Australian mutton is making a comeback thanks to a surge in demand from restaurateurs.

For years mutton has been seen by many as inferior to lamb, but dry-ageing mature sheep meat could change that.

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

While dry-aged lamb scored the highest, South Australian producer, processor and restaurateur Tim Burvill, who ran the trial, said it was a significant finding.

"It shows that there's a significant upside in being able to value-add to perceived lower-grade products like hogget and mutton," Mr Burvill said.

Dry-ageing occurs when meat is stored in low humidity near freezing conditions for several weeks to improve tenderness and flavour.

Most meat these days is not aged this way — instead it goes straight into vacuum-sealed bags in what is known as wet ageing.

Mr Burvill has been one of the biggest advocates of bringing back the traditional technique, setting up a dry-ageing facility in the Adelaide Hills.

For the past five years the cattle producer has focused on dry-ageing beef, which he supplies to his Adelaide restaurant A Hereford Beefstouw.

But Mr Burvill said there was great potential in sheep too.

"What we found was the dry-aged sheep meat products were all higher in the positive attributes and lower in negative attributes, particularly things like the metallic and livery characteristics that you can sometimes see in wet aged lamb," he said.

Restaurant owner Tim Burvill says dry aged mutton brings a great taste to the menu. ( Landline )

Mutton meat a 'niche' product

One disadvantage of dry-ageing is the meat shrinks and more of the surface needs trimming.

Producers are concerned with sheep being smaller than cattle, the yield loss will be too great for the process to be viable.

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

But Mr Burvill said while yield losses in the trial were about 5 per cent higher than in beef, it was still worth his time.

"You will never see dry-aged product down at your local pub for a $10 meal — it will always be a high-end niche product," he said.

"But there is little doubt in my mind that this is a viable product."

Australia is the largest exporter of mutton in the world, with 95 per cent of what is produced heading offshore, mainly to the Middle East and China, at prices well below what lamb fetches.

"We believe that if just 10 per cent of that mutton and hogget could be dry-aged that would add approximately $3.5 million per annum to the Australian industry," Meat and Livestock Australia's Sean Starling said.

"Adoption now is key. It would be a shame that if all this work was done that no producer or processing company or retailer or food service adopted this know-how."

Mutton shakes off wartime bad reputation

WA farmer David Thompson specialises in producing mature-aged sheep for dry-aged mutton. ( Landline )

WA mixed farmer David Thompson was ahead of the game before the trials started.

The Moojepin Merino Meat sheep producer said while the memory of poor-quality mutton during war times left a bad taste in the mouths of many, older sheep meat is slowly shaking the stigma.

"Three years ago I was on a flight across to Dubai," Mr Thompson said.

"I could hear the hostesses saying 'would you like the chicken or the mutton', and people would say 'yes I'd like the mutton'."

"It was sort of like a light bulb moment that mutton is not such a bad name."

A mutton dish is now appearing on the menus of some Australian high-end restaurants. ( Landline )

He said most of the sheep sent off were about five years old.

"The oldest we've done is 10 years of age, which farmers find quite humorous, but it's a different market when you're talking to the food market," he said.

"They're quite happy to have a 3,000-day grazed animal."

The biggest challenge for Mr Thompson has been finding a processor willing to hang the meat for 21 days.

"I've been told you will never succeed doing this because it's just not worth doing," he said.

But the farmer known as the "mutton man" in restaurant circles is persisting.

And while turning it into a sustainable business is still a work in progress, he said there was good money in older meat.

"We get a good price for it," Mr Thompson said.

"But the most exciting thing is when you go to a restaurant and you see your product and you think you've made it.

"That's probably the highlight of my farming life I reckon."

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