Seminars Aim to Expand Role of US Beef, Pork on China’s Menus
CHINA - Helping chefs in China’s restaurant sector gain new ideas for red meat dishes and sharing with them the attributes US beef and pork bring to those dishes, USMEF organised a pair of seminars in Shanghai led by Chef Jay McCarthy.
12 December 2018
3 minute read
The US Red Meat Seminars were funded by the Beef Checkoff Programme and the National Pork Board. USMEF is a contractor of the Beef Checkoff.
The first seminar was labeled a "Latina Foodservice Training" and held at Latina Grill, a South American-style restaurant chain that has more than 30 locations in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
The franchise’s standard menu offers steak, grilled mutton and sausages. According to Ming Liang, USMEF marketing director in China, Latina Grill has been using US beef for five months – mostly ribeye, top sirloin cap and bottom sirloin.
"The chain really wants to offer an authentic American-style barbecue dish to diners, so USMEF arranged this training to give them new ideas and help make US beef stand out on the menu," said Mr Liang.
After an overview of the US beef industry, Mr McCarthy conducted an educational session on US beef cuts and aging methods.
He then performed a cutting demonstration using US beef top sirloin cap, top blade muscle and boneless short ribs in the following dishes: US beef top sirloin cap prime rib rub, short plate burned ends and grilled boneless short rib.
A tasting session allowed attendees to experience the flavor of Mr McCarthy’s work and recognise the potential for US beef as a restaurant menu mainstay.
A second seminar was held at the Stonesal Steakhouse, a high-end restaurant that opened in Shanghai in 2017, about the time US beef regained access in China.
More than 60 guests, including executive chefs from various Shanghai restaurants, food and beverage managers from high-end hotels and nearly 20 food journalists and bloggers, participated in the seminar.
Mr McCarthy stressed the flavors of US beef and pork and explained how grain-fed beef differs from grass-fed product.
He then presented a few of his signature dishes: US pork tomahawk steak with rosemary serrano rub and red chimichurri sauce and US beef cowboy ribeye steak.
"At our request, the Stonesal staff dry-aged the ribeye for 42 days and chef Jay explained the process and where the unique flavor comes from," said Mr Liang.
"He is an expert in preparation of underutilized cuts of beef, including chuck and round cuts, so he talked about the many US cuts that are available and how they can be used in many different ways."
The seminar garnered positive responses from the journalists and bloggers who attended. Coverage included articles and posts on the social media site WeChat and in traditional newspapers and magazines.
TheCattleSite News Desk
