World’s best steak named as a ‘melt in the mouth’ piece of Japanese Wagyu beef at prestigious awards

Talk about a high-stakes competition.

The winners of 2022 World Steak Challenge has been unveiled at a ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House following a full day of technical judging at the city’s nearby Fire Steakhouse and Bar.

A ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ Japanese Wagyu steak was named the overall winner and also won World’s Best Tenderloin and World’s Best Grain-fed.

The winning steak, which is a first-time entry from Japan, is A4 grade, which means high-quality beef in Japan. Produced by Starzen Co, a company that exports Japanese steaks around the world, the ‘Akune Gold’ steak is carefully farmed, ‘resulting in the highest quality Wagyu steak,’ according to a statement.

The cow was a 30-month-old that was raised ‘with a warm climate and abundant water’ in the Kagoshima region of the island of Kyushu.

The World’s Best Rib-Eye gong, meanwhile, went to a Wagyu steak by Australian beef producer Jack’s Creek made from a 32-month-old purebred cow that had been fed grain.

The judges praised the piece of meat as ‘tender, juicy and full of buttery flavour’. Jack’s Creek has form when it comes to racking up awards – last year it took home the awards for Best Filet, Best Ribs and Best Grain-fed.

Elsewhere in the awards, the winning fillet steak was revealed as a steak produced by Italian company MFC Carni, ‘renowned for its intense flavour, sweet aroma and unique tenderness’. The steak was produced from a grain-fed cow from Poland and obtained from a cross between Polish Holstein and Black Angus cows.

The award for the best grass-fed steak in the world went to a steak from a thoroughbred Dexter – an Irish breed of cattle – from Linden Foods in Northern Ireland. Sold in Marks & Spencer, this 30-day aged rib eye steak was described by judges as being ‘very tender and rich’.

Now in its eighth year, this year’s competition received more entries than ever before from steak producers and suppliers worldwide.

Overall, Ireland took the most medals with a total of 54, followed by England with 36 awards and Finland with 28 awards.

The awards were judged blindly by a panel of over 60 independent experts, including Richie Wilson, TV chef and head chef of Fire Steakhouse, and Ioannis Grammenos, head chef and ‘meat expert’ of Heliot Steak House in London.

This year’s awards took place in collaboration with the official host partner, Bord Bia, which is an Irish government agency that promotes the country’s food; the equipment partner, Synergy Grill Technology; and the judging partner, Fire Steakhouse.

Commenting on the awards, Ed Bennington of World Steak Challenge said: ‘We are delighted to have a new winner for this year’s World Steak Challenge. It is very exciting to have our first Japanese entry and thus the winner of the world’s best steak. The large number of entries from around the globe really shows the quality of steak on an international level.’

Mark Zieg, beef sector manager at Bord Bia, said: ‘We are proud to welcome all producers from around the world here to Ireland, where grass-fed and sustainable farming. [are] the core of our beef industry.

“We export 90 percent of our beef to over 50 markets around the world, even as far as Japan and the USA, so it’s very important to get our origin known and be recognized for quality and taste. In an environment like the World Steak Challenge with top producers, chefs and judges, we feel it is the ideal opportunity to share our values ​​in producing top quality beef.’

Richie Wilson, Culinary Director of Fire Steakhouse, added: “It was a privilege to welcome the World Steak Challenge to Ireland and to have Fire Steakhouse and Bar as the venue of choice for the 2022 judging process. To have the world’s best beef prepared and served by our excellent team to a panel of industry experts was an absolute honor – a huge congratulations to all the 2022 winners!’