Irish steaks take largest medal haul at global awards

Overall, Ireland had the greatest medal haul, with 82 medals awarded either a gold, silver, or bronze award, ahead of Australia with 42 medals and England with 26 medals.

More than 450 steaks were judged blind by a carefully selected judging panel of more than 60 meat experts.

Food critic Tom Doorley said: “I do believe that in Ireland we have the capacity to produce the best beef in the world.

“What we do is undoubtedly the best. There is quite a range of quality in Irish beef. I think the secret to our wonderful beef is the fact that it is mostly grass-fed, unlike in other countries.

“It takes time, skill, raw materials, and grass to produce [such quality], and we are subject to EU food standards. Beef is a luxury, but it is still very good.

“I live in Fermoy, Co. Cork, and I’m very lucky that I have Fitzgerald’s butchers on my doorstep. They age their beef in Himalayan pink salt for 28 days or more.”

A fillet steak from Australia was crowned the World’s Best Steak at the 2026 World Steak Challenge.

The steaks were awarded in both grain-fed and grass-fed categories.

Launched in 2015 to provide a recognized stamp of quality for world-class steak production, the World Steak Challenge has become the international benchmark for excellence in the global steak industry.

Awards were also handed out in two company categories – the Small Producer and Large Producer Awards.

Toriyama Cattle Farm in Japan won the Small Producer Award, and Australia’s Padoo Wagyu Corporation won the Large Producer Award.

The World Steak Challenge is an annual event that gives steak producers and suppliers a much-needed platform to showcase their meats’ quality, breed credentials, and processing standards on an international stage.

The event is organized by the Restaurant magazine as well as a number of other leading business food and drink publications.

The World Steak Challenge is supported by Dutch meat producer HVO Meat, renowned Amsterdam steak restaurant Vlees & Co, and Bord Bia.

Last year, Ireland won the World’s Best Steak award at the World Steak Challenge when it was held in London.

In addition to this, Ireland landed a record-breaking 68 medals at the prestigious awards.

With 24 gold medals, Ireland was the top-performing country overall and won the grand prize for Irish grass-fed steak.

The awards for Ireland showcase the exceptional quality of Ireland’s grass-fed beef from heritage breeds.

More winners on the World’s Steak Challenge 2026 is: World’s Best Grass-Fed Ribeye – Aberdeen Angus Cross, Dawn Meats; World’s Best Grass-Fed Sirloin – Angus Cross, Tesco Ireland; World’s Best Grass-Fed Fillet – Wagyu Cross Holstein, ABP UK, Northern Ireland; Europe’s Best Steak – Wagyu Cross Holstein Fillet, ABP UK, Northern Ireland.

* This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.