|
Certified Angus Beef Competition goes back to its roots for 25th anniversaryCreativity, cooking and an interest in the beef industry brought 40 teams and more than 200 chefs to the American Angus Auxiliary-sponsored All-American Certified Angus Beef Cook-off contest at the 2008 National Junior Angus Show, July 15 in Des Moines, Iowa. This contest showcased talents of Angus members of all ages and promoted Certified Angus Beef products. The educational contest began in 1983 in Iowa, and to celebrate 25 years of the cooking competition, the contest went back to the original concept with categories using primarily fresh meats. The contest consisted of three product divisions: CAB steak, roast and other beef, that were then broken into age divisions. Overall winners were selected in each product division based on two categories: recipe and showmanship. For the recipe category, judges select winners based on the taste of the food and ease of preparation. In showmanship, teams are evaluated on dish presentation and creativity of a skit and costumes. The senior steak team from Arkansas took home the highest honor; the Black Kettle Award. This award is given to the highest scoring team among all meat and age divisions in memory of Paul St. Blanc, a passionate supporter of the contest. The team first won overall in the steak division preparing "Stuffed CAB Tenderloin." Team members include Sara Connolly, Rogers; Brandi Cromer, Lamar; Haley Rieff, Bentonville; Christine Taylor, Lavaca; Madeline Taylor, Lavaca; and Elizabeth Williams, Fort Smith. "Because of this contest I feel better about my knowledge of CAB," says Haley Rieff, a fourth year contestant. "It's a lot of fun doing the skits and I am now more comfortable getting up in front of a room. I have learned to think on my feet, because we never know what the judges will ask." "This contest has really helped me to grow as a person," says Elizabeth Williams who plans to compete in the contest until the end of her junior membership. "You have to get out there and do things, and I've learned a lot about teamwork." The Arkansas team's skit, "Paula Dean Cooking with G.R.I.T.S (Girls Raised in the South)," was a sequel to a prior skit's theme, but with a new twist. "We had southern accents and big hair," adds Rieff. "And the funny part is both are natural to me." Placing first in both the recipe and showmanship categories and grabbing first place overall in the adult steak division is the team from Illinois with "Cranberry-Orange Stuffed Sirloin." Team members include Rachel Frost, Gretchen Frost and Chelsea Frost, all of Tallula; Tony Frost, Cordova; and Tera Moritz, Piper City. Claiming first place showmanship in the senior steak division is the team from Iowa. Team members include Bryanne Duckett and Taylor Duckett both of New Liberty; Ashley Kuehn and Caitlin Kuehn, both of Durant; and Lauren Schroeder, Clarence. They prepared "Grinch Steaks." The team from Missouri won first place in the recipe category of the senior steak division with "Black Angus New York Steak with Mesa Sauce." This winning team includes Rachel Bartholomew, Archie; Nathan Eagleburger, Buffalo; Kathryn McDonald, Seneca; Austin Sayre and Caleb Sayre, both of Stotts City; and Cody Smith, West Plains. The intermediate steak team from Oklahoma claimed first place overall honors in the division after claiming first place in both the recipe and showmanship categories. Team members include Logan Edmonds, Morris; Amy Emberson, Nowata; Jaryn Frey, Kingfisher; Sydnee Gerken, Cashion; Kolby Shepard, Wellston; and Cole Webster, Morris. The winning dish was "Grilled Ribeye with Barbeque Rub." Each member received a paid registration to Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD) Conference from the Pat Grote Fund for their achievements. Winning first place overall in the junior steak division and first place in the recipe category was the Michigan team. Team members Claudia Albrecht, North Branch; Kayley Albrecht, Kingston; Kollin Johnson, Quincy; Dylan Kennedy, Nashville; Justin Ruggles and Kyle Ruggles, both of Kingston, prepared "Superhero CAB Sizzling Steak." The junior steak team from Missouri won first place in the showmanship category. Team members include Brittany Eagleburger, Buffalo; Madison Gooden, Iberia; Jera Pipkin, Republic; Katey Smith, West Plains; and Carter Ward, Plattsburg. This team prepared "Grilled Southwestern Smart Steak with Colorful Vegetables." Claiming top honors in the roast division is the senior team from Oklahoma. Team members Josh Goff, Jay; Jacee May, Stillwater; Rebecca Park, Kelsey Pfeiffer, Karisa Pfeiffer and Kassandra Pfeiffer, all of Orlando, also won first place overall in the senior roast division and first place in the recipe category. The winning recipe was "Chipotle Beef Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce." Winning the showmanship category of the senior roast division is the team from Texas. Gretchen Ettredge, Pilot Point; Katy Satree, Montague; and Jennifer Smith, Elysian Fields, prepared "Wild Mushroom Beef Stew." The intermediate roast team from Missouri won first place overall in their age division. Team members Taylor Short, Ava; Forrest Thompson, Mount Vernon; Shannon Yokley, Jefferson City; and Hannah Bartholomew, Archie, also won first place in the recipe category. The team prepared "Chuck Roast with Vegetable Pudding." Winning the intermediate roast showmanship category is Michigan with "Zesty CAB Barbecue Beef." Team members include Justin Kennedy, Nashville; Dee Anne Merriman, Lowell; Rachel Reid, Eaton Rapids; Chelsea Ruggles, Kingston; and Patricia Vaassen, Ann Arbor. Claiming first place overall in the junior roast division is the team from South Dakota. They prepared "Fiesta Roast," and also won first place in both the recipe and showmanship categories. Team members include Brittany Bush and Tyler Bush, both of Britton; Kylee Geppert, Mitchell; Christina Mogck, Olivet; and Alex Rogen, Brandon. The overall winner of the other beef division is the senior team from Nebraska. They also claimed first place in both the recipe and showmanship categories of the senior other beef division by preparing "Blue Cheese Brisket." Team members include Jessica Clowser, Milford; Ellen Hoffschneider, Arlington; Kellen Jorgensen and Klaire Jorgensen, both of Exeter; Jara Settles, Hoskins; and Claire Volk, Bennington. The Pennsylvania team won first place overall in the intermediate other beef division. Team members include Andrea Foore and Logan Foore, both of Seven Valleys; Fred Frey, Quarryville; Kate Livingston and Kyle Livingston, both of Dover; and Amanda Thompson, Wellsville. The team prepared "Tailgate Stew," and also won first place in the recipe category. Teams from Illinois and Kansas tied for intermediate other beef showmanship. Illinois team members prepared "Pesto-Stuffed Burgers" and included Jennifer Ewing, Rushville; Emily Harrell, Roseville; Andrea Hosto, Alhambra; Gabrielle Lemenager, Clifton; Caitlin McClure, Saint Francisville; and Kayla Widerman, Good Hope. Kansas team members include Jacinda Dickinson, Glasco; Amanda Laas and Ashley Laas, both of Brookville; Peter Lundgren, Ottawa; and Tyler Ottensmeier, McLouth. Kansas prepared "Farmer's Market Vegetable, Beef and Brown Rice Salad." Taking home first place overall in the junior other beef division is the team from Arkansas. Carson Alsup, Gravette; Caitlin Haley, Quitman; Haley Hipp, Harrison; Taylor LaCour, Berryville; Will Pohlman, Prairie Grove; and Katlyn Tunstill, Fayetteville, prepared "The Big Angus Burger." They also won first place in both the recipe and showmanship categories. This year's winning recipes follow: Overall Steak Winning Recipe--Arkansas Stuffed CAB Tenderloin 1 CAB tenderloin, 3 to 4 lb., or 4 tenderloin filet steaks, cut 2-inches thick salt, pepper, other seasonings to taste olive oil Stuffing: 5 packages of the 6 oz. Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix 1 1/2 cups dried cherries 1 oz. chopped walnuts 1 oz. Gorgonzola cheese crumbles 1 can (14 oz.) beef broth To prepare stuffing, slightly reconstitute cherries by heating in a bowl with water for 1 minute in microwave oven. Drain cherries and mix all ingredients, adding broth gradually to reach a moist consistency. Bake extra stuffing for the meal if desired. Heat grill to 500 F. Coat the tenderloin with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and other seasonings of your preference. Place on hot grill and sear all sides well. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Lower grill temperature to 400 F. After meat has rested, using an 8-inch knife, carefully pierce the meat in the center of one end. Cut a hole through that side as far into the end as the knife will allow. Turn to the other end and repeat this process, until the hole extends all the way through the filet. Open the hole like a tunnel, being careful not to break through to the outside of the filet. Using small amounts at a time, stuff the stuffing mix into the tunnel opening from one end to the other. Wrap the stuffed tenderloin in foil and return to the grill. Cook to an internal temperature of 120 to 125 F. Slice the stuffed tenderloin onto a platter and garnish with more cherries and sauce, if desired. If using steaks, slice a pocket into the side of each steak, stuff each pocket with stuffing. Press cut to seal or secure with toothpicks presoaked in water. Grill steaks until desired doneness. Note: The tenderloin may also be butterflied, stuffed and tied back together with kitchen string. The tenderloin can also be roasted in the oven after stuffing it. Overall Roast Winning Recipe--Oklahoma Chipotle Beef Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce 2 lb. CAB chuck roast, trimmed and cut 1-inch thick 1 1/2 cup grapefruit juice 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup honey 1 clove garlic, mashed 1 tsp. salt 1/2 to 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder Chimichurri sauce: 1 stick butter, softened 3 Tbs. green onion, minced 1 tsp. fresh cilantro, minced 1 Tbs. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice Vegetables: onion slices green pepper slices 4 to 6 whole button mushrooms Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic, salt and chipotle chili powder in nonreactive dish or sealable food storage bag. Stir to blend well. Add meat cubes and marinate sealed or covered in refrigerator for several hours or overnight, turning occasionally to keep meat coated. When ready to cook kabobs, alternately thread skewers with the cubes of meat, alternating with vegetables onto four 12-inch metal skewers. Grill for 14 to 18 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning once. Meanwhile, prepare chimichurri sauce. Place cilantro, garlic, salt and chipotle peppers in food processor container. Cover; process until chopped. While running food processor, slowly add butter and lime juice through opening in cover, processing until blended. Remove kabobs from grill and season with salt, as desired. Serve kabobs with chimichurri sauce. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired. Overall Other Beef Winning Recipe--Nebraska Blue Cheese Brisket 4 lb. precooked CAB smoked brisket, flat sliced Blue cheese topping: 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing 1/4 cup virgin olive oil 8 strips hickory-smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled 2 Tbs. prepared chopped garlic 2 cups chopped shallots 2 cups red bell pepper, finely diced 2 cups blue cheese crumbles salt pepper Remove beef from refrigerator. Open package, and allow to warm to room temperature while preparing topping. Have grill hot. In bowl, add Italian dressing, olive oil, crumbled bacon, garlic, shallots and pepper. Toss well. Heat electric skillet to 350 to 400 F. Dump bowl ingredients into skillet. Stir and heat until peppers and shallots start to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from skillet, draining excess oil with slotted spoon, return to bowl. Immediately add blue cheese. Toss well, adding salt and pepper as needed. Place brisket on hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Remove meat from grill directly onto serving plates, placing 3 to 4 slices of meat on each plate. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of topping onto meat. Serve with corn-on-the-cob and new potatoes. 9/1/08 Date: 8/22/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2009. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
