4-H members learn food safety, culinary skills

Grilling is considered one of America’s favorite past times. What could be better than a juicy steak for dinner?
The 4-H outdoor meat cookery contest held each year teaches 4-H member not only how to grill meat to perfection, but also the importance of food safety, teamwork, and food presentation.
Recently, after weeks of practice learning to start fires in a grill and being able to judge a meat’s doneness, 12 DeKalb County 4-H members entered the Central Region 4-H Outdoor Meat Cookery Contest. Each 4-Her was given two hours to set up their own grill, start a fire, grill their meat, and prepare an appetizing platter presentation along with their teammates.
Congratulations to 4-Hers who recently competed in the regional 4-H Outdoor Meat Cookery Contest held at the Wilson County fairgrounds.
Nate Sherwood, Nathaniel Theriaque, Elliott Cook, and Wyatt Martin were on the junior high team which placed 9th in the region. Nate placed 4th in the chicken grilling division; Wyatt placed 8th in the pork grilling division; Elliott placed 5th in the lamb grilling division, and Nathaniel placed 10th in the beef grilling division.
Casey Vickers, Morgan Vickers, Preston Cripps, and Justin Bass were on a separate junior high team. Their team placed 10th in the region. Casey placed 3rd in the beef category and Morgan placed 8th in the lamb category. Justin placed 12th in the chicken grilling division and Preston placed 7th in the pork grilling division.
The Senior team members included Elizabeth Sanders, Riley Young, Hunter Collins, and Kayley Green and they placed 4th in the region. Riley placed 1st in the chicken grilling division; Kayley placed 3rd in the pork grilling division; Elizabeth placed 4th in the lamb grilling division; and Hunter placed 5th in the beef grilling division.
The University of Tennessee Extension offers all its programs to everyone in the county. For more information about 4-H or other Extension programs, feel free to contact us at 597-4945 or find us on Facebook under UT Extension – DeKalb County.