Do speckle park cattle hold the secret to a tender and flavoursome steak?
By Tim Lee
Landline
Topic:Beef Cattle Farming
15m ago15 minutes agoSat 29 Mar 2025 at 1:51am
Image of a steak cut up on a plate
This speckle park rib eye sells for $360. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
In short:
Marbling has long been considered essential to steak quality, but new research is highlighting the role of omega-3.
Speckle park cattle, found to be high in omega-3s, is delivering tender, flavoursome beef despite having normal marbling levels.
What's next?
Speckle park breeders plan to launch their own label they hope will emulate the popular Angus and Waygu varieties.
Tender. Succulent. Mouth-watering.
It's hard to find words to describe a superb-tasting steak.
And even harder to find one that's consistently good.
However, a leading Australian animal scientist believes he may have solved part of the mystery.
For decades, intramuscular fat — or marbling — has been considered crucial to a juicy, tender steak. It's a key reason Wagyu comes with a hefty price tag.
But speckle park beef is challenging that idea.
A juicy discovery in the lab
Aduli Eo Malau-Aduli from the University of Newcastle has found meat rich in omega-3 is more likely to be tender and tasty.
And the speckle park cattle he has been testing? They have normal marbling levels yet still deliver exceptional flavour and texture.
"Normally with cattle and sheep you don't get heaps of those long-chain omega-3 fatty acids," Professor Aduli said.
Image of uncooked t-bone steaks
Early lab results show speckle park beef has a low fat melting point and is high in omega-3s. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
Omega-3, also found in avocados and olive oil, helps to lower blood pressure and supports brain and heart health.
Professor Aduli's study found speckle park cattle had unusually high levels of omega-3.
"The good guys are the unsaturated fatty acids, and the bad guys are the saturated fats.
"The more of the unsaturated fats that you have, the healthier they are and the better the eating quality experience," he said.
A close up of aged wagyu meat.
Wagyu beef is prized because of its high content of marbled white intramuscular fat. (ABC South East SA: Elsie Adamo)
He made the discovery while testing prime lamb several years ago.
But recently, after testing meat samples from 50 speckle park cattle, he was able to make the link in beef.
Rethinking what makes meat great
Beef producers Justin and Amy Dickens sought out Professor Aduli's scientific analysis to understand the factors behind why speckle park beef was more flavoursome than other breeds.
"We could never really understand why it carried so much succulence and moisture," Mr Dickens said.
"Even if you overcook it a bit, it seems to be flavoursome and juicy, and I was fascinated as to why that was the case."
Image of a woman and man smiling at the camera.
Husband-and-wife duo Justin and Amy Dickens commissioned the testing of the breed. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
In 2016, the couple started a speckle park stud in Yeoval, NSW, after being impressed with the breed's potential.
They were drawn to its early maturity, efficient feed conversion and high-yielding carcase — meaning the cattle produces a higher quantity of valuable beef.
Images of cows in a field that are black and white.
Speckle park is an attractive-looking breed, which has made it popular with some cattle producers. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
Now, armed with science, they're genetically testing their herd to identify and selectively breed cattle naturally high in omega-3s.
"We're absolutely measuring them to within an inch of their lives to find out which are the cream of the crop," Mrs Dickens said.
This beef has chefs talking
The proof, as they say, is in the eating. This beef has chef and restaurateur Jake Furst very excited.
At Cinda Restaurant in inner Melbourne, he has dry-aged a side of speckle park beef for 38 days.
Image of a chef using a bandsaw to cut beef.
Jake Furst runs a venue that specialises in steak of only the highest quality. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
Using a bandsaw to cut through the tenderloin, he described it as "the best I've had in a long time".
"It's definitely at the top, as a grass-fed product."
His restaurant specialises in cordon bleu steak and features 18, sometimes 22, different varieties on its menu.
But after more than two decades in the business, he said this beef stood out.
Image of t-bone steaks on a BBQ grill.
Speckled park beef is finding favour with fine diners. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
"To have the tenderness but married up with the flavour as well … rarely you get both of those together with the tenderloin."
The quality is reflected in the price, with diners at his restaurant happy to pay $360 for a large speckle park steak.
Breeding for the future
Brought to Australia from Canada in 2007, beef producers were initially drawn to speckle park's docile nature and attractive appearance.
When veteran cattleman Dennis Power spoke to the ABC's Landline program in 2016, he said the breed showed promise, but desperately needed performance data, such as feed efficiency and fertility.
In the years since, his speckle park stud in Minnamurra, NSW, has gathered extensive data from feedlot and pasture trials.
Image of a man wearing a hat smiling at the camera on a veranda.
Dennis Power says he has been impressed with the breed's hardiness and ability to handle drought. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
"It's very rewarding and I feel there's a huge future for these cattle, no doubt about that," Mr Power said.
This year, his company will produce 3,000 speckle Park calves, making it one of the largest purebred herds in the world.
Mr Power is also excited by Professor Aduli's omega-3 findings, saying they challenge the industry's focus on marbling as the sole indicator of meat quality.
The belief that marbling is crucial to a high-quality steak has led producers to selectively breed cattle with higher marbling scores or switch to low-yielding but high-marbling breeds such as wagyu.
Image of a cow in a field with other cows in the distance.
Speckle park was developed in Canada mid-last century and arrived in Australia in 2007. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
Professor Aduli said Australia's beef industry, which exports $11 billion worth of product each year, might be heading down the wrong path.
"There's more to meat eating quality than marbling because there are other important traits that affect texture, flavour, juiciness and health benefits as well," he said.
"Emphasising just the one trait could be disadvantageous to the whole herd.
"We might be doing ourselves a disservice to the industry."
Image of a man smiling with cows behind in a field.
Professor Aduli has been testing small biopsy samples of the meat. (ABC Landline: Tim Lee)
Buoyed by the science, Mrs Dickens said their next goal was to establish a speckled park beef brand, similar to branded Angus and Waygu beef.
"We're more passionate than ever, and more clear than ever, that this is a breed with a great place in the Australian beef industry."
Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or onABC iview.
ABC Rural RoundUp newsletter
Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday.
Your information is being handled in accordance with the ABC Privacy Collection Statement.
Posted15m ago15 minutes agoSat 29 Mar 2025 at 1:51am
Copy link
X (formerly Twitter)