THE best in the butchering business converged on Tamworth over the weekend to sizzle their way through heated competition in the hope of snagging the Sausage King title.
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The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) hosted the state final of its Sausage King and Best Butchers Burger competitions at Bicentennial Park on Saturday.
The final brought together the regional competition winners of the heats that took place from May to August at nine of the NSW TAFE colleges.
Sixty-three regional winners competed for the coveted state crowns, as onlookers devoured delicious sausages and burger sandwiches made with the competition snags.
AMIC member services officer Craig Wright, who co-ordinated the judging on Saturday, said 18 regions were represented in the growing competition, which aims to reinforce a butcher’s place in a town.
“Every year gets better and better,” Mr Wright said.
“If you want a good quality sausage, go to your local independent butcher.”
So what makes a good sausage?
“We look for quality ingredients, that it’s filled out properly with no air bubbles and that it comes out cooked looking how it should, not split open,” Mr Wright said.
State winners across each of the six sections will now battle it out at the national finals for the coveted national title in Melbourne next February.
Among the local butchers competing were Tamworth’s Penrose Meats and Gunnedah’s Namoi River Meats.
The competition is staged annually by AMIC, which is the peak council representing retailers, processors, exporters and small goods manufacturers in the post-farm-gate meat industry.
RESULTS:
- Traditional Australian Beef: 1st Hasties Top Taste Meats, Wollongong
- Traditional Australian Pork: 1st Southlands Quality Meats, Mawson
- Poultry: 1st Southlands Quality Meats, Mawson
- Australian Lamb: Tender Gourmet Butchery, Hornsby
- Continental: 1st Dunn’s Butchers, New Lambton
- Gourmet: 1st South Nowra Meats, South Nowra
- Best Butchers Beef Burger: 1st Joe Papandrea Quality Meats, Wetherill Park
- Barbecue Gourmet Burger: 1st North Epping Uppercuts Butchery, North Epping