Judging at the Dunningham’s Great NZ Sausage Competition
I was privileged to be asked to judge again this year in the Dunningham’s Great New Zealand Sausage Competition. I went to Auckland for two days of sampling great sausages and discussing the merits of each snarler with fellow judges. I was on panels that judged Gourmet Pork, Continental Ready To Eat and Gourmet Varietal categories.
The kōrero on each panel is a highlight of the time spent judging. Each panel consists of a technical judge from the meat industry and two aesthetic judges. I am an aesthetic judge. Discussing the merits of the how the sausage presents in both raw and cooked form, the balance of flavours and taste of the palate makes for a great day. The judges assess all sausages in an anonymous manner. We do not know who makes each sausage.
I particularly enjoyed a couple of pork and apple cider sausages, a pork and blueberry sausage, along with a pork, pāua and watercress salami. We did sample a pork, pineapple lump (a New Zealand chocolate and pineapple confectionary) and cream cheese sausage. This flavour combination never worked for me or the other judges.
I look forward the announcement of the results in the next week or so.
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