The one steak that rules them all was just crowned at the World Steak Challenge in Dublin, and for the first time in eight years of competition, Japan entered with its famed Wagyu beef. The meat from producer Starzen Co., took the top prize, beating out hundreds of entries, including three-time World’s Best Steak winner JN Meat International’s Ayrshire sirloin from Finland (via Food Manufacture). Starzen Co.’s Wagyu also walked away the top winner in World’s Best Grain-Fed and World’s Best Sirloin categories, reports The Morning Advertiser.
The Daily Mail explains that the winning sirloin is an A4 grade, also known as Akune Gold, and considered an ultra-premium steak. The cow was raised on the subtropical island of Kyushu, which, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, is home to cows that produce this ultra-premium form of Wagyu beef.
This is not the first time Starzen’s made international headlines, though it’s for a positive reason. Back in 2002, Starzen, the third largest meat wholesaler in Japan at the time (via Food Navigator), was part of a meat mislabeling scandal and admitted to falsely labeling cheaper beef to sell at a more expensive price point, per The Wall Street Journal.
The World Steak Challenge is run by William Reed Business Media, a B2B media company behind the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
