Irish grass fed sirloin wins World’s Best Steak award
It is official - Irish grass fed sirloin is the best steak in the world.
Ireland won a record-breaking 68 medals at the prestigious awards at the World Steak Challenge in London and was named the top-performing country and also won the overall prize.
The award for the World’s Best Steak went to Dawn Meats and Lidl for a grass fed Angus sirloin.
According to organisers, the awards for Ireland showcase the quality of Ireland’s grass-fed beef from heritage breeds.
The award winning steak is sold by Lidl in Ireland and comes from cattle bred in County Waterford.
Award judges said: “The tenderness is similar to the tenderloin but it also carries a wonderful taste similar to a ribeye.”
They added that it “offers the best in terms of texture and flavour”.
Along with winning the World’s Best Steak, Dawn Meats secured 11 gold medals for Ireland at the competition.
Neil Lanigan, commercial manager with Dawn Meats said: “Dawn Meats is thrilled to have won World's Best Steak at the World Steak Competition.
“We are so passionate about our beef so to win the award for Europe's Best Steak and then to go on to win the World's Best Steak is unbelievable.
"This award goes out to our farmers and producers. It's a massive effort and this award is a huge win for everyone in Irish beef.”
Meanwhile Robert Ryan, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland Chief Executive Officer said: “Together, with our valued Irish supplier, Dawn Meats, we’re immensely proud our own-brand Irish grass-fed steak has been recognised as World’s Best Steak at the World Steak Challenge.
“At Lidl, providing the highest quality products at the best value on the market has always been our promise to our customers and this recognition underscores our strong commitment to providing world-class Irish produce at the best value on the market to shoppers across the country.”
Steak
Mark Zieg, Bord Bia’s Beef Sector manager, believes it is a "fantastic win for Ireland" to come out ahead of all the competitors in the World Steak Challenge.
“Ireland’s performance at the World Steak Challenge is testament to the dedication and quality of our farmers and processors.
"Grass-fed beef from Ireland, produced under the Origin Green programme, continues to set the global standard for quality and sustainable production.
"These awards validate and reinforce Ireland’s position as a world leader in beef production," he added.
The awards ceremony took place in London at the Smith & Wollensky restaurant, where ABP Foodgroup Ireland, Ashbourne Meats, Dawn Meats, Liffey Meats and Redmond Farm were among the finalists across the fillet, ribeye and sirloin grass fed steak categories.
Gold medals
Irish grass fed rib eye proved the most popular steak securing 12 gold medals at the competition, followed by sirloin which won eight and fillet which took home four.
The World Steak Challenge is now in its eleventh year.
This year’s judging panel, comprised over 60 international experts, who assessed entries on both raw and cooked criteria.
According to the organisers the World Steak Challenge, launched in 2015, is a recognised "stamp of quality to support world-class steak production on a global platform".
