Breeza-based Australian Wagyu producer, Jack's Creek, has won two overall categories at the World's Best Steak competition, with 12 awards from 12 entries, including six gold medals.
The London-based challenge, in its fifth year, had a record 300 entries from 25 countries with awards presented in Dublin. Meat science decided round one champions and a diverse consumer panel chose the overall medal winners.
In total Australian entries were awarded 14 gold medals, 12 silver and four bronze. Australia Agricultural Company's Wylarah Wagyu brand claimed a top going as did Darling Downs cattle business Mort & Co coming home with two gold, three silver and two bronze with their branded Grandchester Black Angus,grainfed between 150 - 200 days and finished on Mort & Co ration at Pinegrove, near Millmerran.
Steers were hand selected for the Mort & Co Grandchester Black Angus program on a quarterly basis, from trusted producers from the New England.
Jack's Creek producers were particularly recognised with third generation Breeza farmer and Jack's Creek managing director Patrick Warmoll paying tribute to the family company's suppliers and partners, including John and Helen Martin, Dollarvale, Junee, who bred and fed the steers which supplied the overall winning sirloin and eye-fillet grain fed steaks.
Those steers using Takeda Farm genetics were pure bred Wagyu and fed for 450 day at their Dollarvalle feedlot on a high-energy grain-based diet. The winning steaks, presented a marble score 9, were wet-aged for 60 days.
"Normally Jack's Creek submits company bred animals but this year it was about showcasing our suppliers from Rockhampton to Tasmania," said Mr Warmoll.
The company won two gold and one silver for pure-bred Wagyu bred and raised by Bill Geddes, Rockhampton, and finished over 500 days at Maiden Feedlot, Darling downs, presenting with a marble score of 9.
The company's winning pure-bred black Angus, on 150 days of grain came from steers procured through the Elders networks and fed at Killara Feedlot, Quirindi, with two silver and one bronze for that entry.
An F1 Wagyu entry earned two gold and one silver, with the steers supplied through Matt and Alice Edwards, Oakey and fed at Lillyvale, Condomine for 400 days.
Killing took place at Casino, through Northern Co-operative Meat Company which processes the majority of Jacks Creek's cattle - 1350 heavy grain fed cattle per week, 250 of them Wagyu and the balance black Angus - to tailored specifications including packaging and handling.
"NCMC has EU accreditation and really good market access world wide," said Mr Warmoll. "They are accommodating and flexible."
The Warmoll family business, founded by Patrick's father Phillip and uncle David, started down the Wagyu path in 1991 with Tajima semen purchased through Wally Rae, Marlborough, Qld and put over Angus at their Willow Tree property.
From 2000 the family started marketing Jack's Creek branded boxed beef and now ship grain fed Wagyu and grain fed Angus to 20 destinations around the world, including Japan, Saudi Arabia, China and Germany.
"This is as much a win for Australia as it is for us," said Mr Warmoll.
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- This story first appeared on The Land