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Wisconsin Specialty Meat Products Championships held

The people between the Wisconsin farmer and the consumer were recognized during the Specialty Meat Products Championships. 

Jake Sailer tells Brownfield the competition is held during the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors conference in Middleton every April.  Sailer says processors enter meat products in 38 classes. “Those products get judged and evaluated by PhDs from around the country, from faculty here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and people, you know, like from Oscar Meyer that are retired and really just know what they’re looking for when it comes to quality meat products.”

Sailer says judges select the best of the ring bologna, skinless wieners, skin-on hot dogs, ham, bacon, summer sausage and a cured specialty meats class.  He says Wisconsin is known for bratwurst, and there are a lot of good ones. “When you get into so many of these brats, because obviously, we’re a brat state here in Wisconsin, we can have sometimes up to 80 entries in our bratwurst class.”

This year, there were 817 entries in the Specialty Meat Products Contest, and several processors entered products in the Wisconsin State Fair meats contest, which was held at the same location with different judges.

The Best of Show awards went Bunzel’s Meat Market and Catering in Milwaukee for sausage, Northwoods Locker in Clayton for non-sausage products, and for overall product and excellence to Block and Cleaver Artisan Meats in Siren.

Audio: Jake Sailer discusses WAMP and the Specialty Meat Products Championship with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.