New Zealand Bacon and Ham Awards: Waikato butcheries scoop up gold and bronze medals

Pokeno Bacon took home two medals for their honey-cured, manuka-smoked ham. Photo / Retail Meat New Zealand

Waikato butcheries are a pig deal after Pokeno Bacon and Coromandel’s The Chopping Block have scooped medals at this year’s 100% New Zealand Bacon and Ham Awards.

Pokeno Bacon received a gold medal for their honey-cured manuka smoked bone-in ham and a bronze medal for their dry-cured bacon, while The Chopping Block took home a bronze medal for their Coromandel streaky bacon.

The awards were open to all retailers who produce bacon and ham from New Zealand-born and raised pork and received 151 entries across nine categories, from 42 retailers.

Hawke’s Bay butchery Wild Game blew away the judges taking out both 2023 Supreme Awards for their Old School Bacon and their Old School Pressed Ham.

The judges said the Old School Pressed Ham was a less traditional contestant.

“It was quite unique but refreshing to see a pressed shoulder ham win a national award.”

The 100% New Zealand Bacon and Ham Awards 2023 awards received over 150 entries. Photo / Retail Meat New Zealand

Judge and food writer, Ginny Grant added: “The winning ham was a beautiful piece of meat – it looked and tasted amazing with a lovely texture.”

About Wild Game’s Old School Bacon, Grant says: “It was a great piece of bacon with a lovely balance of flavour. Smoke didn’t dominate and most importantly it tasted of pork.”

Overall, Grant says the awards received a high standard of entries this year.

“The judging panel were looking for great flavour, good salt levels, subtle smokiness and a nice even distribution of fat. It’s important to get those attributes right to allow the flavour of the pork to shine through,” she said.

The annual awards are run by Retail Meat New Zealand which also runs the Great New Zealand Sausage Competition, as well as the Young Butcher and Butcher Apprentice of the Year awards.