Auckland butchery Mapari Meats' Birria Taco-flavoured sausage was crowned the winner for its "intensely savoury, beautiful Mexican-inspired flavours, with a little chilli, clove and cinnamon".
"What really impressed us was how beautifully all those flavours melded together. You weren't tasting the chilli, the clove or the cinnamon individually – you were tasting one great sausage. That balance is what made it stand out," said judge Hannah Miller Childs, owner of A Lady Butcher.
Co-owners of Mapari Meats, Richard Healey and Geoff Calder, said they were stoked with the win.
"To finally get the win is a huge credit to all our staff. It was a real team effort, and they deserve a lot of the credit for this one. It’s been five years in the making, so it’s a great achievement," Healey said.
Calder added: "A lot of love and care went into this particular sausage, including an eight-hour broth, so to get this result after all that effort is just amazing."
Judging panels made up of butchers, chefs and food writers spent six days working through the record-breaking 869 entries submitted this year from 126 sausage makers nationwide, with 13 different sausage categories in the competition.
Judge Brian Everton from Cabernet Foods said the standard of entries seemed to go up another level every year.
"You can see the care and pride producers are putting into their sausages, and that really comes through in the texture and all the technical aspects of making a great sausage. At this final stage of judging, it ultimately comes down to the combination of flavours and innovation – those are the things that can lift one sausage above another.
"The winning sausage really nailed those qualities, setting itself apart in a field of exceptionally strong contenders," he said. says Everton.
The public were also invited to taste and vote for their favourite, with Well Hung Butchery in Auckland's Milford taking out the People's Choice Award for its chicken, brie and cranberry sausage.
Well Hung Butchery owner Todd Treadwell said he "couldn't believe it".
"It’s been our second-best-selling sausage for more than a year, so to win the People’s Choice Award is fantastic. The public are great critics, which makes this award particularly special. The whole team is really excited and we’re already thinking about new ideas for next year’s competition."
Category Champions, Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners were also announced across all 13 sausage categories resulting in a nationwide guide to where sausage lovers can find New Zealand’s top snags.
SHARE ME