Double AgedDairy Beef

Premium restaurant quality beef that is double aged - on the hoof, and on the hook 

What is dairy beef? It's the beef from a retired milking cow. But isn't it tough? Not once it is finished on pasture. Retired dairy beef is designed to reward your taste buds with its complex, mature, marbled texture, delivering a burst of flavour in a similar sense to blue cheese for cheese lovers. The time we allow our retired dairy cows to fatten up on pasture and the extra time we age our dairy beef on the hook further develops the flavour and texture profile to something extraordinary.

Double aged dairy beef is for the informed consumer looking for a sustainable meat option without compromising quality. Here on our farm, we take in healthy retired dairy cows from Kiewa Valley and give them time. Time to graze. Time from milking. Time to relax.

A second chance that's second to none

You’ve likely eaten more retired dairy cow beef than you realise. Often when a cow's milking days are over, she's reduced to low-value products - burger patties and pet food.

Unfortunately, there's a misconception in the market that meat from retired dairy cattle is tough and unpalatable. But think about it, dairy cattle consume only premium feed their entire lives and create dairy products of the highest nutritional value. So why then reduce these fantastic dual-purpose animals to waste products? Because it's the easy option.

But there's a better way; it just takes effort. On our part, not yours.

Patience in the pasture results in prime protein 

Magic happens when a dairy cow retires in a grassy meadow; they get happy, which shows in their meat. First, their slender bodies fill out; we generally see them gain an average of 80kg. Then, they grow out the most glorious golden fat covering.

Because dairy cows are significantly older than typical 'beef' cattle at processing, they produce an 'old meat' profile; deep, dark, and delicious.

But our double aged dairy cow meat doesn't stop at taste; it's also nutrient-dense. Packed with Omega 3, Beta-carotene, Vitamine E, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid, this protein source is one that belongs on your family's dinner table.

The modern day Wagyu 

Here at Wolki Farm, we believe all animals should be respected—in life and death. So we eat nose-to-tail and use processing methods that optimise meat to its highest possible value.

We take the carcasses and dry age them for as long as they need to relax…typically up to month. Hence the term double aged; on the hoof, and the hook.

Does dry ageing our dairy cow meat take longer and cost us more? Yes. Does it produce a far superior product to meat traditionally produced from dairy cattle? Also yes.

Jersey cattle are renowned for high-quality butterfat production in milk. These characteristics translate to their meat, creating a mature, complex, marbled cut that’s sweet and buttery, with a rich, tender mouthfeel. The modern-day Wagyu, if you will.

Cook like a chef, or like your grandma used to, at home 

The dinner table's a place for family, friends, conversations, connections, and memories. It's where grandma served flavoursome food that warmed the belly (and heart)—flavours that etched themselves into your mind, flavours you continually try and replicate and yet can't...

Mass production comes at a cost—flavour. And the truth is, grandma's recipe always started with a secret ingredient (besides love)—she often began with a cut of meat that had age, character, texture, and flavour. The exact qualities we create with our double aged dairy meat.

Old cow meat for new age restaurants 

Looking for something unique to serve in your restaurant? Something that'll appeal to consumers who appreciate a mature flavoured cut? An option that'll showcase your proactive approach to sourcing only the highest quality, local produce that's been ethically raised, with an emphasis on sustainability?

Incorporating retired dairy meat is fast becoming quite the phenomenon in successful restaurants around Australia. As a result, we're seeing more farms (such as ours) exploring new ways to transform dairy beef from bottom-of-the-barrel to superior cuts, to be served on restaurant plates all around Australia.

Consumers are becoming increasingly more conscientious about the food they consume and the impact their consumption has on our planet. Your restaurant should take part in that conversation.

There's a reason why we always put a Jersey in the freezer instead of the Herefords. A pure beefy gets a quicker and heavier payout thanks to breeding. But the humble Jersey's flavour profile and marbling simply can't be beaten.

- Teresa Hicks