Last Friday in Wellington I was one of the judges for the 2016 100% New Zealand Pork, Bacon & Ham Competitions. My category was middle bacon. The bacon is first judged raw, then it is pan-fried at a set temperature for a set time and judged again hot from the pan. Yum Yum. You try not to hoe in at the start in order to be able to go the distance and judge all categories fairly, but superior products always stand out, and when you find yourself having another nibble of a bacon rasher, ‘just to be sure’, you know you have a very good bacon on the plate.
Judging underway and middle bacon getting the thumbs up
If you were choosing on looks alone, which one of these would you choose?
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- Bacon rashers, dry, not too much fat, looking good
Glistening, but not wet, evenly sliced, evenly coloured, creamy fat in proportion to the meat … could this be a winning bacon?
Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners, and the Supreme Winners, of the best 100% New Zealand Pig Care Accredited pork, bacon and ham will be announced July 26th. Then we’ll all know what to slip in a sandwich or to fry up for our weekend BLT’s. Meanwhile, look for the 100% New Zealand Pork and Pig Care Accredited stickers on any pork you buy to be assured you are buying the best this county has to offer (imported product does not have to be regulated).
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