Stockyard's Wagyu Kiwami wins Australia's best steak award

The 2019 Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Branded Beef and Lamb Awards winners were unveiled at the Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday with Stockyard's Wagyu Kiwami taking out the title of Australia's best steak for the third year in a row.

The premium wagyu brand, produced at Jondaryan on the Darling Downs, beat 49 other entrants to take home the coveted John Kilroy Cha Cha Char Grand Champion Branded Beef of Show trophy, at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Branded Beef and Lamb Competition Awards at the Brisbane Showgrounds.

Stockyard Beef's David Clark said the Wagyu Kiwami probably makes up 5 per cent of what they produce.

"Kiwami is our leading Wagyu brand, our marble score 9+ product and internationally well recognised," he said.

"What Kiwami stands for is outstanding excellence, it's the cream of what we do.

"We process around 9000 Wagyu this year, that's spread across a number of different marble scores and grades, and we process about 12,500 Angus and we forecast to increase that again next year."

Chief judge Elaine Millar said the balance and length of flavours were extraordinary.

"The flavour profile excited with both the delicacy of young roasted hazelnuts and the richness of bonito flakes and field mushrooms - perfect for Japanese cuisine or treated with respect on any open-coal Australian barbecue," she said.

JBS Australia also had plenty to celebrate, with its JBS Riverina Angus named the champion MSA graded branded beef of show.

The product is sold all over the world, but most predominantly in Japan and Australia. About 700 to 800 head per week are processed at the JBS Riverina integrated processing plant and feedlot.

"We offer a consistent product 12 months of the year and it's the team that goes behind it that makes it that way," JBS Australia domestic programs manager for the northern division Renae Taylor said.

Meanwhile Tasmanian-sourced lamb has triumphed again, with Woodward Foods Australia taking the honour of being Australia's best lamb for their HRW Tasmanian Lamb, which also won the award in 2017.

Woodward Foods Australia's Dean Loudoun said they first started entering the competition four years ago and had taken home awards each year with their Tasmanian lamb.

"When we first originally started we were doing about 300 to 400 smalls a week and we've grown now to about 800 to 900 smalls a week," he said.

"That's just in Queensland alone, our Sydney depot do probably a 1000 smalls a week, they've taken on the brand as well.

"So we've been lucky enough to develop in Brisbane mostly first and then into Sydney."

Meanwhile Queensland-raised lamb won a medal for the first time in the competition's 10 year history, with the accolades normally dominated by Tasmanian and Victoria lamb.

Karbullah at Goondiwindi claimed a bronze medal in the Restaurant Trade Branded Lamb class for their lamb entry fed on saltbush.

"The judges were impressed with their free-range, hormone free, Old Man Saltbush grazed merino entry and I hope to see Karbullah lamb on many more menus in the near future," Ms Millar said.

The competition attracted its biggest number of entries in its history despite the ongoing drought, with 50 beef and 23 lamb entries, a 20 per cent increase on last year.

The announcement of the winners came after two days of tasting at the Brisbane Showgrounds by a panel of 11 food experts.

Some of the award-winning beef and lamb will now feature on the menu at the Royal Queensland Steakhouse presented by JBS at the Ekka.

Paul Exley from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries was part of the food science team cooking up the beef for the judges.

"We actually use a Silex method, so it's cooking from top and bottom," he said.

"We've actually taken on a Curtis Stone method, which is cooking and resting for half the time and then putting it back on and cooking for the remainder of time.

"This allows us to reduce the amount of crusting that happens on the steaks, particularly in the Wagyu end of the class."

THE JOHN KILROY CHA CHA CHAR GRAND CHAMPION BRANDED BEEF OF SHOW: Stockyard Pty Ltd for its Stockyard Wagyu Kiwami

CHAMPION MSA GRADED BRANDED BEEF OF SHOW: JBS Australia for its JBS Riverina Angus

CHAMPION BRANDED LAMB OF SHOW: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods HRW Tasmanian Lamb

BEEF AWARD WINNERS

Class 1 - King Street Grain Fed Class

Gold: JBS Australia for its JBS Riverina Angus

Silver: Stockyard Pty Ltd for its Stockyard Gold

Bronze: NH Foods Australia for its Angus Reserve

Class 2 - King Street Grass Fed Class

Gold: Thomas Foods International for its Angus Pure

Silver: Coles for its Coles Graze Porterhouse

Bronze: NH Foods Australia for its Manning Valley Naturally Grass Fed beef

Class 3 - Wagyu Class AUS-MEAT Marble Score 6 or less

Gold: Kilcoy Global Foods for its Carrara 640 Wagyu

Silver: Stockyard Pty Ltd for its Stockyard Silver

Bronze: Jac Wagyu for its Jac Wagyu Pure

Class 4 - Wagyu Class AUS-MEAT Marble Score 7+

Gold: Stockyard Pty Ltd for its Stockyard Wagyu Kiwami

Silver: Mort & Co for its Phoenix Beef - The Phoenix

Bronze: Kilcoy Global Foods for its Carrara 640 Wagyu

Class 5 - Open Class

Gold: JBS Australia for its JBS Tender Valley Black Angus

Silver: JBS Australia for its JBS Yardstick

Bronze: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods Australia Natural Beef

LAMB AWARD WINNERS

Class 6 - Meat & Livestock Australia Branded Lamb - 20kg or Less

Gold: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods HRW Tasmanian Lamb

Silver: The Midfield Group for its Union Station

Bronze: Australian Wholesale Meats Qld for its Sovereign lamb

Class 7 - Branded Lamb - More than 20kg

Gold: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods Australian lamb

Silver: Coles for its Coles Brand Lamb Rack

Bronze: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods HRW Tasmanian Lamb

Class 8 - Restaurant Trade Branded Lamb - More than 24kg

Gold: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods HRW Tasmanian Lamb

Silver: Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods Australian lamb

Bronze: Karbullah for its Karbullah entry fed on saltbush