where he will take contestants through a masterclass on the different cuts of beef and how to prepare them.

Stone demystifies tenderloin, scotch, sirloin, oyster blade, blade, knuckle, short ribs and gravy beef before contestants split into pairs to prepare a dish in 100 minutes using their new skills.

Curtis Stone appears on MasterChef live from Los Angeles to provide a master class on working with eight different cuts of beef. Picture: Ten

“I think it’s kind of daunting when you walk up to the meat department and you look at it and think, ‘Right, there are 30 different things I could buy here, what are you supposed to do with them all?’” Stone said.

“So choosing the right cut for the purpose is the important part – and to me each cut of the steer brings something different.

“Some are more lean, some are tougher, some are more tender. You have to make sure you use the right application for the right piece of meat.”

Catch Curtis Stone and pick-up some new tricks tonight on MasterChef, 7.30pm on Channel 10.