An Aussie Steak Has Been Crowned World’s Best by an International Ranking

Australia cleaned up in this year’s ranking of the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants – no surprise when you consider the incredible talent in our kitchens.

But let’s not forget the incredible produce our chefs get to work with. Australian beef is up there with the world’s best and, on Thursday, a Queensland producer was awarded the highest honour by the World Steak Challenge, an international ranking by UK publisher William Reed.

According to a panel of 60 industry experts, the world’s best steak is a fillet of Senku Pure Wagyu by Queensland’s Paradigm Foods. The same entry also took home the award for Oceania’s Best Steak and World’s Best Grain-Fed Fillet. The results were unveiled at the ceremony at Hotel Arena in Amsterdam.

“It’s been something we’ve wanted to enter for some time. We were lucky enough to take the top medal for the first time around,” Paradigm Foods general manager Nick Thompson told Broadsheet. “It was a massive shock.” 

While Ireland took home the most gold medals with 29, Australia followed closely with 27. The award for World’s Best Wagyu went to Tamworth producer Jack’s Creek – a previous winner of the World’s Best Steak category. 

Paradigm’s winning cut was bred by husband-and-wife graziers Adam and Hayley Rea in Torrens Creek and fed on grain at Smithfield Cattle Co’s Sapphire Feedlot in Goondiwindi. It went up against more than 470 other entries from 30 countries and was judged in a blind tasting – both raw and cooked – across fillet, rib-eye, and sirloin categories.

Senku has also recently swept the local awards circuit, winning a gold medal in the purebred Wagyu category at this year’s Australian Wagyu Association Branded Beef Competition, and another in the Open Beef category at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. 

As for where you can try Senku Wagyu in Australia, Thompson says Fatcow on James St has been a strong supporter in Brisbane, but the breed currently lacks a presence outside Queensland. That’s all about to change, as Paradigm plans to roll Senku out across menus in Melbourne and Sydney.

“There are so many awards out there,” says Thompson. “In saying that, the excitement we’ve had from customers in the last few days, I haven’t seen before. This takes it to a new level.”   

worldsteakchallenge.com