A case of the little guy who could? A family-owned butcher in regional Australia has claimed a world title.
A 40-strong judging team at the World Charcuterie Awards in London last week tasted more than 400 meat products from 17 countries and in the cured bacon category, awarded the top prize to a Queensland butcher.
The cured bacon from Meat Cellar in Toowoomba was acclaimed by the judges. They said: “Visually stunning with a satisfying meat to fat ratio. The flavour is robust enhanced by the smoke and lingers on in the mouth.”
Meat Cellar co-owner Luke Jensen, a butcher for more than two decades, said the bacon was flavoured with salt and honey to give it the perfect balance.
“If you get just that balance right, you’re not going, ‘Hey, that just tasted like salt’, but you’re actually getting the smoke flavour, the flavour of the pork,” he said.
The cost of the award-winning bacon? It’s $24.99 a kilo and takes up to a week of preparation using only the freshest of ingredients.
Awards were presented for different charcuterie classes including air-dried hams, cooked hams, salamis, bacon, sausages, game and poultry. See all the results here.
What do you think makes great bacon?
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