The 16th National Barbecue Competition, held as part of San Sebastian Gastronomika – Euskadi Basque Country, saw Olivi Grill from Usurbil (Gipuzkoa) and the Discarlux meat company crowned this year's champions. They succeed Vanesa Martín, the grill chef from El Alfoz de Burgos in Villagonzalo de Pedernales, and Cárnicas Guikar in the list of winners. The txuleta grilled by Francisco Javier ‘Pako’ Aldapa was the third of eight to compete. According to the chef, it was an excellent piece of Simmental beef that had been aged for around 45 days. “In addition to the excellent meat selected for us by Discarlux, we were able to adjust the cooking times to the competition's requirements. What's more, the meat had excellent marbling and was well sealed," he said, somewhat overwhelmed. Standing beside him, Napoleón Lertxundi, the owner of the Asador Olivi restaurant and the Saizar Group, happily reminisced about Saizar's previous victory with Discarlux in 2022, and how Olivi had now achieved the same feat. In both cases, the third time was the charm.

The txuleta, a flagship dish

Alberto Fernández Bombín, the presenter and moderator of the competition, opened the event by stating that "the txuleta is a flagship dish of Basque cuisine that has reached all corners of the globe". He then gave the floor to Benjamín Lana, director of San Sebastian Gastronomika and director of gastronomy at Vocento. Mr Lana admitted to being excited about a championship that 'is one of the most renowned and important for the congress, as well as for grillers and butchers'.

He then introduced the professional jury, which was composed of himself and, on this occasion, its president, Amaya Ortuzar (Ganbara); the president and founder of Madrid Fusión, José Carlos Capel; the journalist Julia Pérez; the communicator Carlos Maribona; the barbecue experts Xabier Ruiz (Casa Nicolás de Tolosa) and Ion Ayala (Laia Erretegia); and the businesspeople Juan Atanasio 'Tanacho' Carrasco (Carrasco Ibéricos), José Gordón (El Capricho) and Juanjo Arratibel (Ondarreta). It was the latter who said that today's competition was the best ever.

Then, as Fernández Bombín pointed out, the 'grill dance' began. Eight teams, each consisting of a grill chef and a butcher, roasted and presented their pieces, all from Mi Brasa. The expert judges then gave their opinions on the txuleta as a concept, discussing issues such as breed, cuts, maturation, the sloping grill, innovative techniques and the importance of charcoal.

The importance of wine

Agustín Santolaya, director of Bodegas Roda, presented the wines that were paired with the txuletas. "Initially, I was considering two reds, but I decided to bring a white as well, to challenge preconceptions. Why not?" The red wine is Corimbo I 2018, a Ribera del Duero from La Horra in the heart of the Burgos riverbank area. Despite being a red wine, it has all the spirit of the area, yet is also extremely delicate and fresh, thanks to an extremely rainy and cold harvest. It is extraordinarily delicate and refined. The white wine, Roda I 2022, is a dream come true. It is neither a summer white nor one that smells of tropical fruits or has a strong wood presence. We were looking for the essence of old Rioja, and what we have here is an autumnal white wine. Its volume and freshness make it a perfect accompaniment to meat," he explained.

The participants The 16th National Barbecue Competition featured the following chefs: - Marc Ramos (Sinofos, Girona) with Leikan Meat - Paola Cerchiara (The Txotx Gourmet, Donostia) with Makro Distribucion Mayorista - Urko Zarauza (Asador Aramendi Berria, Zamudio, Bizkaia) with Cárnicas Guikar - Pablo Roza (Casa Farpón Asador, Fuentespino, Asturias) with Cárnicas Trasacar - Francisco Javier Aldapaga (Asador Olivi, Usurbil, Gipuzkoa) with Discarlux - Aitor Martín (Ikili Jatetxea Bar, Donostia) with Cárnicas Goya - Nur El Homssi (Restaurante Fermín Calbetón, Donostia) with Arcecarne - Edu Espejo (Taller de Carnes by Jenkins, Valencia) with Tamaco Barcelona.