A full-blood Wagyu steak with 60 per cent marbling has taken out the top award at this year’s Wagyu Branded Beef Competition.
Produced by Mayura Station in South Australia, the judges said the steak had “exceptional melt in your mouth juiciness, with lasting umami flavours and a satisfying silky mouthfeel”.
The Mayura entry scored 1,128 points, with a marbling fineness score of eight, and an eye muscle area of 154cm2 “which blew the competition out of the water” in being named Grand Champion.
It is the third time Mayura Station has won the award, something no other Wagyu producer has achieved.
“I am very proud of the entire team, for their shared passion to produce the highest quality Wagyu beef in the country,” Mayura’s Scott de Bruin said.
According to the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA), which held its annual conference this week in Cairns, there were a record 66 entries in this year’s competition.
AWA chief executive Matt McDonagh said once cooked, the winning Mayura steak “dissolved in the mouth”.
“You get an extremely juicy, rich experience. It is almost like the meat is bursting in your mouth when you eat it,” he said.
“That piece of meat was unique. We’ve seen nothing like it before.”
Elite heifer sells for $130,000
It was a big week for Mayura Station.
Fresh off winning the branded beef competition it then topped the Elite Wagyu Sale with a heifer that sold for $130,000.
She was bought by the Thomas family who run Santos Patronos Ranch in the United States.
On social media, Santos Patronos Ranch shared pictures of its tour this week of Mayura Station and praised the operation as “one of the most recognised and respected Wagyu brands around the world”.
“Some of the best genetics in our Wagyu program in Seguin, Texas, come from Mayura’s L10 bull,” it said.
It is understood the newly-purchased Mayura heifer will stay in Australia and spend time at a reproductive centre with her embryos extracted and exported back to the US.
Overall, the Elite Wagyu Sale grossed $1.38 million, with an average female price of $42,333.
The Australian Wagyu Association was founded in 1989 and now counts more than 1,000 members among its ranks.
Australia has by far the largest fullblood Wagyu population outside of Japan.
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