Contact:           Sherry Hill                    303/850-3441              s.hill@beef.org  

                        Katie Trotsky                312/228-6846             katie.trotsky@ketchum.com 

national beef cook-off® educates media on beef cookery trends 

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Feb. 27, 2006) – The National Beef Cook-Off^® was recently the focus of an exclusive media event featuring the winning recipes and trends from last year’s competition.  The luncheon was on Jan. 18, 2006 at New York’s BLT Prime restaurant, where numerous food editors from leading national magazines expanded their knowledge of beef cookery.

Editors were also educated on the Flat Iron and Ranch steaks – Beef Value Cuts developed through a checkoff-funded muscle-profiling study designed to find greater value in underutilized beef cuts. American National Cattlewomen, Inc. hosted the event on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Beef Checkoff Program, which provides a portion of the funding for the National Beef Cook-Off^®.  

The event focused on insights from the 2005 competition, consumer trends and ingenuity applied when cooking chuck and round beef cuts, and the “umami” effect with the pairing of extremely flavorful ingredients and beef. The introduction of the Flat Iron Steak at retail meat cases was also featured.  Attendees viewed a beef cutting demonstration of the Flat Iron and Ranch Steak from the beef shoulder clod muscle. They also dined on Linda Morten’s $50,000 Grand Prize “Best of Beef” winning recipe from 2005 – Blazin’ Colorado Steaks, featuring the Flat Iron Steak.  This event further educated media on the impact of the biennial contest, while bringing modern-day beef trends to life.

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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

The National Beef Cook-Off^® is a biennial contest created in 1974 by the American National CattleWomen, Inc. (ANCW) and the National Cattlemen’s Association. It is now administered by ANCW on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board and State Beef Councils. 

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