NEW ZEALAND’S TOP BACON AND HAM ANNOUNCED
Supreme ham winner Sam from Sam’s Butchery and Supreme bacon winner Rob Cameron from Cameron Harris Butchery
New Zealand’s top bacon and ham producers have been announced at an awards ceremony tonight, with two butcheries taking out the top spot for their outstanding bacon and ham products. Supreme Winner in the bacon category was Cameron Harrison Butchery in Upper Hutt with their Honey Cured Streaky Bacon. The Supreme Award in the ham category went to Sam’s Butchery in Silverdale for their Mini Champagne Ham.
Judging took place over three days, with a team of butchers and culinary experts inspecting and sampling our country’s finest bacon and ham products, all produced from 100% New Zealand born and raised New Zealand pork. Category champion, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded in each of the seven bacon categories and the three ham categories. A category champion award is given to the top scoring product from each category. Immediately following category judging, all category champion winners were re-judged against each other to then find New Zealand’s supreme bacon and ham.
Chef judge, Jess Granada who is chef and owner of Nanam in Takapuna says she was looking for a balance of flavour in both the ham and bacon products.
“Overall, it was a very high standard of entries, and you could tell a lot of love had gone into making all the products,” says Granada. “I was looking for that harmony of flavour where I could taste the pork itself with a balance of sweet, salty and slight acidity – and this is what stood out for the winning products on the Supreme judging day.”
Todd Treadwell from Well Hung Butchery in Milford has been judging the competition for several years and has seen the standard of entries improving each year.
“Retailers are taking pride in what they are making which is great news for the public,” says Treadwell. “The winning products had the best flavour with excellent moisture content which left you wanting more.”
Additionally, the New Zealand public were asked to judge their favourite bacon and ham retailer in the lead up to the final announcement via an online judging portal. With over 7,500 votes cast nationwide, The Aussie Butcher New Lynn in Auckland took out the People’s Choice winner for his tasty bacon and ham products.
When it comes to cooking and serving bacon and ham, Chef Jess Granada’s top tip for cooking the perfect bacon is to use a cast iron pan, ensuring it’s at the right temperature before you start cooking. As for ham, Todd Treadwell says there is nothing better than freshly sliced ham off the bone. Whichever way you choose to serve your bacon and ham, you can check out where all the medal winners are located here.