by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
The St. Joseph Meat Market recently won national recognition at the American Cured Meat Championships held in conjunction with the 76th Convention of the American Association of Meat Processors, in Springfield, Ill.
The Meat Market received first place, grand champion, in the Andouille sausage class; first place, grand champion, in the small diameter smoked sausage class with their smoked maple breakfast links entry; and second place, reserve grand champion, in the smoke poultry products class with their smoked chicken brat entry.
Entries were judged on aroma, flavor, eye appeal, color and texture.
Meat Market owner Harvey Pfannenstein and his wife, Carol, attended the convention.
“We went to the convention hoping to win one national award and came home with three, and that two of them were grand champions was a real honor,” Pfannenstein said. “Any meat plant that does not belong to or attend AAMP or Minnesota Association of Meat Processors conventions are missing out. There is so much information shared from plant to plant that really benefits everybody in this meat business. We are not competitors. We are more like family.”
This year’s convention, which draws entries from across the country, had 731 entries in 27 product categories.
The St. Joseph Meat Market added a sausage kitchen to its retail store in 2012 and makes more than 150 kinds of sausages and more than 60 kinds of brats.
Harvey and Carol Pfannenstein recently won national recognition at the American Cured Meat Championships held in Springfield, Ill. They brought home two grand-champion and one reserve-grand-champion awards.
