Students in the Advanced Processed and Cured Meat course at Texas Tech showed off the work they've invested in for months. They were challenged to create an original processed meat item for a meat show held on campus.
"Well we've been preparing all semester learning the different ways you can process a meat product," Loni Wolley, a Senior Animal Sciences major, said.
Students took their book smarts and got their hands busy with animal carcass creativity.
"They've really jumped in and worked hard to create a good food show, and they've been very successful at that," Dr. Chance Brooks, an associate professor for the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, said.
Wooley said meat processsing might not be the typical dream job, but she's proud of her love for food production.
"I just found my passion for it. It's something that not everyone really knows about, going into a packing plant and putting on a hard hat and hair net and looking at beef carcasses and things like that, but it's something I'm really interested in," Wooley said.
Before the meat show, students attended lab and lecture about the scientific principles associated with making meat. The meat show displayed each student's application of the course materials with an actual processed meat item.
"And so that culminated into today where they actually present their products in a food show for people to evaluate for the course instructor to evaluate," Dr. Brooks said.
Each student was responsible for coming up with a unique recipe, listing the ingredients, making the product, and displaying it for sampling at the show.
"Adding some kind of flavor, mixing, or sausages, things like that," Wooley said.
Dr. Brooks said the meat show was an ideal way for future meat producers to get practical experience.
"The learning experiences I've had that are the most beneficial and the most memorable are those which I got to do a lot of hands on and I could actually see the principles applied," Dr. Brooks said.
The USDA-inspected and approved meat items were available for tasting and purchase at the show. Dr. Brooks said there is a little competition involved as each student's meat item was judged by the instructor and people at the meat show for taste, originality, and presentation.
