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To me, beef is one of the most versatile and enjoyable foods.\u00a0\u00a0I love eating beef and I enjoy cooking beef.\u00a0\u00a0So much that I tend to take over people\u2019s BBQ plates; ovens or other cooking strategies just to make sure it’s done well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before you think this is unusual, many years ago as a young Beef Cattle Officer with the Department of Agriculture \u2013 cooking steak correctly was a key skill requirement.\u00a0\u00a0And to impress older and more experienced officers, it was something I didn\u2019t want to stuff up!\u00a0\u00a0So critical were the Beefo\u2019s, that once during a training workshop all the steaks ordered were sent back not once but twice!\u00a0\u00a0And following the second service, the team went into the kitchen to help the chef and offer some advice on the methods to achieve what was desired.<\/p>\n
So, I often feel I have a standard to meet!\u00a0\u00a0However, there is another and ore important consideration.\u00a0\u00a0Every time I eat steak, it\u2019s the result of someone\u2019s work over three or four years (or longer).\u00a0\u00a0Not just in the growth and finishing of that animal. But in the selection of breeders, choice of bulls, investment in pastures and farm infrastructure to handle animals safely and quietly.<\/p>\n
I spend my career helping people produce what is and should be a perfect meal of beef.\u00a0\u00a0So, if I do that on farm, I should equally be able to do it as a meal.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m always keen to explore and refine how I can cook beef and serve it to my family and to my friends.\u00a0\u00a0I want people to enjoy eating beef as much as I do, and to enjoy the results of many people\u2019s effort in the creation and provision of that meal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year I was gifted a smoker for Christmas.\u00a0\u00a0This is an entirely new method of cooking for me.\u00a0\u00a0I am still learning how to achieve the best results and I\u2019m starting out small.\u00a0\u00a0But what I have done so far has been too exciting not to share!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a way of getting you to think about your beef meal and enjoy other alternatives to a steak!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This week I\u2019m going to share my approach to smoked beef cheeseburgers.\u00a0\u00a0If you have a smoker, you\u2019ll love this.\u00a0\u00a0I think you could probably get a similar result with a smoker box on a hooded BBQ.\u00a0\u00a0Either way, it\u2019s a great take on a simple burger meal.<\/p>\n
My smoker is a Formetto smoker.\u00a0\u00a0It works by smoking pellets that are fed from a hopper into an ignition box.\u00a0\u00a0The temperature and the auger are controlled electronically so that makes keeping a constant temperature pretty straight forward.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n