Davey Griffin and the anatomy of a brisket
The Texas Barbecue Town Hall meeting, a one-day event dedicated to those involved in the commercial barbecue business, will be held at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas on Monday, December 15, 2014. This first-time meeting will be hosted by the Meat Science Section of the Department of Animal Science and will be held in the Kleberg Animal and Food Sciences Center and the Rosenthal Meat Center.
“Over the past several years, there has been unprecedented growth in popularity of Texas Barbecue and in the number of new ventures specializing in it, but the challenges faced by today’s restaurants with rising beef and pork prices, competing markets for raw materials domestically and internationally, confusing labeling, grading, and marketing claims, and a lack of clarity in terminology and specifications for traditional and new products makes this a perfect time to host this event for the benefit of the barbecue industry in this state,” according to Jeff Savell, one of the leaders of the Texas Barbecue program at Texas A&M University.
The initial list of topics to be covered include:
- Economic outlook on supplies, prices, and availability of beef, pork, and poultry products
- Primer on USDA quality grades and marketing claims
- Overview of the anatomy of key popular cuts for barbecue
- Alternative cuts for barbecuing
- Tips for improving in-house sausage making
The meeting will begin at 10 AM and end around 5 pm and will involve both lectures and hands-on demonstrations. “We chose a Monday for the meeting knowing that many restaurants are closed that day, which may allow for some operators to bring key in-house staff with them,” said Savell. “Hopefully, people can drive in, attend the meeting and be back home later that night without having to spend too much time away.”
The Texas Barbecue Town Hall meeting is sponsored by the E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chair in Animal Science. To register for the meeting, email Jeff Savell at j-savell@tamu.edu or call at 979-845-3992 (office) or 979-255-6676 (mobile).
