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Chefs fill their plates with beef industry factsBy Doug Rich Twenty chefs from the Kansas City area got out of the kitchen for two days recently to learn the latest in beef culinary trends, learn the versatility of beef in menu applications, and see the beef production system. These chefs took part in the Pasture to Plate Tour sponsored by the Kansas Beef Council (KBC). Participating chefs spent two days learning the beef industry from beginning to end. The tour, held May 4 and 5, included a visit to the Doyle Creek Land & Cattle Ranch near Florence, Kan., an update on the cattle industry from CattleFax, a visit to Knight Feedlot near Lyons, and a carcass fabrication demonstration at Kansas State University's Animal and Meat Science Department. "We got an overall perspective of this industry which I think a lot of times we don't really see," said James White, lead chef at Argosy Casino in Riverside, Mo. "We are not as aware as we should be of what it takes to raise these animals." During a lunch break at the Mercantile in Florence, Kan., the chefs received an industry update from CattleFax analyst Mike Miller. He told the chefs that the beef cow inventory would remain stagnant if not shrink. "We will have a tough time growing the herd over the next few years," Miller said. At the same time that the beef cow inventory has gone down, beef production has continued to go up. According to CattleFax, total beef production will go up about one percent in 2008. This trend should start to flatten out in the fourth quarter. Carcass weights are on an upward trend, increasing four to six pounds per year. Since 1975 the carcass weights have increased an average of six pounds per year. White was very interested in the discussion of carcass weights. According to information given at Kansas State University, cattle were big in the early 1900s, then smaller in the 1950s and 1960s, and they are bigger again. It has come full circle. "As a chef, we are always concerned about how much larger the cattle will get," White said. "With traditional cuts, plate-size presentation becomes an issue. We saw some fabrication techniques we can use to address that issue." During a carcass fabrication demonstration, the chefs saw where "value cuts" such as the Flat Iron, Ranch Cut, Country Style Ribs, and Denver Cut originate. According to KBC, all of these cuts have excellent application in food service, providing customers alternatives to traditional steaks. "It was interesting to the see the push for these new cuts," said Jess Head, sous-chef at Argosy Casino. Head said many of these cuts have been disregarded or just ground up in the past. When they get home, he said what they do with these cuts will be the really interesting part. Head said that he and White are classically trained chefs and some of these new fabrication methods go against how they were trained. "Cutting into these beautiful center cuts of meat and making them smaller just to meet the beef trend will be difficult," he said. "We will have to go back and re-educate our staff." White said they have six different outlets at the casino-from employee meals, to a buffet, to a traditional steak house. Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304, or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com. 5/19/08 Date: 5/15/08
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