Nolan Ryan Beef Hires Texas A&M Grad

The story about the company's growth and hiring of A&M alum, Alyx Tschirhart, here.

Congrats to Alyx!

Pictures from this week's Beef Cattle Short Course are up on our Facebook and Flickr page!

What a great few days with these kids!

Check out the photos on Facebook and Flickr.

Beef Grading - 4H Meat Judging

Here, Dan Hale, a professor and AgriLife Extension meat specialist, explains the different aspects of beef carcass evaluation: quality, muscling, and trimness.

Environmental and Economic Impact of Removing Growth-Enhancing Technologies from US Beef Production

View the story by Jude Capper here.

Spicy Beef And Potato Curry

Ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped
2 serrano chiles (remove seeds for a more mild taste)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon peanut or expeller-pressed canola oil
1 3/4 pounds sirloin tip steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/4 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves


Directions
In a blender, combine onion, chiles, garlic and 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
In a large skillet with a tightly fitting lid, heat oil over high heat. Sprinkle steak with salt. Add half the steak pieces to the  skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon; repeat with remaining steak. Set aside.


Return the skillet medium-high heat and add cinnamon, coriander, cumin and turmeric; stir for 10 seconds and then add the onion and chile mixture. Simmer for 1 minute and then stir in coconut milk, tomatoes and sugar. Add the beef back in, cover the skillet, and simmer 40 minutes. Stir in potatoes and continue to simmer until beef and potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes more; remove the lid during last 10 minutes of simmering if you would like a thicker sauce. Remove cinnamon stick; taste curry and add more salt if desired. Serve garnished with cilantro.


This recipe serves 4-6. You could also add 2 cups of frozen peas or sliced okra during the final 10 minutes of cooking and serve over rice!

Find the recipe here.

Roast Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup warm water
2 1/2 pounds trimmed beef tenderloin roast, tied
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 cup veal or chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream


1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1. Combine porcini mushrooms and water in a bowl; soak until soft, 1 hour. Drain and reserve liquid. Dice and set mushrooms and reserved liquid aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Place beef in the skillet; cook until brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side.
4. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 tablespoon butter, shallots, and a pinch of salt; cook until shallots are soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Pour tarragon vinegar into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping any browned bits off of the bottom. Stir until liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Pour in veal or chicken stock, cream, 1/2 cup reserved mushroom liquid, mushrooms, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Return beef to the skillet.
7. Roast in the preheated oven until meat is medium rare, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F. Transfer meat to a plate and loosely tent with foil. Set skillet over high heat and bring pan juices to a boil.
8. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and tarragon; season with salt and pepper to taste. Return tenderloin and any accumulated juices to skillet and serve.


Find the recipe here, also, a helpful video on how to make it!

"Deb's Meatloaf"

Rainy weather makes comfort food taste even better.


Meatloaf Ingredients

2 lb. hamburger meat

1 lg. chopped sweet onion

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 egg

2 tsp. Worcestershire

1 cup ketchup

1 cup oatmeal

For Topping

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

4 tsp. dry mustard

(Bring to a boil and pour on top of meatloaf)

Directions

Mix meatloaf ingredients and bake in a 9x9 baking dish with the lid on for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Mix topping and put on top of meatloaf for 15 more minutes with the lid off.

http://rainydayrecipes.com/main/meatloaf.html

Independence Day!

Meat is the most nutrient rich part of most Independence Day celebration by far (Protein, vitamins, and minerals).

Happy July 4th!

Did You Know: Freshman Fifteen?

Calves gain 5 times their body weight in the first 6 months!

Inspiring Agriculture Blog!

Check out Cattle Call, a WordPress blog sometime!

It is a great and inspiring blog about the importance of sharing the history and current events happening in the agriculture community.

Juicy Burger

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced


Directions
1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic using your hands. Form the mixture into 8 hamburger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill patties 5 minutes per side, or until well done.


These burgers take 15 minutes of prep time, 10 minutes of cook time, and ready in 35 minutes. Quick, easy, and juicy!

Good morning!

And happy first day of summer!

What's your favorite thing to grill during these hot summer months?

Delicious Savory Garlic Marinated Steaks!

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 (1/2 pound) rib-eye steaks

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.

2. Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

3. Preheat grill for medium-high to high heat.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Discard leftover marinade.

This recipe is for 2 people, but if you go to the recipe online, you can change it up for more or less people! 

Let us know how this tastes!

A few pictures from BBQ Camp!

Participants enjoying Martin's barbecue.

A BBQ Pit Master at work!

Enjoying the historic Martin's atmosphere.

Hot coals at Martin's.

Delicious chicken, brisket, and ribs!

Beef 101!

Here at Texas A&M, the Meat Science section has been very busy! Not only are we welcoming the Class of 2016 through their New Student Conferences, but Beef 101 was in session from June 4-June 6!

We like to use the tagline of, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Beef”, and the 40 men and women who attended this three-day program certainly learned everything they wanted to know about beef and more! It is the leading education program for the basics about the beef industry.

While the participants were here, they interacted with our faculty, staff, and graduate student instructors. The workshop began with the evaluation of beef cattle: how cattle are raised, fed, and handled. Later, the participants learn about how to grade beef carcasses. The second day is when one of our most popular activities takes place: The participants are given the opportunity to team up in small numbers with an instructor to cut an entire side of beef into component parts!

To finish out the program (along with many other activities taking place throughout the week), and another favorite part of Beef 101, was sampling various cuts to demonstrate how the different cuts, grades, and technologies affect the experience consumers have while consuming beef.

If you are interested in attending Beef 101, our next session is December 5-7, 2012. If you are interested in attending, email Dr. Davey Griffin (dgriff@tamu.edu). For more information, visit the Beef 101 website.

Thanks & Gig Em!

Howdy and Welcome to Meat Sense!

We are here to help you learn and understand the world of meat and livestock production. We are experts on the science of meat - from the ranch to on your dinner plate!

If you have any questions, be sure to let us know!