If you’re looking for the best short-cut bacon in Victoria, look no further than Benalla’s Donohue Quality Meats.
The local butcher shop, which has been part of the community for more than 151 years, recently picked up third place for its short loin bacon at the Australian Meat Industry Council Charcuterie Excellence Awards 2023.
It’s full of history, and the original butchers in the premises was open the day Ned Kelly was arrested in the Bootmakers Shop next door.
In 2023, two full-time butchers, Paul Donohue and Eddie Young, operate the shop.
Eddie said it was only beaten by two interstate butchers, making its short-cut bacon the best in Victoria.
He said the key to their award-winning bacon was to go back to basics and source all products locally.
“We use local pork, and it’s smoked with local timbers, which is Mountain Ash that we get from the local sawmill,” Eddie said.
“Everything is done on-site. It’s pickled the traditional way, smoked here, sliced here and sold here.
“One of the older butchers who used to work here, Tony Quinlan or Quinno as everyone knows him, showed us how it used to be done in the old times.
“He’s an old-school butcher who prides himself on small goods.
“Most of the other awards we have out the front are ones he won while he was here.“
Eddie said several managers had come through the butchers over the years, and each had altered recipes and put their own stamp on things.
Noticing that certain products were not selling as well as they once did, Tony and Eddie decided to ask Quinny if he had any ideas about reversing that trend.
“So he showed how it used to be done,” Eddie said.
“Now we’re doing everything the old school way, with local produce, local ingredients, including all the saw dust in the smoker - everything.
“It’s simple and basic, and it’s what people want. If it tasted good 100 years ago, it tastes good today.
“There’s no nasty chemicals in there. It’s not mass-produced, it’s all made here.”
The local mantra the shop goes by also has an environmental benefit, with a reduced carbon footprint.
“It’s a little bit dearer to do it the way we do, but you keep jobs locally. You’re looking after the boys who look after you,” Eddie said.
“We don’t mind paying a bit more for that better quality local meat.
“We could go down to Melbourne and get a box of meat for half the price, but the quality would vary.
“All our products are locally sourced and made. From the lamb, the beef, the pork and chicken. Everything is sourced from the local area.
“Whether it’s cooked meats, uncooked meats, everything we have is the best of the best that we can provide.”
You can find Donohue Quality Meats at 65 Arundel St, Benalla, and it’s open from 7am - to 5.30pm Monday - Friday.