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Cargill meats the mark

The world’s microwavable foods market is forecast to reach $79.5 billion by the end of the decade, and this year’s Meat & Smallgoods Award winner, Cargill Beef Australia, plans to be at the forefront of the boom.

Cargill’s Microwave roast beef is an innovative new beef product that is ready to cook and guarantees a juicy, soft and tender textured meat, that can be prepared in the microwave or oven. The product is presented in microwave safe packaging for microwave cooking, or can be removed from its packaging and roasted in a normal oven.

This is the first microwave beef product of its kind to be produced for retail in the Australian market. The tender product cooks very quickly, allowing a roast beef meal to be freshly prepared in under 40 minutes, with the juices left over from the cooking process gelling into a pouring gravy.

A flavoured butter plug with parisienne essence helps colour the beef during microwave cooking. The butter melts and cascades down the surfaces of the meat, giving the product a caramelised appearance and then mixes with the juices to form the gravy.

Due to the negative reaction by retailers and consumers to the use of phosphates in the production of food products, this Cargill’s Microwave Beef has been produced without phosphate and chemically produced salts in the marinade.

The product is a sub primal beef cut and has been created from a whole standard beef primal, which is typically sold as a whole piece. The flavoured butter plug has been made using a filler-linker for exact portioning, with the product then placed into a high barrier microwave bag and vacuum packed. The high barrier microwave bag only emits steam under extreme heat conditions, and eliminates the need for the consumer to handle the meat prior to cooking.

With convenience and innovation at its best, Cargill’s new product is sure to cook up a storm.

Lena Zak is the editor of FOOD Magazine.

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