DUBLIN will host this year's World Steak Challenge on September 27 and 28, with hundreds of entries from 20 different countries.
Now in its eighth year, the competition showcases top steak producers and suppliers from around the world, competing in the three categories of fillet, rib eye and sirloin.
Coming top for the last three years has been a Finnish Ayrshire sirloin from JN Meat International – from animals fed up to 500 grams of chocolate daily, the steak was praised by judges for its sweet and tender taste.
This year’s Challenge is taking place in conjunction with official host partner, Bord Bia, equipment partner, Synergy Grill Technology, and judging partner, FIRE Steakhouse. The awards will be announced at the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin, following Ireland’s success of winning a record-breaking 46 golds at last year’s event. All those gold-medal winning cuts were grass-fed with the most popular, the sirloin scoring 19 medals.
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The competition is judged blind by a panel of over 60 independent experts, including Keith Fisher, a fourth generation butcher and Chief Executive of the Institute of Meat; Richie Wilson, TV chef and executive chef of FIRE Steakhouse; and Ioannis Grammenos, executive chef and meatologist of Heliot Steak House in London.
Each steak will be judged on its own merits against internationally agreed criteria, and technical testing covering raw and cooked. The steaks that achieve the highest gold medal scores in the technical element then enter the second stage of judging. The steak with the highest total score is awarded the title of World’s Best Steak.
World Steak Challenge head of events, Ellie Knight, said: “We are excited to be back in Dublin for the third time to host the World Steak Challenge. Last year was a record-breaker but with more entries than ever already this year we are expecting big things. With over 20 countries involved, it truly is a global event to highlight the quality of steak on an international scale.”
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