Girello and Eye Fillet

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I’m hoping somebody with a better culinary knowledge than I can can make some suggestions here. An excellent “export quality to the public” butcher has recently opened in our area. Prices are about half those of the normal butcher/ supermarket and the quality is superb – the prime n cuts, too good to waste on ns! That’s no exaggeration either – I can’t remember tasting such good meat.

Anyway, here’s the thing. Despite the lower prices all round, I’m always looking for saving a bit more. I was asking about the “girello” cut, which I hadn’t heard of before, and the lady tells me it is the “eye” of the silverside. It seems to be about 1/3 the price of their eye fillet and she recommended it highly. Both cuts are shown on the Beef Cuts Chart. She went on saying that if you order eye fillet on a Qantas flight then it’s the girello cut you’ll be served, but you can’t tell the difference because they have a “special/ secret” way of cooking it, probably involving pressure cooking.

Can anybody hazard a guess as to how they might be doing it?

BTW, apparently the reason for their preference for girello (apart from price) is that the large cut does not taper in the way the eye fillet does, so all meals look the same size. Avoids the “his is bigger than mine” fights at 40,000 feet.

thanks
Alan

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On our side of the pond – we call that cut of meat the ‘Eye of Round’, and if cooked with the right spices the flavor will be similar to eye fillet, but will NEVER be as tender unless pressure cooked. I think you are correct on the pressure cooking method – a quick way to tenderize the meat, but I prefer my meat grilled with a little pink in it, not well done as from a pressure cooker or braised in a liquid.

The difference between Genius and Stupidity:
A Genius knows their limits.
- Albert Einstein

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Thanks Ed. I think this confirms what the lady was telling me. Specifically, she said that their cooking process “probably involves pressure cooking”. Perhaps they’ve developed a way to “just” tenderize by this method, then sear to finish it off, just like a pink but bloodless grilled fillet. (That’s the way I like mine too).

Alan

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Alan,

I found the following information here
Today, …. most meat sold in Australia is from young animals. These haven’t developed the tough tissues that need the two- to eight-week ageing process, which creates tender meat
One of the muscles that make up the silverside is the girello. It is small and evenly round and can be roasted quickly without drying out.

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Doc

This seems to bear out what the butcher was saying. The reason Aussies don’t get this quality meat is that it all goes to export. It is still produced this (traditional) way in Oz, but (according to her) for the last 30 years it has all gone to export because it can command a much better price. The unique aspect of my new source of A1-cheap meat is that this retail outlet is one of only three, from a very large family-owned abattoir company. Until now, everything they sell for export is not made available to the local wholesale or retail meat market. I now see descriptions I have never seen before on meat packaging, including age of beast, time of ageing, method of ageing etc.

Even as a retail outlet, your “normal” shopper can only buy vacuum-packed (for export) whole boneless joints or cuts. But since I did some work for her, fixing her computer, I can now ask for any amount of whatever I want, and still get a discount on top of the already much discounted retail price. Lucky me!

Alan

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Isn’t it comforting that familiarity with Hi-Tech qualifies you to “work for food” .

I too, have made this exchange…

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Serves us right for trying so hard I suppose!

But really, with this meat outlet, there’s no excuse for not gormandizing on eye or scotch fillet every night, given the prices. However, the proprieter threw the challenge gauntlet down, and now I’m determined to discover the secrets behind this method that Qantas apparently use.

Alan

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The main thing to remember with girello is that you must never roast / bake / sear it on high temperature or it’ll dry out and toughen up.

I generally butterfly it lengthwise, chuck some spiced oils and spices in the middle, fold it back up, like a sandwich, tie a couple of strings around it, then put it in an airtight container (like an oven bag), together with some carrots, small potatoes and a dash of white wine, in the oven at about 150 degrees C (300F) for 30 to 45 minutes.

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I must try that Claude. It’s after midnight, but you’ve whet my appetite!

cheers
Alan

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