The resurgence of elevated poultry in Australia

As a renowned food writer and restaurant critic, growing up in Australia has spoiled me and made me slightly biased when dining out. Each time I visit a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo, Paris or Stockholm, I shy away from poultry and indulgently choose the 60-day dry-aged beef in lieu of the chicken, duck or pigeon.

Like most Aussies, we know our beef is unbeatable, which garners the attention of all self-professed foodies from around the world. However, when it comes to chicken, we see it as a slightly inferior piece of meat, which always sways my decision when ordering at a restaurant.

Yet, as I continue to cut my teeth as a formidable food writer outside of Australia I have slowly come to appreciate and see chicken as a celebrated ingredient like they do in some of the world’s most revered food cities.

“Some of the best meals I have eaten around the world consisted of poultry,” says Ross Lusted, owner of Marmelo Restaurant in Melbourne. “In Japan I have been served chicken sashimi, in China, black-skinned chickens are the base of a medicinal soup and Europeans equally prize their poultry with the French Poulet de Bresse having its own appellation control,” says the chef of 30 years.

In Australia, poultry definitely sits behind our beef and lamb which is exported to all corners of the world and highly respected. Even though nothing beats anything grown on Aussie soil, our chicken just doesn’t have the same clout as our other meats and the average home cook would be hard-pressed to find anything beyond a commercially raised meat chicken let alone fresh specialty chicken (cockerel and pullet), duck or squab.

Elsewhere around the world, poultry is seen in a far better light and no trip to Tokyo, Paris or Berlin would be complete without eating chicken flame-grilled over hot coals or tasting Haianese chicken in countries where poultry is truly celebrated – something I only grew to respect and appreciate when I started travelling abroad more than 20 years ago.

However, I am happy to see that more Australians are now choosing our farm-raised chicken over beef, which ultimately pushes our poultry industry forward to match those found around the world. According to a recent study, more than 50 kilograms are eaten yearly per person, which is a testament to how the industry has developed in the past few years and where it can go in providing Aussies with great tasting poultry that is both humane and flavourful.

Quality matters

According to chef Lusted, the Australian poultry industry is definitely moving in the right direction with smaller processing farms and a greater respect to raising birds in a humane fashion. “Poultry are fast-growing birds, most taking six to eight weeks to maturity, so it is important to know their provenance and how they are raised,” says Lusted, who believes that chicken is now finding a place in the premium market.

One of the local brands that is making strides in the poultry industry and ensuring our great Aussie chicken is more accessible to the everyday home cook is Aurum Poultry Co., which I discovered a couple of years ago.

A supplier to some of Australia’s best restaurants like Marmelo, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Omnia Bistro, Lee Ho Fook, King Clarance and 20 Chapel, Aurum Poultry Co.’s elevated poultry — specialty chicken (cockerel and pullet) and corn-fed duck — draws on more than two decades of innovation in processing, which ultimately produces a far superior-tasting bird. The company works directly with Aussie farmers who are steadfast on raising only happy and healthy birds that have varying levels of fat, muscle and size — all of which contribute to more flavourful chickens and ducks.

Speaking to some of Australia’s best chefs, Victor Liong of Lee Ho Fook and Stephen Nairn of Omnia, they tell me that the reason for sourcing from this producer ultimately comes down to innovation. What I didn’t know was that two factors greatly impact the taste of poultry, especially chicken: the feeding program and watering system — both incredibly important and fine-tuned to around 100–120 days compared to the industry standard of a fast-and-furious 35-day period. As a result, this low-and-slow approach produces a more delicate-tasting bird that’s nearly impossible for a novice cook to dry out.

With more Australians consuming poultry, this only means that the industry will grow further, and we will see more farmers elevate their craft and continue to innovate when it comes to processing poultry efficiently and humanly to produce incredible chicken and duck that even the French and Asians will be proud of serving.

You can find the elevated poultry from Aurum Poultry Co. at your local Asian poultry shop or Asian supermarket. Alternatively, enjoy the convenience of online shopping by visiting aurumpoultryco.au (available for Melbourne and Sydney metro areas).