Albany’s Futari Wagyu crowned overall champion beef at the Perth Royal Branded Meats and Smallgoods Awards

The Perth Royal Branded Meats and Smallgoods Awards received a record-breaking 259 entries from 37 exhibitors at this year’s event with participants from across WA entering their produce as well as contestants from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. Categories ranged from beef to bacon and biltong with the Perth Royal Food Awards (PRFA) cementing their event as a premier platform for showcasing exceptional quality and diversity of the nation’s produce. The Branded Meats judging panel of six was led by Stuart Laws, owner of Brown Street Grill and Channel 9’s A State on a Plate presenter. Entries were assessed on criteria such as visual appeal (raw), tenderness, juiciness, flavour, and overall satisfaction. Winning this year’s Branded Meats Champion Export Beef, Champion Single Origin Beef and overall Champion WA Beef was Futari Wagyu, based on the South Coast near Albany New South Wales branded beef Stockyard Beef, which is farmed on the Northern Tablelands was awarded Champion Grain-Fed Beef for their Stockyard Gold produce, and Champion Wagyu for their Stockyard Silver produce. They also won a Gold Medal for their Stockyard Black produce. Overall Champion WA Pork was awarded to Black Label Berkshire which is run by industry figurehead Linton Batt in Corrigin. Black Label Berkshire was awarded Champion Open Pork and Champion Heritage Breed. Bunbury-based Amelia Park, was crowned Champion Export Lamb and Champion WA Lamb, as well as being awarded a Gold Medal in the Export Beef Category. A total of 4 Champion Trophies, 5 Gold Medals, 12 Silver Medals, and 9 Bronze Medals were awarded. No Champion Trophy was awarded for Grass Fed Beef which was a testament to the stringent judging standards. The Smallgoods entries were evaluated by a panel of nine judges, assessing criteria such as flavor, colour, craftsmanship, texture, and firmness. The Champions represented a proud mix of first to third generation WA butchers, each bringing a rich cultural heritage to their craft. Malaga based business McLoughlin Butchers was awarded three trophies including Champion Ham for their Shoulder Ham, Champion Cooked Product for their Slow Cooked Gammon Ham, and Champion Continental Smallgoods Product for their Irish Black Pudding. They were also awarded a Gold Medal for their Irish White Pudding. Bibra Lake based small goods producer The British Sausage Company earned the coveted Champion Bacon Trophy for their British Smoked Back Bacon. Eurostyle Smallgoods, also based in Bibra Lake and founded by Croatian butcher Steve Hlevnjak in the early 1980s, was awarded the Champion Specialty Dried/Cured Smallgoods Product for their Dry Speck, a pork belly dry cured using rock salt, garlic and pepper. They were also awarded a Gold Medal for their Cajna Salami and Cheese Kranski. First-time entrants, WA owned, The Jerky Co claimed the Champion Jerky/Biltong Strips Trophy for their Great Southern Outback Spiced Jerky. Their South African recipes won an impressive six Gold Medals, including Exotic Truffle Jerky, Chilli Jerky, BBQ Biltong, Smokey Biltong and Exotic Truffle Fatty Biltong. Other notable achievements included Pink Lake Butchers in Esperance who won Gold Medals for their Pink Lake Butchers Coppa, Pink Lake Butchers Biltong and Pink Lake Butchers Chilli Biltong, being awarded nine Medals overall. Mondo Butchers & Smallgoods took home Gold Medals for their Mondo Coppa Mild, Mondo Coppa Mild Sliced and Mild Cacciatora. Barbaro Butchers was awarded Gold Medals for their Country Bake Leg Ham, Casalingo Salami and Roast Pork. Re and Sons was awarded Gold Medals for their Prosciutto, Toscano Salami and Felino Salami Mild. Mondo Doro won a Gold Medal for their Middle Speck Bacon. Coastal Meats in Yanchep took home a Gold Medal for their Coastals Signature Bacon. Futari Wagyu won Gold for their Futari Manzo Marmorizzato Bresaola, an aged, air-dried salted beef. Nick’s Jerky took home a Gold Medal for their Chilli Jerky. P.Princi Butchers Fremantle won a Gold Medal for their Fennel Salami. Woolworths Food Company was awarded Gold for their Woolworths Boneless Crackling Leg Ham. Head Judge Frank Vizzari, Founder of Princi Smallgoods, said the judges were seriously impressed by the quality of the entries. “Our job judging was incredibly difficult, with such a credit to everyone,” Mr Vizzari said. “You don’t wake up one morning and say, ‘I’m going to make smallgoods’. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and a lifetime of experience. “I would like to congratulate all of the contestants.” Overall, 7 Champion Trophies, 33 Gold Medals, 85 Silver Medals, and 62 Bronze Medals were handed out, demonstrating the incredibly high standard of entries.