Whether you serve yours smoked, baked, studded or glazed, there’s no better Christmas table centerpiece than a glistening ham (and don’t even get us started on the sandwiches the next day). If you’re on the hunt for a winner, you’re in luck. This year, Australian Pork has done your research for you, revealing the country’s loveliest legs at the 2019 Australian PorkMark Ham Awards.

This year’s winner of best overall ham went to a bone-in ham from Noosa Meat Centre in Queensland, which beat out 140 other producers to take out the title of top hog.  Noosa Meat Centre owners Stacey and Steve Young use Darling Downs-reared pigs to make their ham, with each one lovingly cured by hand.

For something a bit easier to find, D’Orsogna’s Australian Jarrah Honey Ham was awarded best ham in the nationally-available category. The honey ham is sold at Woolworths, where it lives year-round in the deli counter or as a special portion in the lead up to Christmas.

If you’re still yet to buy your leg, Australian Pork urges consumers to buy local this Christmas.

“The greatest gift you can give an Aussie pig farmer this Christmas is to buy Australian,” said Mitch Edwards, the marketing communications manager at Australian Pork Limited.

“When it comes to ham, if it’s on the bone, then it’s one of our own. However, if you’re buying a boneless ham, look for an almost full bar chart on the packaging to be sure your ham is made from 100% Australian pork,” Mitch said.

Australian PorkMark Ham Awards 2019 National Winners

Overall winner: Noosa Meat Centre, Noosa, QLD

Bone in
1st: Noosa Meat Centre, Noosa, QLD
2nd: Andrew’s Choice Smokehouse, Laverton North, VIC
3rd: Gray’s Modern Meat Mart, Toowoomba, QLD

Boneless
1st: Griffin & Morris Village Butchers, Berwick, VIC
2nd: Premier Meats, Tenterfield, NSW
3rd: Hunter Valley Meat Emporium, Pitnacree, NS W

Nationally available
1st D’Orsogna, Australian Jarrah Honey Ham
2nd IGA Naturally Smoked Leg Ham

To see the full results, head to pork.com.au.