Australian Meat Industry Council

National Sausage King Competition 2006 - The Kings are crowned

Twenty-five State Sausage Kings from all around Australia attended the Australian Meat Industry Council’s (AMIC) 8th annual National Sausage King Competition at this year’s Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock, near Melbourne, on Sunday 26 February.

On the Saturday prior a huge storm went through Melbourne and the anxious organisers from AMIC made repeated telephone calls to the Hanging Rock site to ensure that the Harvest Picnic would still go ahead. However, on Sunday the sun came out to shine and the Kings and their families could enjoy the setting of the food and wine festival.

With Victorian AMIC Retail Chairman Brendon Watts as the Master of Ceremonies, the morning got underway. Ballarat Meat Company’s Mike Beaumont sizzled up some of his quality sausages for the crowd beginning to form. These were the first of an estimated 80 kilos of sausages to be cooked.

With Eddie Kowalski in charge of the barbeque, Chief Judge Allan Rowan from Lesnie’s started the competition about 10.30 with the Traditional Australian Category. Each category’s sausages are judged on their visual appearance, aroma, flavour, taste and texture.

Alan Rowan, Chief Judge said, “Judging in the National Sausage King Competition is a not an easy task because we are seeing the quality and variety of sausages improve each year as competitors focus on creating products that are worthy of competition at the very highest level”.

The day continued with the 100% Pork, Continental, then the Gourmet/Open Class Categories. In between each section Independent Local Butchers Tony Millar and Mark Kemp gave crowd demonstrations including leg boning and sausage linking demonstrations.

The smell of sizzling sausages enticed festival goers, at times three to four people deep. Victorian State Sausage Kings and local Hanging Rock area Independent Local Butchers chatted about their sausages as they barbequed them for the hungry crowds.

An hour after judging had been completed on each category, the spectators and fellow competitors were allowed to sample the competition sausages - when it was safe to reveal which sausage was which.

That evening the results were announced at the Devro National Sausage Kings Presentation Dinner held at the Rydges at Carlton to 120 enthusiastic participants, their families and sponsors.

Every State had successes and Kerry Melrose, AMIC’s National Retail Council Chairman was delighted; “It is great that all State winners have been able to attend this important industry event but it is particularly pleasing that winning trophies are going back to every State”.

Key sponsors presented the top three Independent Local Butchers in each category with their certificates and prizes, to whom Mr Melrose also expressed thanks for their support of the event. Key sponsors were Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Pork Limited, Lesnie’s Pty Ltd, AMIST, Devro Pty Ltd and Carona Manufacturing.

Mr Melrose wound up the evening offering his congratulations to all of the State competitors; “You are already winners in your own States and coming together in the national competition is itself, recognition of your achievements”.

Category	Traditional Australian	100% Pork	Continental	Gourmet/Open Class
1st	John Rixon, Rixon’s, Parkdale VICTORIA	John & Suzie Clarke,John & Suzie’s Bayview Butchery, Cairns QUEENSLAND	Teresa Ciechanowicz, Standom Smallgoods, Hendon SOUTH AUSTRALIA	Rob & Rhonda Ashton, Ashton Butchery, Pittsworth QUEENSLAND


2nd	Ziggy Jakubowski,Supreme Smallgoods, Moonah TASMANIA (Marcus Vermey accepting on behalf)	Rob Boyle, Rob’s British Butchers, Dandenong VICTORIA	Raff Barbaro, Barbaro Brothers, Greenwood WEST AUSTRALIA	Cameron Fenson, Meatways Butchery, Canberra ACT


3rd	Matthew O’Grady, O’Grady’s Gourmet Butchers, Normanville SOUTH AUSTRALIA	Wayne Barry, Barry Bros Butchery, Bulahdelah NEW SOUTH WALES	Marcus Vermey, Vermeys Quality Meats, Sandy Bay TASMANIA	David Dargaville, Flora Hill Quality Meats, Bendigo VICTORIA