Holy cow: Regina celebrates beef month

Meat lovers are going to enjoy June in Regina.

Beef month is being celebrated in the Queen City with 16 restaurants and bars marking the event with specialized menus.

The restaurants are teaming up with the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, Be a Kitchen Hero Spices, Last Mountain Distillery and Centennial Food Service.

Jonathan Thauberger, chef and partner at Crave Kitchen and Wine Bar, said his restaurant will be featuring a special Saskatchewan-made cut from Benbie Holsteins, a ranch west of Caronport made by Ian Crosbie.

Crosbie used two different types of cattle, Waygu and Holstein to create the product.

“It’s high marbled, super delicious, high in fat, melt in your mouth,” described Thauberger.

Thauberger and Crosbie met at Agribition last year, where they discussed how to get Crosbie’s snow beef on the menu.

Since the Saskatchewan beef is in such high demand, Thauberger said a number of menu items feature the meat.

“We’re making the most of the whole animal,” said Thauberger. “We make a beef jerky out of the round cuts and make pemmican out of that. Also, our burgers are currently snow beef as well.”

A previous menu item featured the beef fat in truffles, he added.

Crave also includes as number of Saskatchewan-based ingredients, such as pickled mustard seeds and a dandelion jelly.

Repeat customers now often come to Crave to get a taste of more beef, Thauberger noted.

“They’ll have one cut one day and one cut the next day; (they) get to experience different parts of the animal, which is great,” he said.

Thauberger hopes to continue his expertise at the culinary olympics in Germany next year.

—  With files from 650 CKOM’s David Kirton