'Ultimate Burger' featured premium Northern Irish meat

The 'Ultimate Burger' title has been won by a Northern Ireland team using meat from multi-award winning Hannan Meats in a major BBQ event in England.

The Smokin' Yankees BBQ team from Belfast clinched three major awards, including the 'Ultimate Burger' title, at Q'Fest, the biggest annual competition in the UK and Ireland for BBQ enthusiasts.

The four-strong team was successful in two other categories during the event which is held at the Red Rock Brewery in Bishopsteignton in Devon.

In addition to the 'Ultimate Burger' challenge, the team, comprising BBQ enthusiasts Michael Duffy, James Moore, Conor Dawson and James Acheson, was placed third in the UK Chilli Cook-Off and fifth in the Steak Cook-Offs using beef from Hannan Meats in Moira, county Armagh.

Judging was conducted by representatives from the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque, the world's largest organisation of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide.

KCBS sanctions over 500 barbeque contests worldwide. From volunteering to actual event production, its members also offer assistance to civic and charitable organisations which organise events.

Winners of the event in Devon qualify for the World Food Championships to be held in Florida in November.

The Belfast team has twice won the Irish championships and represented Ireland at international BBQ events in the US.

Smokin' Yankees was formed in 2014 by a group of friends who loved outdoor cooking. The aim was to develop skills, expand their social group, and take a more formal approach to competitive BBQs.

The group has also created a special sauce for retail - Apple and Whiskey BBQ Sauce - which is now on sale in delis and other stores in Northern Ireland and further afield.