New Zealand Bacon competition winners announced

New Zealand Bacon competition winners announced

100% New Zealand Bacon competition winners announced Auckland butchers rate highly with judges

New Zealand's best bacon has been revealed following the 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition. The competition celebrates the best-of-the-best of New Zealand bacon made from 100% New Zealand pork, PigCare Accredited.

This year, Auckland butcheries have rated highly, with butchers taking home two silver and three bronze awards across the Streaky and Dry Cured Middle categories.

Lucia Rodriguez of Grey Lynn Butchers took home silver in both the Streaky and the Dry Cured Middle categories.

"We are absolutely delighted to have won two silver medals. In 2010, we won awards for our sausages so this year we thought we'd see how our bacon stacks up against the competition. It's so nice to see all the hard work, love and dedication we put into our products pay off," says Lucia Rodriguez.

A hat-trick of bronzes were scooped up by Aucklanders in the Streaky category, with David Crosbie of Franklin Country Meats, Ragupathy Nadason of Sam's Butchery and Steve Holyer of NZ Farm Co. all commended for the quality of their bacon.

Celebrating its fourth year, the 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition saw 152 entries from 62 businesses around the country. The competition features five categories including Middle, Shoulder, Streaky, Middle Eye and Dry Cured Middle.

On competition day, the panel of judges assessed entries, uncooked and cooked, based on a set of criteria including saltiness, sweetness, aroma, texture, appearance, aftertaste and overall good taste.

Thirty two judges tasted 152 different bacons from around New Zealand. The judging panel was headed up by the President of the National Chef's Association and renowned chef Anita Sarginson, Kiwi food writers Jan Bilton and Mary Taylor, restaurant critic and author of David Burton's New Zealand Food & Cookery David Burton, chef and food writer Graham Hawkes, and bacon expert Jason Cunningham.

"It was very pleasing to see such a wide range of New Zealand pork being so well crafted into great bacon this year, scrutiny from all of our judges was very high and only stand-out products made it through to the medal cook off process. The medal winners should be very proud of this accolade as their product sings the highest quality," says Anita Sarginson.

The gold medalists from each category competed against each other in a grand final 'cook off' to determine the Supreme Bacon of the Year for 2011.

The 100% Bacon Competition was founded in 2008 to celebrate New Zealand's best bacon and to help consumers identify local New Zealand bacon from imported product. The competition is only open to New Zealand butchers who make bacon from 100% New Zealand pork, PigCare Accredited.

Recent research undertaken by New Zealand Pork found that only 36 percent of consumers know where the pork they buy comes from. Each week more than 700,000 kilograms of imported pork enters New Zealand most of it made into bacon and ham - this is the equivalent weight of 224 Boeing 747's.

With the average Kiwi consuming 8.5 kilograms of imported bacon, ham and pork every year, consumers should look for the 100% New Zealand Pork or Bacon rosette label or the Gold, Silver and Bronze award labels on-pack to ensure they are choosing local New Zealand bacon.

Winners by category:

Cabernet Foods Ltd 100% New Zealand Bacon of the Year winner Corey Winder of Ashby's Butchery, Wigram, Christchurch

NZ Industry Training Organisation (NZITO) 100% Middle Bacon of the Year Gold - Corey Winder of Ashby's Butchery, Wigram, Christchurch Silver - Brydon Heller of Hellers Ltd, Kaiapoi, Christchurch Bronze - Andrew Preston of Preston's Master Butchers, Wellington

Multivac New Zealand 100% NZ Shoulder Bacon of the Year Gold - Brian Jennings of Redcliffs Butchery, Redcliffs, Christchurch Joint Silver - Brydon Heller of Hellers Ltd, Kaiapoi, Christchurch Joint Silver - Jonathan Connolly of Angus Meats, Sockburn, Christchurch Bronze - Jarred Luty of Harrington's Small Goods Ltd, Miramar, Wellington

Kerry New Zealand 100% NZ Streaky Bacon of the Year Gold - Chris Brown of Ellesmere Butchery, Leeston, Christchurch Joint Silver - Mike van der Hoeven of Magills Butchery Ltd, Te Awamutu Joint Silver - Lucia Rodriguez of Grey Lynn Butchers, Grey Lynn, Auckland Joint Bronze - Ragupathy Nadason of Sam's Butchery, Kelston, Auckland Joint Bronze - David Crosbie of Franklin Country Meats, Pukekohe, Auckland Joint Bronze - Steve Holyer of NZ Farm Co., Browns Bay, Auckland

Apple Tree Farms 100% NZ MiddleEye Bacon of the Year Gold - Brydon Heller of Hellers Ltd, Kaiapoi, Christchurch Silver - John Borcovsky of Murchison Meats, Murchinson, Nelson Bronze - Chris Timbs of Peter Timbs Meats, St Albans, Christchurch

Cabernet Foods Ltd 100% Dry Cured Middle Bacon of the Year Gold - Corey Winder of Ashby's Butchery, Wigram, Christchurch Silver - Lucia Rodriguez of Grey Lynn Butchers, Grey Lynn, Auckland Bronze - Brian Jennings of Redcliffs Butchery, Redcliffs, Christchurch

ENDS

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