A WAGYU steak produced on Queensland’s Downs Downs is officially the best steak in Australia.
Stockyard’s Wagyu Kiwami brand steak was awarded the coveted John Kilroy Cha Cha Char Grand Champion Branded Beef of the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show today.
The steak from Stockyard, which operates the Kerwee Feedlot at Jandaryan, beat 40 other entries in the prestigious beef and lamb competition presented by Super Butcher.
The win makes it three in a row for Queensland entries. Wagyu entries from the Australian Agricultural Company’s (AACo) won the competition in 2015 and 2016.
Chief judge Elaine Millar said Stockyard’s standout steak displayed exceptional qualities.
“It had textbook marbling, luscious juiciness, melt in the mouth tenderness and incredibly well-balanced flavours that were both delicate and robust, from sweet biscuit and pureed blanched almond through to Shitake mushroom - perfect for sashimi to charcoal grilling,” Ms Millar said.
“Our judging panels were overwhelmed by the outstanding quality of this year’s entries, which certainly reinforces Australia’s position as a leader in the international beef market.”
JBS Australia was also a star performer in the competition. The company’s three premium brands –JBS Riverina Angus, Great Southern Pinnacle and Tajima Wagyu, which is produced in conjunction with Andrews Meat Industries – were all major winners. All of cattle were processed at JBS’s Riverina plant at Leeton.
Woodward Foods Australia claimed the title of Australia’s best lamb for their HRW Tasmanian Lamb product.
Ms Millar described it as having a balance of sweet juiciness, silky texture, extensive palate length and complex yet delicate nutty and enoki mushroom flavours.
The Branded Beef and Lamb Competition is regarded as the most coveted and comprehensive of its kind in the nation, with entries slightly up this year.
Super Butcher managing director Susan McDonald said they were thrilled to support the competition and congratulated the winners on their success.
“Our customers, more and more, are looking beyond the meat they see in the store to the family which has produced it and how and where it is grown,” she said.
“A retail brand is a commitment, a promise, to the consumers - and producers going the extra mile and putting in the effort to develop their brand deserve the recognition this competition delivers.”
The awards followed two days of rigorous judging this week, which saw 14 expert judges including Jake Nicolson from Black Bird Bar and Grill and Glen Barratt from Wild Canary, taste their way through 70 of the nation’s finest beef and lamb products in the retail market.
The prestigious RQFWS, which is made up of seven competitions, will now turn its attention to the nation’s finest cheeses, dairy products and ice creams, with the cream of the crop to be crowned on May 26.
CHAMPIONS
John Kilroy Cha Cha Char Grand Champion Branded Beef Australia’s best steak: Stockyard, Stockyard Wagyu Kiwami.
Super Butcher Champion MSA Graded Branded Beef: JBS Australia, JBS Riverina Angus.
Super Butcher Champion Branded Lamb Australia’s Best Lamb): Woodward Foods Australia, HRW Tasmanian Lamb.
BEEF WINNERS
Lendlease Grain Fed Class: Gold: JBS Australia, JBS Riverina Angus. Silver: Thomas Foods International, Thomas Foods Signature Clare Valley Grain Fed. Bronze: JBS Australia, JBS Thousand Guineas Shorthorn.
Lendlease Grass Fed Class: Gold: JBS Australia, Great Southern Pinnacle. Silver: JBS Australia, King Island Premium Beef. Bronze: JBS Australia, JBS Swift Premium.
Super Butcher Wagyu Class AUS-MEAT Marble Score 1-5: Gold: Andrews Meat Industries, Tajima Wagyu. Silver: Stanbroke, Diamantina.
Super Butcher Wagyu Class AUS-MEAT Marble Score 6+: Gold: Stockyard, Stockyard Wagyu Black.`Silver: Andrews Meat Industries, Tajima Wagyu.`
Super Butcher Open Class: Gold: Stockyard, Stockyard Wagyu Kiwami. Silver: JBS Australia, JBS Royal. Bronze: JBS Australia, Red Gum Creek Beef.
LAMB WINNERS
Meat & Livestock Australia Branded Lamb 20kg or Less: Gold: Country Fresh Nationwide, Supreme MSA Lamb. Silver: Country Fresh Nationwide, Thomas Farms. Bronze: Woodward Foods Australia, HRW Tasmanian Lamb.
Super Butcher Branded Lamb Over 20kg: Gold: Woodward Foods Australia, HRW Tasmanian Lamb. Silver: Country Fresh Nationwide for its Supreme MSA Lamb. Bronze: Milly Hill, Milly Hill.
Super Butcher Restaurant Trade Branded Lamb Over 24kg: Gold: Woodward Foods Australia, HRW Tasmanian Lamb. Silver: Woodward Foods Australia, Woodward Foods Prime Lamb. Bronze: JBS Australia, Great Southern Lamb.
CLICK HERE for full results.