What Oil Does Outback Steakhouse Use to Create Signature Flavors?

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Outback Steakhouse's food is delicious. It's a unique blend of flavors that transport you to the Australian outback. If you follow a seed oil-free diet, you might wonder how the restaurant achieves its signature taste.

What oil does Outback Steakhouse use? This guide will answer that question and help you understand how this oil contributes to the flavors of Outback's food. We will also touch upon "Is Beef Tallow Healthy"?

Seed Oil Scout helps diners like you find restaurants that don't use seed oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil. With this guide, you'll discover precisely what oil Outback Steakhouse uses and how it impacts their food.

What Oil Does Outback Steakhouse Use?

Beef tallow is animal fat derived from cows. It is made by rendering or gently heating beef fat to separate the liquid fat from the solid fat. The resulting liquid fat is then cooled and solidified to form beef tallow.

Beef tallow has a high smoke point, making it a popular cooking oil for frying and sautéing. It also has a rich, savory flavor that adds depth to dishes, particularly steaks.

Outback Steakhouse Uses Beef Tallow for Better Flavor

Outback Steakhouse has used beef tallow as a cooking oil for many years. The restaurant chain touts its use of high-quality ingredients, including its choice of cooking oil. Beef tallow is known for its ability to enhance food flavor, particularly when cooking steaks.

In addition to its flavor-enhancing properties, beef tallow is a stable oil that does not easily break down or go rancid when exposed to high heat. This makes it ideal for high-heat cooking methods, like frying, commonly used in the restaurant industry.

Delicious Menu Items Cooked in Beef Tallow

Outback Steakhouse offers a variety of menu items that are cooked in beef tallow, including:

Aussie-tiers

This is the name Outback gives to its selection of appetizers. Some of the Aussie tiers on Outback’s menu that is cooked in beef tallow include:

Bloomin’ Onion: Outback’s signature appetizer and one of its most popular menu items. The Bloomin’ Onion is a large onion cut into the shape of a flower, breaded, and deep-fried in beef tallow until crispy.
Kookaburra Wings: Chicken wings deep-fried in beef tallow, coated in the restaurant’s signature spices, and served with blue cheese dressing and celery.
Aussie Cheese Fries: A dish featuring fries topped with melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, finished with crumbled bacon bits and a side of house-made ranch dressing.
Bloom Petals: An appetizer cut from the restaurant’s famous Bloomin’ Onion dish, accompanied by its spicy signature bloom sauce.
Sydney ‘Shrooms: Made of lightly battered and fried mushrooms, served with a side of house-made ranch dressing.
Volcano Shrimp: Made of crispy shrimp coated in a spicy Volcano sauce and garnished with green onions.
Alice Springs Chicken Quesadilla: Featuring a quesadilla stuffed with juicy grilled chicken breast, sautéed mushrooms, crispy bacon, melted cheeses, and a drizzle of honey mustard sauce.
Aussie Signature Sampler: Made of Bloomin’ Onion petals with the restaurant’s signature spicy bloom sauce, Steakhouse Mac & Cheese Bites with house-made ranch dressing, and a sample-sized serving of the Aussie Cheese Fries.
Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp: A dish made of shrimp that is hand-dipped in batter, rolled in coconut, fried to a golden crispy texture, and served with a side of Creole marmalade.

Signature Steaks

Outback is known for its steaks cooked on a grill using beef tallow to enhance their flavor. The steaks on the menu include options like:

Outback Center-Cut Sirloin Steak: Expertly prepared using the sirloin's center cut for maximum tenderness. It is seasoned and seared to bring out its natural flavor, making it lean, hearty, and tasteful.
Victoria’s Filet Mignon: Made from a thick cut of the most tender cut of beef, expertly seasoned and seared to ensure maximum juiciness in every bite.
Ribeye: Featuring a well-marbled, juicy, and flavorful cut of meat grilled without wood for a unique natural flavor.
Sirloin + Your Choice of Shrimp: Signature center-cut sirloin paired with Grilled Shrimp or Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp.

Sides

The following are some of the sides on Outback Steakhouse’s menu that are cooked in beef tallow:

French Fries: Outback’s French fries are cut from whole potatoes and fried in beef tallow until crispy.
Sweet Potato Fries: Outback’s sweet potato fries are sliced and fried in beef tallow until crispy.
Onion Rings: Outback’s onion rings are thick-cut and crispy fried in beef tallow until golden brown.

Forkless Features

Forkless Features are handheld dishes designed to be eaten without utensils. These items can be easily held and consumed without a fork or knife. These dishes include:

The Bloomin’ Burger: A burger cooked in beef tallow and topped with crispy Bloomin’ Onion petals, melted American cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a drizzle of the restaurant’s signature spicy bloom sauce.
The Outbacker Burger: A classic burger offered at Outback Steakhouse, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and mustard. You can add bacon to their burgers for extra flavor and texture.
Grass-Fed Burger with Aged Cheddar: A premium burger option at Outback Steakhouse made with 100% grass-fed, sustainably raised beef and topped with aged Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a flavorful herb aioli.
Crispy Chicken Sandwich: A hand-breaded, lightly fried chicken fillet tossed in spicy Buffalo sauce and served on a bun with lettuce and house-made ranch dressing.

Chicken, Ribs, Chops & More

Chicken Tender Platter: Made of crispy white meat chicken tenders. It is served with honey mustard or Buffalo sauce and a side of Aussie Fries.
Golden Fried Coconut Shrimp: A platter of 32 Golden Fried Coconut Shrimp, coated in batter and rolled in coconut, served with Creole marmalade dipping sauce.

Potential Health Benefits of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow has some potential health benefits, although some of its aspects may raise concerns.

Here are some of the potential health benefits of beef tallow

High in Saturated Fat: Beef tallow is high in saturated fat and is solid at room temperature. Saturated fats have been found to increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels and neutralize LDL (harmful) cholesterol levels.
Rich in Vitamin D: Beef tallow is a good source of Vitamin D, essential for maintaining strong bones and a healthy immune system.
Contains Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): Beef tallow is a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of fatty acid that has been shown to have potential health benefits, such as reducing the risk of certain types of cancer and improving heart health.
Stable at High Heat: Beef tallow is a stable cooking oil that does not easily break down or go rancid when exposed to high heat. This means it can be used for high-heat cooking methods, like frying, without producing harmful compounds.

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Seed Oil Scout - What Oil Does Outback Steakhouse Use

Seed oils, such as canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, and sunflower oil, are commonly used in cooking and food production due to their cheap cost and long shelf life. These oils are extracted from the seeds of various plants using high heat and chemical solvents. The processing method destroys any nutrients in the seeds and creates harmful compounds that adversely affect health.

In particular, seed oils are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which the body cannot efficiently use. When consumed in excess, these fatty acids lead to chronic inflammation and put you at risk for various diseases. Omega-6 PUFAs are unstable and oxidize quickly when exposed to heat, air, or light. This makes seed oils dangerous cooking fats that produce toxic compounds harmful to human health.

Understanding the Dangers of Seed Oils

The health dangers of seed oils primarily arise from their high omega-6 PUFAs and how they react to cooking. Although these fatty acids are essential nutrients, they only benefit health when consumed in moderation and balanced with omega-3 fatty acids. Most people eat omega-6 PUFAs over 20 times more than omega-3s.

This imbalance promotes chronic inflammation, which is linked to various diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Omega-6 fatty acids also disrupt normal cellular functions and can lead to cellular dysfunction and death. This is particularly dangerous for cells in the organs and systems that control human health.

Furthermore, the harmful compounds produced when seed oils oxidize and undergo polymerization when heated have been shown to impact health negatively. These compounds have been linked to both respiratory and systemic illnesses. Because of these dangers, seed oils should be avoided altogether.

‍Seed Oil Scout helps health-conscious diners locate restaurants that cook without seed oils, offering detailed information about cooking fats and ingredients used in establishments nationwide. From finding beef tallow fries to grass-fed beef and raw milk sources, the app makes it simple to discover and verify restaurants that align with your dietary preferences. As the only comprehensive database for seed oil-free dining, it eliminates the guesswork for those seeking alternatives to conventional restaurant cooking oils. Find seed oil-free restaurants with Seed Oil Scout − download for free today.