Capital Craft Meat Feast #2

Meat, eat, repeat. This was the order of events at the second meat fest held by Capital Craft in Pretoria. These boys are not only known for their craft beer but now also for being legit meat masters.

Taking inspiration from Medieval banquet style, the tables were arranged in long rows and decorated with fruit, three types bread and four kinds of cheese. Without too much delay, the chef made his short speech and introduced each dish, short and sweet. The menu was definitely not for the faint hearted, but our taste buds were ready for this meaty fest and what it has to offer.

The all-you-can-eat options included: Roasted whole biltong – style sirloin, apple cider braised pork ribs, pulled leek and fennel chicken, Rauchbier stew, 8 hour smoked brisket and the dish we were most excited about; the Lamb T-bone. The Lamb T-bone was prepared by slow roasting it in the oven with rosemary, lemon and garlic marinade and served with plain yogurt, mint, pistachio and honey. An unbeatable combination indeed.

Capital Craft introduced something new to us by having the Lamb T-bone on the menu, it was the topic of most of the conversations at the table. Chatting to some people, they would’ve never thought of buying this cut because of its price, however, after tasting it at Capital Craft’s meat fest they were now convinced otherwise.

The lamb loin offers a variety of culinary options; it can be cut into chops, deboned and rolled. In this case the loin primary cut was cut into lamb “T-bones” with a piece of rump meat intact, just like beef T-bones. Lamb T-bones are notorious for being tender, leanest as well as priciest cut but simple to prepare. The chefs at Capital craft prepared the lamb T-bones in the oven, roasted to perfection, medium rare, juicy and tender, just as its reputation promised.

Events like these are rare in the heart of Pretoria, thus I want to encourage everyone to diarise the next meat fest, not only because of the all you can eat meat at one of Pretoria’s best restaurants, but for the appreciation of good meat, to try something new, learn more about meat and witness new recipes, opinions, tips and tricks with fellow South Africans. Events like these shows you, the consumer, that the possibilities with red meat, especially lamb, are endless. And then, the most important aspect of all, it inspires and unites people who share a common love for well-prepared meat (and beer).