A TENTERFIELD butchery has eaten up the competition in this year’s Sausage King contest, taking out five first places.
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During judging today at Tamworth’s TAFE campus, Premier Meats’ traditional Australian beef, poultry, continental and gourmet sausages, along with its gourmet burger, came out on top.
Owner Tim Rose, who has been in the industry for 32 years, said he was “very happy” with the news.
”We just keep experimenting with new varieties all the time and this is the only way you know they’re any good: customer feedback and these competitions,” he said.
“That keeps us fresh.”
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Penrose Meats of Tamworth placed first with its traditional Australian pork sausages and beef burger.
The Meating Place of Armidale topped the Australian lamb sausages section, and Lennon’s Butchery of Inverell took out second spots with five of its products.
The competition invites independent butchers to enter their best sausage and burger creations.
Sixteen regions in NSW will compete this year, and the first place winners in every region in every category will go on to the state finals in September.
The uncooked sausages and burgers are scrutinised on internal and external appearance, texture, bloom, shape and consistency.
After cooking, they’re judged again on appearance, distribution of texture and ingredients, and – of course – how they taste.
Six categories of sausages were judged: traditional Australian beef; traditional Australian pork; poultry; Australian lamb; continental and gourmet.
Two categories of burgers – best beef burger and best gourmet burger – are also up for judging.
Meating the challenges
Mr Rose said that he loved the industry despite the challenges – in fact, he loved it partly because of them.
“We try to find different things to do with meat, and I love meeting customers, meeting people,” he said.
“It’s always a challenge [competing with] supermarkets and alternative foods.
“When it ceases to be a challenge, it’s time to get away from it.”
He said his customers could pat themselves on the back for the wins, too.
“Our customers like to try the new ones; they tell us whether they’re right or not,” he said.
“We’ve had feedback on these … We don’t enter anything in cold.”