Flavour Report with Derek Goforth: Tasting the dry aged steaks on offer at Queens IGA for Father’s Day

Given it was Father’s Day last Sunday, and this time of year is surely a time for big “man-size” meals, I have opted for a different angle on my Flavour Report this week. And, since I was doing all the cooking myself — any bad service is going to be down to yours truly! This Father’s Day celebration was the traditional T-bone steak with all the trimmings. But I did not want to settle for just good steak — I wanted the best. So, I went to the Queens IGA and spoke to their butcher Aubrey, who pointed me in the direction of their dry aged cabinet and their speciality rib joints. I opted for a nice couple of thick T-bone steaks cut from one of their joints that had been aging since late July — plenty of marbling through the meat and a lovely umami aroma to them. A good steak is always better with a nice rub and sauce so I also looked through their extensive range and chose the Burnt Barrel rub and Chipotle BBQ sauce. Coming in at just under $75 for two steaks, the rub and the sauce, this presented real value for money compared to eating out, but it does run more expensive than the regular “supermarket” steaks. However, you do indeed pay for what you get, and the rub and sauce will last for a few more meals yet. I used a simple reverse sear on the steaks, which basically means they get cooked low and slow for a good amount of time then finished with a high heat sear — all this after applying a small amount of the rub. I did insist on a few extra trimmings, but the star of this meal was always going to be the T-bone, which in this case was simply delicious. The meat was tender and juicy with probably the best flavour I have had outside a Michelin star restaurant. A perfect balance of fat to meat to keep the moisture intact. The sauce provided a nice balance too, with a tangy sour aftertaste to the meaty hit of the steak. Although I can’t comment on restaurant service, the customer service I was provided by the manager and head butcher at Queens was top notch. I did have to wait a few days to pick up my meat since you need a butcher to help out, but it was well worth the wait. They are all happy to talk you through the different ages of meat and steak thickness. The quality of this meal will depend somewhat on your skill level in the kitchen or the barbeque, but to be honest even the most amateur chef should be able to get the best out of this steak dish. I can’t recommend Queens IGA dry aged meat enough, if you have special occasion (or just a home barbecue) coming up, try out their full joints or just a pre-cut steak — you are not going to be disappointed.