A Castlemaine family-run butchery business has brought home the metaphorical bacon, with their kabana taking out first prize coup in a new national award.
The local Pyrenees Premium Cuts Butchers owned and operated by Hayley and James Collicoat has clinched the first place accolade in the Australian Meat Industry Council’s new small goods Charcuterie Excellence Awards announced in Melbourne last week.
Their chicken cheese and jalapeno kabana significantly impressed the judges when it was tasted against many other worthy contenders from around the nation, including some much bigger industry competitors.
It’s a major coup for the local regional butchery business that also has shops in Maryborough, Ararat and Avoca.
“For us as a small regional business to take home this award against these bigger competitors just says – ‘you guys have got gold’,” Hayley says.
“It is our most time-consuming product that we make and it’s been really popular.
“It’s already a cooked product but it can be cooked again to get a melting effect.”
Hayley says the addition of the jalapeno pepper is not sufficient to blow away heat-a-phobics, merely adding a dash of subtle kick to the winning kabana that was judged on factors including texture, taste, smell, consistency and overall appearance.
“We make it all by hand and cook it ourselves,” Hayley says.
The kabana win isn’t the only reason the Collicoats are wearing winners’ grins either.
They also took home gold for their boneless ham, smoked chilli cheese kransky and smoked cheese kransky.