STRING OF AWARDS FOR SNAG CHAMP
THE right ingredients, plenty of passion and sticking to your craft are the secrets to the perfect sausage, say the meat artisans of The Meat Barn Currajong.
The popular butchery has snared a swag of awards at the annual Sausage King Competition, and it also scored success at last weekend’s Worldskills Apprentice Competition.
The Meat Barn won two silver awards for its Moroccan lamb sausage and barbecue, cheese, chicken and bacon sausage, and took out bronze with its lamb, spinach and cheese sausage.
It was the only store in North Queensland to win any awards.
Owner Matthew Shaw, who runs the popular store with his wife Alice, said the recognition made all the hard work worth it.
“We’re a local small business and we put in the hard yards, so every bit of recognition goes a long way,” he said. “It’s a good feeling and it does give you a bit of extra confidence.”
Mr Shaw said making a sausage better than the stock-standard snag was not a simple process.
“It’s having quality ingredients and putting a bit of love into them,” he said. “There is a bit of an art to it and who have to stick to your processes.
“We’re expanding with new ideas and who knows what we’ll come up with in the future.”
Mr Shaw and apprentice butcher Jeremy Laffan travelled to Brisbane for the Worldskills Apprentice Competition, where the pair impressed judges with their skills and knowledge.
“We got to show our skills in things such as cuts and presentation, and we came third in Queensland,” Mr Shaw said.
The Meat Barn is in its second year of business and is steadily growing in popularity.