Melbourne gourmet butcher Peter Bouchier, has taken out a prestigious category at the national Australian Meat Industry Council smallgoods awards.
Peter Bouchier produced the Dry Cured Bacon category champion in the second AMIC Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards.
Mr Bouchier, who has a factory in Moorabbin and shop in Toorak, produced the top free-range dry-cured middle bacon.
"The whole night was a good result, eight gold medals, one silver and a category champion - everything we entered won, so I was very happy with that," he said.
"You are rubbing shoulders with the big players, so it was good."
Mr Bouchier said he loved making smallgoods, although he didn't start off making bacon, frankfurts. hams, kransky and kabana.
"It's something I have grown into and enjoy it - there is a lot of trial and error, you are weighing up salt and pepper and different spices, and getting a different result."
He said the production of dry-cured bacon was a closely guarded secret - "it's a unique technique, it's not a cooked product, it's cured and takes time."
AMIC chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said the awards stood as the pinnacle of recognition in the Australian smallgoods industry.
"This year saw double the entries in the Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards compared to last year, showing how important the awards program is in recognising excellence within the flourishing smallgoods industry," Mr Hutchinson said.
"Congratulations to all ACEA winners for their remarkable accomplishments.
"This victory is a testament to the dedication and masterful craftsmanship exhibited by each participant."
An AMIC spokesman said there were 725 entries, across 10 classes and 40 categories.
The points-based judging criteria resulted in the awarding of 328 Gold, 187 Silver, and 96 Bronze medals.
The judging week, hosted by the William Angliss Institute in Melbourne from July 12, saw an illustrious panel of fleischmeisters, celebrity chefs, award-winning artisans and industry legends gather to assess the products on offer.
The awards follow national sausage judging, held in July.
National Smallgoods Council chair and head judge Franz Knoll said judging was carried out by highly regarded industry technical experts and renowned celebrity chefs.
Judges worked through five days of tastings to vigorously appraise each product, he said.
"All smallgoods are handmade, each person in its preparation, influences the quality and experience of the finished product," Mr Knoll said.
" We acknowledge the skills of the smallgoods makers across Australia by the sheer number of medals and category winners awarded by the judging panel.
"Through the Australian Charcuterie Excellence Awards we are preparing our smallgoods masters for the first entry into the German 2025 IFFA competition respected as the highest recognition for the art of smallgoods making.
"We will be bringing our unique Australian process for judging including cooking of products, and for the first time, fresh sausages will be judged by the German panel of fleischmeisters."
Australian Pork Limited chief executive Margo Andrae said the awards continued to shine a light on hard-working smallgoods makers, across the country, celebrating an Australian product in innovative ways.
"Recent research conducted shows Australian shoppers are seeking out locally grown products more than eve," Ms Andrae said.
"We look forward to seeing all these wonderful products on shelves, and seeing our winners compete on the global stage at World IFFA."
