Our beef is renowned as the best in the world, and now the taste buds of judges at an international global taste competition have confirmed it. Irish beef scooped the most medals at the 2024 World Steak Challenge , where nations competed to put their juiciest steaks on the international stage..
. or skillet. Along with Australia, Poland and Japan, Ireland made its mark on the global meat market at the prestigious competition, with 62 of our steaks awarded gold, silver or bronze medals.
Food critic Tom Doorley said: ‘It’s nice getting medals but Irish beef is bigger than that – it doesn’t need it. Irish beef has a well-established place on the world stage, though it needs to be promoted more effectively.’ Mr Doorley said the ‘enormous’ difference between Irish beef and ‘most other beef on the planet’ is that ours is grass-fed and not grain-fed, which has both health and flavour implications.
‘I would argue the grass-fed beef is the most natural,’ he said. ‘Cattle graze and you don’t graze on wheat and barley, you graze on grass. Ireland has begun to understand what a very special product it has in its beef and we have some pioneers who have made beef ageing a very central thing to the whole operation.
’ Mr Doorley cited figures such as Pat Whelan and Barry Fitzgerald as trailblazers in Irish beef, but added: ‘The man who has really put Irish beef on the world stage is Peter Hanlon, who operates on both sides of the Irish border from Northern Ireland.