JUDGES & MEDALS
Peter Lewis is once again Chief Judge and Gary McPherson Chief Steward.
A panel of 16 judges is appointed and rotated around in a “cascading” system. As much as possible, the same judges are appointed each year. The judges consisted of Sponsors, Chefs, Restauranteurs, Food Critics, Producers, Butchers and associated industry personnel.
Each Wagyu sirloin steak is judged by a panel of seven judges. Each judge may allocate up to 130 points for each striploin steak entry, which gives a potential 910 points possible per entry.
Medal cut-offs Class 1 and 2 (Fullblood and Crossbred Wagyu)
Gold 80% | Silver 75% | Bronze 70%
TOTAL OF: 910 points possible
Medal cut-offs Class 3 (Commercial Steak MS 5-7)
Gold 79% | Silver 74% | Bronze 70%
TOTAL OF: 910 points possible
JUDGING TERMINOLOGY
Wagyu Branded Beef Judging Terminology
What does the Wagyu taste like? What flavours are present? And how does it feel when I eat it?
These are the questions our judges ask when comparing Wagyu beef.
Each aspect will be influenced by marbling, the firmness and texture of the beef, as well as the hints of how the Wagyu cattle were raised.
To describe how it feels to chew Wagyu beef we use: chewy, enjoyable-chewy, fibrous, granular, greasy, mushy, silky, tender, textureless, tough, very-tender, other.
Juiciness
The impression given from the release of the meat’s water-holding capacity on first eating defines the juiciness. The melted intramuscular fats in highly marbled beef will be a major contributor to this but will also include the consumer’s saliva. The salivation response will be tempered by aroma and hunger.
Descriptors: Very-dry, dry, slightly-dry, initial juiciness, very juicy, lasting juiciness.
Flavour
There are five taste receptor groups; sweet, salt, bitter and sour plus the Japanese flavour ‘umami’ (which means beefy, savoury, brothy or delicious). There are up to 880 volatile compounds of different chemical classes reported in cooked Wagyu beef.
Descriptors: beany, bitter, buttery, caramel, cereal, chemical/medicinal, citrus, clean and fresh, creamy, dairy, earthy, fatty, fishy, herbal, kerosene, livery, low, putrid, metallic, nutty, popcorn, rancid, rich, rounded, salty, soapy, sour, stale, sweet, toasty, unami, other.
Aroma
What does the Wagyu beef smell like? The perception of the volatile characteristics of food are perceived by receptors primarily in the nose.
Descriptors: Beefy, caramel, cardboard, cereal, citrus, sulphury, fishy, medicinal/chemical, herbaceous, putrid, stale, musty, livery, kerosene/solvent, low/faint, toasty, popcorn, fresh, floral, pungent, other.
