World’s Best steak 2023 came from Australia’s Jack’s Creek Wagyu

AUSTRALIAN beef’s extraordinary run of success in the annual World Steak Challenge held in the Netherlands overnight has continued, with the title of World’s Best Steak falling to an F1 Wagyu x Angus entry from Tamworth-based supply chain Jack’s Creek.

The winning Jack’s Creek sirloin entry defeated samples from beef supply chains across North and South America, Japan, continental Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand.

It was the third overall win for Australia over the nine years the competition has been held. Jack’s Creek previous took the top awards in both 2015 and 2016.

The Jack’s Creek winning entry also earned divisional awards for World’s Best Sirloin and World’s Best Grain Fed Steak, as well as the Oceania region’s Best Steak.

Last year Jack’s Creek produced the world’s best rib eye category winner, as well as Best Fillet, Best Ribeye and best Grainfed in 2021.

The winning entry originated from an F2-F3 steer bred by Hughes Pastoral Co at Tumbar Station, near Jericho, Queensland, and backgrounded at a Jack’s Creek property near Breeza, NSW, for 150 days. The steert was fed Lemontree Feedlot owned by McNamee Family near Millmerran, Queensland, for 407 days before processing at NCMC in Casino.

A total of 346 medals were awarded this year, including a record 134 gold, with 120 steaks earning silver medals and 92 bronze. Australia took home the most gold, with 18 steaks from the country awarded the accolade, with Ireland having the greatest overall medal haul with 67 steaks awarded a gold, silver or bronze.

The World Steak Challenge has become a popular benchmark for branded beef competitions around the world. A large independent judging panel of 50 meat and food service industry identities assess entries on flavour, juiciness, tenderness and overall liking. Last night was the ninth year of the competition.

Jack’s Creek’s overall title winner came from a marbling score 9+ F1 Wagyu carcase fed 450 days.

Principals David and Patrick Warmoll started crossing high-marbling Tajima Wagyu bulls over an Angus herd in 1991 on their properties near Breeza and Willow Tree in NSW. They have since developed a successful vertically-integrated crossbred Wagyu beef business, breeding, growing, grainfeeding, processing and marketing Wagyu beef around the world.

The company ships to more than 20 destinations worldwide including China, Indonesia, Russia, Japan, Germany, Canada, Thailand, UK, South Korea, Hong Kong, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, UAE, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Vietnam, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Qatar.

Jack’s Creek produces a range of F1-F4 Wagyu cattle, carrying strong Tajima genetic influence. It gets its service kill done at the Northern Cooperative Meat Co plant at Casino in northern NSW, which provides service kills for some of Australia’s best known Wagyu supply chains.

Other Australian Gold Medalists this year included:

• Providore Global (grainfed fillet)
• Thomas Foods International (grainfed ribeye)
• Hancock Agriculture (Grainfed sirloin)
• Carnimex (grainfed ribeye)
• Stone Axe Pastoral (Wagyu grainfed)

In other 2023 World Steak Challenge results last night:

The World’s Best Wagyu and Asia’s Best Steak went to Japan’s Itoham Yonekyu Holdings for an A5 Wagyu sirloin, while the World’s Best Rib-Eye was awarded to New Zealand’s Alliance Group for its 55-day aged ribeye, with the company also taking the title of World’s Best Grassfed Steak.

The World’s Best Fillet Steak and Europe’s Best Steak was a 28-day aged Norland heifer fillet from an animal carrying German Rotbunte and Charolais x Limousin genetics from Danish Crown.

South America’s Best Steak was a rib-eye from Azul Natural Beef from Argentina with Creekstone Farms’ Ribeye wet-aged rib-eye steak from a Black Angus breed being named North America’s Best Steak.

The winners were crowned at a dinner held at Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, following a two-day judging process held in September at Vlees & Co steakhouse in Amsterdam.

“This year’s competition saw the highest standard of entries yet, with a record number of gold entries, but one particular steak stood out from the pack. Congratulations to Jack’s Creek for its outstanding steak and to all the winners in the other categories,” says Restaurant Magazine editor and World Steak Challenge judge Stefan Chomka.

“The global nature of this competition and the high quality of entrants demonstrates a true desire across the world to produce top-quality cuts of steak that are testament to the hard work that goes into beef production.”

Judges at this year’s challenge included Richie Wilson, culinary director of FIRE Steakhouse & Bar, Ioannis Grammenos, executive chef and Meatologist of Heliot Steak House in London, Paul Foster, chef-patron of Michelin starred Salt in Stratford and GrassFed in Camden, Abdulrahman Alswailem, chef owner of Marble in Riyadh, currently ranked number 23 in MENA’s Best Restaurants, and Katie Doherty, CEO at the International Meat Trade Association.

Major awards:

• World’s Best Steak, Oceanian’s Best Steak & Best Sirloin – Jack’s Creek Australian Cross Breed Wagyu Sirloin
• Asia’s Best Steak & World’s Best Wagyu Steak – Wagyu A5+ Japanese Sirloin – Itoham Yonekyu Holdings
• Europe’s Best Steak & World’s Best Fillet Steak – Norland Heifer German Fillet – Danish Crown
• North America’s Best Steak – Creekstone Farms Ribeye Wet Aged Steak from the USA
• South America Best Steak – Argentina Signature Ribeye Steak – Azul Natural Beef
• World’s Best Ribeye Steak – 55-day aged Ribeye from New Zealand – Alliance Group

• Click here to listen to the Jack’s Creek story, with managing director Patrick Warmoll speaking to Kerry Lonergan on Beef Central’s Weekly Grill podcast.