The jumbuck has leapt straight from the pages of Banjo Paterson and onto menus. Victoria’s Greenvale Farm uses the term for its older sheep – “four to five years” at least, according to Brae’s Dan Hunter. He has cooked with it since 2011, and thinks dry-ageing is essential. “It tenderises the meat and produces a really nice length of secondary flavour.” At Brae, the jumbuck is barbecued and served with grilled lettuces, tuna mayonnaise, anchovy juice and a dusting of oyster powder. “I think it holds up to pretty powerful flavours,” he says, “so we always try and match it with something quite strong.” Keep an eye out for it at Vue de Monde and Neighbourhood Wine in Melbourne, too.
