Ashley’s Beef Corner — Beef on the Grill, Fun for All Ages, by Ashley W. Herring

Ashley ’ s Beef Corner T

Beef on the Grill, Fun for All Ages

By ASHLEY W. HERRING Director of Consumer Information N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council

Each year the N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council sponsors the 4-H Beef Char-Grill competition. The contest brings together participants from across the state, who are passionate about grilling beef, for a day of learning, fun, and sharing their interest with one another.

The participant’s passion and hard work are on full display, and it truly makes the day special. We had participants as young as eight years old show us their favorite recipe, share their process for preparing their dish, and demonstrate their skills. It’s remarkable in every sense and gives a sense of pride in our youth. It takes a lot to speak with a panel of judges and answer questions, and these youth show us all how it’s done.

Included in their presentations are food safety information, cut choice, grilling temperature, safe handling, and their tips for flavor. As they prepare their recipe, each judge’s scoresheet focuses on safety, knowledge of beef, and speaking skills. Our judges always make it fun and share their tips and tricks to help.

We would like to thank our gracious judges who gave their time and talents. It means a lot to us that these volunteers help develop youth leadership and life skills. Stacy and Alex Sereno (N.C. Farm Bureau and USDA), Matt Morrison (NCSU Beef Unit), and Jack Nales (NCDA marketing) all helped to make the day the best it could be for the participants.

The winners are: Jacob Ledford - Gold (Yancey County - 8-10 Division) Braylen Taylor - Gold (Lenoir County - 11-13 Division) Riley Jones - Gold (Lenoir County - 11-13 Division) Jacob Hanlon - Gold (Burke County - 14-18 Division) John McBryde - Silver (Johnston County - 14-18 Division)

The winning recipe from Jacob Hanlon’s Steak and Chimichurri is included here. After grilling an incredible filet, Jacob used his own chimichurri to make the dish extra special. You could certainly use this topper on any steak, sandwich, or steak salad. Congratulations to all the winners!

Chimichurri

¼ cups distilled white vinegar 2 jalapenos, roughly chopped 4 cloves garlic 4 bay leaves ½ cup freshly chopped Italian parsley ½ cup freshly chopped cilantro ½ cup freshly chopped oregano ⅓ cup Barnea olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, jalapeno, garlic, and bay leaves. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the herbs.

Whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Serve chimichurri on the grilled steak of your choice.

Recently, the N.C. Junior Beef Round-Up included a graphic design contest. We had two great entries you can see here from Emma Beasley and Laurel Mitchell. Nice work!