Farmers and researchers believe mutton could be the next big thing in food, thanks to a dry-ageing process that brings out complex flavours and makes the meat tender and juicy.

Melbourne chef Dale Lyman has been tasked with looking for ways to introduce dry-aged mutton to consumers.

"When we first saw the mutton we didn't quite know what to do with it, but after a lot of trials we have come up with some really good dishes, and have learnt a lot about the animal and the best way to cook it," Mr Lyman said.

While mutton is not his first sheep meat of choice when compared to a nice cut of lamb, its popularity could change through a technique known as dry-ageing.

What is dry-aged mutton? Mutton is meat from a sheep that is older than a year. It is an intense red colour and contains a considerable amount of fat

Mutton is meat from a sheep that is older than a year. It is an intense red colour and contains a considerable amount of fat Dry-ageing is a centuries-old technique of improving the flavour and texture by hanging it on the bone for up to 120 days

Dry-ageing, which is more commonly used for beef, is now being applied to old sheep meat by a handful of Australian farmers.

That has made Mr Lyman's job easier.

"Tonight we are making mutton piccata. We have used the silverside, sliced it thinly about 2 or 3 millimetres, lightly crumbed it with some parmesan, some parsley and lemon, and we are just shallow frying it," he said.

He is also using it to make mutton sliders, and even the popular Vietnam dish pho, a soup broth that typically contains thin slices of beef.

Dry-ageing involves dehydrating meat in a controlled environment, usually with humidity, over a certain number of weeks or months to draw out more flavour and texture.

What surprised Mr Lyman and his team of student chefs is that the dry-ageing has given new life to even the most undesirable of mutton cuts.

"The shoulder cooks beautifully as a braise. The forequarter, the loin, some of the other cuts like the rump are good for long, slow cooking. The mince is fantastic," he said.

"It has huge potential. I think it may be slow to begin with, but once chefs get the product and figure out the best way to cook with it, it'll go gangbusters."

Dry-ageing gives new life to the most undesirable of mutton cuts, Mr Lyman says. ( ABC Rural: Marty McCarthy )

Complex flavour dramatically increased

In 2016, a trial funded by Meat and Livestock Australia found dry-aged mutton out-performed standard wet aged lamb in a taste test.

University of Melbourne enterprise director Hollis Ashman, who is part of a team of researchers investigating what the demand is for dry-aged sheep meat, said it was the complex, rich buttery flavour and strong butter notes that made it "incredibly crave-able".

"It becomes almost like chocolate, so think of it as the chocolate of meats," she said.

"A crust grows on the outside of the meat as it ages, and the inside of the meat becomes very tender and juicy. It tastes really good."

Researchers are stumped as to why dry-ageing dramatically increases the flavour profile of even the oldest sheep.

"People think it is due to concentration of some of the great flavour compounds, due to a loss of moisture, but I think it is a bit more complicated than that," Melbourne University meat expert Robyn Warner said.

"We are still trying to find out chemically why the flavour is so good."

Beef that has been dry-aged traps in moisture, but toughens on the outside. ( Supplied: Minh Ha )

A uniquely Australian niche industry

Australia has few native or iconic foods that are popular overseas — the macadamia and barramundi being notable exceptions.

But experts think dry-aged lamb has the potential to change that.

"Every chef is looking for something that will make them unique and differentiated, and this is product that is uniquely Australian," Ms Ashman said.

Professor Warner said Australia had a rare opportunity to pioneer a new industry, capitalising on the growing popularity internationally for dry-aged products.

"I have seen dry-aged beef in restaurants in Denmark and in pubs in Ireland, although you don't tend to see it in Australia so much just yet, but it is just starting to take off," she said.

"There is only two restaurants we know of in Australia — one in Adelaide and one in Melbourne — that actually have dry-aged sheep meat on the menu, and there are a handful in WA too."

A challenge will be convincing consumers to not only try it, but swap over to it, given the lack of appetite for mutton in Australia means most of it is exported.

"Australia is typically a conservative marketplace when looking at new products, and so the easier way to bring new things for Australians to consider is to go to the restaurant level," Ms Ashman said.

Vietnamese pho prepared with a thinly sliced dry-aged mutton, rather than beef. ( ABC Rural: Marty McCarthy )

Challenges in going commercial

The other challenge is building production capabilities for dry-aged sheep meat into the existing red meat supply chain.

Most abattoirs in Australia have capacity to age their meat for about a week, but dry-ageing mutton takes at least a month.

It is an issue sheep farmers in WA, who are pioneering the industry, are grappling with.

WA Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development senior research officer Robin Jacobs said processors at this point had not shown a lot of interest in it.

"There is some challenges there with how to do it commercially, but certainly there is lots of interest both from producers and consumers who have tried it in these restaurants," he said.

"Any farmer could do it, but really the missing links are in the supply chain."

If that issue can be overcome, Mr Jacobs estimates farmers could double the price they are paid for their mutton.

Ms Ashman said while it would not replace the premium price of lamb, the restaurant price for dry-aged mutton dishes could come close to it.

"Lamb in a dinner occasion is about $35 for a main, whereas dry-aged sheep would be about $25 to $28 a plate," she said.

Dry-aged mutton frying in a pan at the William Angliss Institute in Melbourne. ( ABC Rural: Marty McCarthy )

The added value means farmers could make money where they have not been able to make it before.

"I was talking to a producer the other day — it's a big company with 100,000 ewes — and they are culling 5 per cent of their ewes every year, which is a routine practice," Professor Warner said.

Ms Ashman said establishing a dry-aged sheep meat industry would therefore make sheep production a "very sustainable" industry, as value would be made off the sheep across its entire lifespan.