New World Mosgiel butcher Greg Egerton (37) said the love of food got him selected for the Sharp Blacks - New Zealand's top six butchers, who compete in international competitions.
''It meant a lot to get into the team.''
Last year, the Sharp Blacks took home the tri-nations trophy, beating Australia and Britain in Wanaka.
This year, they retained the trophy, beating the Australians and Brits again in Harrogate, England.
The next match-up would be in Australia next year but the city had not been announced, Mr Egerton said.
The Sharp Blacks 2015 team members were Mr Egerton, of Brockville, David Timbs and Corey Winder, both of Christchurch, Bruce van der Net, of Taupo, and Matthew Spires and Phill Pirie, both of Auckland.
Each butcher brought their own skill set to the team.
''From beef boners to finishing and displaying, not everyone has the same skill set, so you rely on your other team-mates.''
The team was selected from the North versus South Butchery Challenge in Queenstown earlier this month, where the South Island team triumphed over its northern counterparts.
''You get a side of beef, and a whole lamb, and you get two hours to create whatever you like.''
A contribution to the southern victory was his ''surf 'n' turf'' entry.
''I got a bit of porterhouse and stuffed it with reconstituted gourmet mushrooms in a pinot noir. It had a caul fat collar and on top I balanced prawn tails on some dill butter.''
Caul fat is the thin membrane that surrounds the internal organs in a pig.
''It looks like a spider's web; it looks really quite nice.''
He had been a butcher for 22 years in Dunedin and had worked in the Mosgiel butchery for four months.
The ''dream job'' had him preparing the meat and sometimes cooking it, using his recipes, for customers to taste in-store.
An example of his fare was a slow cooker recipe using beef cheeks and porter, served on potato mash and feta cheese.
The meat industry was ''thriving'' due to the popularity of cooking shows on television, which had increased demand for less traditional cuts of meat.
''The consumer wants more than just a chop and a sausage these days because of those cooking shows.''
The Sharp Blacks team was organised by Retail Meat New Zealand.
