The Darling Downs has done it again, with Wagyu produced in the region crowned Australia’s best steak for the third year in a row, at the prestigious Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show (RQFWS) Branded Beef and Lamb Competition presented by Super Butcher at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Stockyard’s Wagyu Kiwami grilled 41 other entrants to take out the coveted John Kilroy Cha Cha Char Grand Champion Branded Beef of Show; previously Australian Agricultural Company’s (AACo) Darling Downs Wagyu won the coveted Grand Champion title in 2015 and 2016.
Chief Judge Elaine Millar said Stockyard’s standout steak, produced at Jondaryan, 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,” she 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.”
While 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.
