Hadco offers Pasture Fresh lamb, prime cuts for Trinidad and Tobago market

IS grass-fed better than grain fed?

That’s the question Hadco asked guests to answer after they sampled the company’s new range of Pasture Fresh lamb.

The launch was held at the Forge, El Socorro, on November 7.

Among those present were Hadco officials, customers—including restaurateurs, culinary partners, other guests and the media

Hadco marketing manager Marc Clarke started off the proceedings.

"At Hadco, the company believe that food isn’t just food. It’s culture, it’s joy, it’s tenderness, and most importantly, it’s freedom.”

He was sure everyone could relate to that.

“Nobody likes to eat anything that doesn’t taste good.“

He said Hadco’s lamb range from Auckland, New Zealand, comes from animals that are pasture-raised, free-roaming, naturally fed and cared for with intention.

Clarke said that means Pasture Fresh lambs are treated and cared for so that consumers get a better quality lamb, better flavour and better tenderness.

“Trinis love our food and we take it very seriously.

“Whether it’s at Sunday lunch, Christmas or a lime, the most important dish is the meat. And you have to make sure that the meat is downright, well, outside of the fantastic region.

“We wanted to find a lamb option that delivers on taste, consistency and sourced responsibly. We are incredibly proud to make available this lamb range to our local chefs, supermarkets, culinary creators and of course the families to consume at home.

“This launch is also a reflection of Hadco as a company, committed to raising the bar, introducing new experiences to consumers and giving our customers the very best they would have asked to offer.

“At Hadco, we don’t just bring products, we bring standards, we bring trust and we bring quality that you as consumers can feel confident about.”

Brandon Harry, the brand manager for Pasture Fresh, promised it was going to be “the best lamb that you’re going to taste.”

He explained that chef Khalid Mohammed, who prepared the dishes for the night, is one of nine Pasture Fresh brand ambassadors in the world.

The other chefs are in Aruba, Guam, the Maldives, Bahamas, Peru, USA, Philippines and the UK.

Mohammed, a chef with over 30 years experience, is the owner of the Chaud Restaurant Group.

He was educated at the French Culinary Institute in New York and was the executive chef at Hilton Trinidad.

Harry said the meat would be tender and flavourful, “Because these lambs are no older than a year old. They are tender.

“The lambs are 100 per cent grass-fed. They are free to go. They are never sheltered. They are never fed with any hormones or anything at all. Anything can help them grow bigger.

“And as I mentioned, 100 per cent natural. So each lamb has so much space to roam. That each lamb can occupy 8,000 square feet of land. So you’ll see that later on, right? So, I mentioned the mild flavour.

“So, remember, four things to work on when you come tonight. It’s 100 per cent grass-fed. No gaminess guaranteed. Tenderness guaranteed.

“And the other one is, 100 per cent halal.”

Harry said Pasture Fresh lamb is considered the Wagyu of lamb.

“The highest quality you can taste.”

Japanese Wagyu beef and is renowned for its extraordinary marbling, which results in unmatched tenderness and a rich buttery flavour.

Harry said consumers will see the products on the market soon including patties, butcher’s racks, ground lamb, lamb chops, meatballs and lamb sausages.

There will also be the French rack, which will be cleaned off the top of the bone, the leg with bone in and the boneless leg.

Mohammed gave guests an overview of the six dishes he had prepared.

“So tonight we’re going to taste the spicy lamb chorizo taco, Persian grilled lamb burger, chef skew-grilled lamb, chimichangas, chargrilled boneless leg of lamb, and the Trinitario cacao and geera crusted rack of lamb.”

He then invited them to enjoy the samples.

The six dishes were prepared by Mohammed and a dozen staff from the Chaud Restaurant Group that includes Chaud Cafe, Chaud Cafe Vite, Chaud Events and Fuego Taqueria.

The team included head chef at Chaud Restaurants Rondell Thompson, sous chefs and other staff members.

The Forge was the ideal location to host the event since it is equipped with state-of-the-art culinary equipment. The studio kitchen allowed guests to see chefs put in the finishing touches on their dishes.

Mohammed told Newsday his team had prepared 2,000 servings for the event, “using lots of pounds of lamb.”

This was Newsday’s first lamb taco. It was spicy and tasty, although the drippings made the taco slightly greasy.

The meat was all medium-cooked and was succulent and juicy.

Mexicans may have invented chicken mole (chicken simmered in a chilli chocolate sauce) but TT has the best chocolate and it was only fitting that Mohammed made a lamb dish with Trinitario cocoa.

There were wines and mixed cocktails served all night, but there were no side dishes or palate-cleansers.

Carnivorous male guests enjoyed the fare while female guests agreed with Newsday that they needed something to go with the meat.

Ryan Chin, director at Dachin Group of Companies, which includes Texas de Brazil, Rizzoni’s Ristorante Italiano, and Jaxx International Grill, told Newsday the group already had a relationship with Hadco and he was looking forward to trying the grass-fed lamb and possibly adding it to his menu.

Menu

• Spicy lamb chorizo taco, hand-pressed corn tortillas, salsa roja, aguacate

• Persian grilled lamb burger, feta-labneh, sumac red onions, cucumber, harissa ketchup

• Curry-stew braised lamb hind shanks, coconut- chilli thoran, green chutney

• Charbroiled boneless leg of lamb, garlic/rosemary studded, red chimichurri

• Tamarind-black peppercorn glazed butcher’s lamb rack, chadon beni gremolata (cooked sous-vide then roasted)

• Trinitario cacao and geera crusted rack of lamb, mole sauce