Hawke's Bay burgers and bangers a smash

Named for his three sons, Rob Beard, of Beard Brothers, likes to think outside the box with his meat products, including this special Father's Day sausage. Photo / Tom Allan

Hawke's Bay meat producers' patties and bangers have proven a smash at this year's Great New Zealand Sausage and Burger Pattie Competition.

Three local artisans were among the winners for their medal-snagging sausages and patties - announced at a virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday night with more than 605 entries across the competition.

Sarah Harper, of Esk Valley Meats, said it was their best result yet.

"It's so huge for us. We are just stoked."

The group won two golds last year and a silver in 2018, this year bringing home two golds, one for their brisket burger pattie and beef brisket sausage, and one silver for their pork, leek and fennel sausage.

She felt the win showed their hard work, using quality ingredients to provide affordable products, was paying off.

"A lot of the places that do win are little gourmet butcher shops. We are a commercial operation that supplies supermarkets.

"We're keeping to the classic sausages and trying not to complicate it."

The competition this year was tough.

"It's hard with the competition. You've got 17 sausages going up against one another.

With the brisket burger, they tried to "let the meat be the hero", she said.

She said she was grateful to support from the local community.

The winning brisket burger pattie and beef brisket sausage was initially available at Greenmeadows New World before being available at regular stockists.

Rob Beard of Hastings-based Beard Brothers had the judges seeing green and not-quite-gold, with his "Bledisloe cup inspired" kangaroo and hemp seed burger patties which won a silver medal in the new burger patty competition.

Originally a winemaker, Beard was just a hobbyist butcher when he decided to make a full-time go of it, launching his own butchery Wild Game Salami nine years ago.

Beard Brothers was started in 2016 due to particular demand for their sausages.

"It's just grown from there.

"People think I've got a big beard but I don't. We've got three sons and it's our last name," he explained.

Beard said he likes to "think outside the square" and it's not the first time the family-based business has been recognised - it's their fifth medal at the competition.

He said he had been toying with the idea for a kangaroo burger for a while but held off after the bush fires late last year.

"Someone said to me we should come up with a Bledisloe banger. In Australia [kangaroos] are a wild pest that they hunt - just like we do with a lot of venison."

He found a supplier in Auckland and decided to team up with Otane-based hemp seed growers, Kanapu, adding "they're our neighbours".

Beard said the winning patties, as well as venison and hemp seed version patties and sausages would be available at their new shop set to open on Orchard Rd on Tuesday, November 3.

"All of our sausages, black puddings, biersticks will be available there."

New World Havelock North also received a medal of their own, taking home a bronze for their beef and caramelised onion burger patty.