Meat judging trains young people in decision making skills related to the evaluation of wholesale and retail cuts of meat. Team members learn:
- To evaluate meat quality
- To determine the lean to fat proportions of retail and wholesale cuts
- To identify retail cuts of beef, pork and lamb as to the wholesale cut name, retail cut name, type of cut and recommended cooking methods
- To develop communication skills through oral reasons
The 4-H Meal Judging Contest will consist of the following classes:
- Retail Cut Identification: Depending on availability, there will be 25 – 30 retail cuts. Teams will identify species, primal (wholesale) cut, retail cut name, type of cut and cookery method.
- Retail Cut Judging: There will be two – three classes selected from Beef Rib Steak, Small End (Bone-in or Boneless), Beef T-Bone or Porterhouse Steaks, Pork Loin Chops, Pork Loin Rib Chops, Pork Ham Smoked Center Slice or Lamb Leg Sirloin Chops. These cuts have similar terminology to each other (Beef T-Bone & Pork Loin chop) and to the primal cut judging.
- Primal (Wholesale) cut Judging: There will be two classes selected from Beef ribs, Beef Short Loins, Pork Fresh Hams or Pork Center Cut Loins.
Practice Session Information
Contact Mary Morgan at the Extension Office at (731) 364-3164 or markmorg@utk.edu if you are interested in participating with the Meats Judging Contest.