Three days of great taste at 2018 Fire and Feast Meat Festival

Fire & Feast Meat Festival, presented by Crown National, was undoubtedly THE event to attend over the weekend! The welcoming wafts of the smokey, meat-infused aromas drew thousands of visitors into Joburg’s Ticketpro Dome from 8 to 10 June with tasty samples, craft drinks, and upbeat music making this a truly memorable event.

 

 

 

“It’s going to take a few days to digest all the amazing show offerings at the sizzling, second-ever Fire & Feast,” said Sandra Jardim, General Manager: The Fire & Feast Meat Festival. “This was the ultimate space for all visitors to eat meat, feast and repeat with some of the best in the South African meat industry. There were so many opportunities to source great-tasting meats, spices, sauces and cooking accessories, all in one location. South Africa has a truly dynamic meat industry and Fire & Feast has seared its mark as the place to celebrate this!”

 

The show was fired up with a dedicated trade morning which generated a lot of promising leads for visitors, exhibitor and sponsors. Consumers and meat lovers descended on the festival, sampling all the delicious exhibitions and features on offer.

 

Fire & Feast’s fantastic feature programme

 

Renowned chefs from the SA Chefs’ Association shared their succulent tips on everything pork, chicken, lamb and beef in four dedicated meat theatres, all of which featured sponsored products from Chad-O-Chef and @home’s Breville, Robert Welch, Baccarat and Smeg cookware.

 

Seasoned ‘lambassadors’ – The Bearded Chef, and Chefs Naledi, Thutu and Tshepang – turned up the heat in the Lamb & Mutton SA Theatre, while beefing up the meat-and-greet opportunities were chefs in The Sparta Beef Theatre educating visitors on all the best beef products – including Woodview Wagyu and Sparta Angus Beef. Visitors then flocked to the Poultry Theatre brought to you by County Fair & Festive, where culinary chefs demonstrated interesting ways to prepare this versatile meat. South African Pork then put its weight behind the Pork Tasting Room, educating visitors on the perfect pork cuts and outlining work by quality assurance scheme, Pork 360.

 

The meaty learning continued, with a splash of red, white and rosé, in the saucy MyBraai Meat and Wine Pairing Theatre. Here, the knowledgeable Chef Themba Dube from MyBraai online butchery, displayed his culinary insights by preparing magnificent beef, chicken, lamb and biltong dishes while sommeliers from Leopard’s Leap vineyard expertly paired the flavours with their selected Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines.

 

There was more meaty action to witness as the winners of the 2017 National Butchers’ Challenge, presented by Crown National, Andre van der Merwe, Leo Roland Delaney, Pedro Sequira Goncalves, Werner Viljoen and Sebastian Munyewende – all of whom represented South Africa at the 2018 World Butchers’ Challenge – demonstrated their cutting-edge skills. These expert cuts were then sold to Fire & Feast festival-goers at the onsite Butcher’s Butchery.

 

Things got fired up at five crazy Chilli-eating Competitions with daredevil contestants braving the heat of some of the hottest chilli flavours available. Jalapeno, cayenne, peri-peri, and habanero were the name of the game as these wild-eyed competitors mopped their brows and sped their way through two rounds of intense flame-mouthed fury in the hopes of winning a hot hamper.

 

South Africa’s braai superhero and Chad-O-Chef ambassador – BraaiBoy – then captivated hungry visitors in the outdoor Braaitology, brought to you by Chad-O-Chef, where he shared his ‘braait’ insights into open-flame cooking and tastes. Competition winners got the sizzling chance to cook alongside the ‘braai-namite’ chef who demonstrated his delicious Jimmy cheese steak, creamy garlic shrimp T-bone, and stuffed beer can burger, all on the Chad-O-Chef hybrid braai.

 

BraaiBucks were happily exchanged for tasters of pork, chicken, lamb and beef, expertly prepared by 10 SA Chefs’ Association members in Braaitology, all of whom were fanning the flames on Chad-O-Chef’s Sizzler Hybrid braais.

 

After the open-flame heat of Braaitology, visitors could douse the flames in Craftology, overflowing with some of South Africa’s best craft drinks and mellow tunes. Various drink masters all featured a selection of locally-crafted wines, gins, whiskeys, tequilas, beers and more.

 

Full-bodied flavour continued in the Wine Tasting Area featuring some of the country’s most internationally-acclaimed wines, while the indoor Craft Beer Bar and Gin Bar offered those with a taste for the amber and clear liquids a relaxed space to take in the festival.

 

The delectable BRM Brands Bistro was also a hit, with samples of their famous ribs and chicken were devoured by new and old patrons.

 

Meat, drinks and fun were fused into the Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Bar & Restaurant which spilled over into the fully-stocked Jack Daniel’s Man Cave. The modern man was welcomed into this well-crafted feature where they could…

 

• get inked by artists from Awhe Tattoo & Lifestyle Studio…
• enjoy a cut and a shave by the maestros from Barnet Fair barber’s shop…
• discover the latest petrol-head accessories from Knap Sak…
• grab something casual from May Bru clothing & apparel…
• find the perfect pair of shades at Slaughter and Fox Eyewear…
• get on time and in style with a clock from Vinyl Records…

 

Don’t stress, the flame-grilled fun won’t stop here! Keep an eye out for more fantastic features at the ultimate meaty festival, returning to Joburg in 2019. Keep abreast of all the sizzling action at:

 

www.fireandfeast.co.za
Facebook: Fire and Feast Meat Festival
Instagram: @fireandfeast
Twitter: @fireandfeastSA

 

Olivia Jones Communications on behalf of the Fire & Feast Meat Festival