Reciprocal Meat Conference Abstracts

SDSU BBQ Bootcamp Increases Consumer Knowledge about Meat Selection and Preparation

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Abstract

ObjectivesThe objective of the South Dakota State University (SDSU) BBQ Bootcamp program is to increase consumer’s knowledge of retail cuts of meat, methods to prepare the cuts at home, and proper food handling. In recent years, beef consumption per capita has declined by 7.7%, while pork and poultry consumption have increased by 19.7 and 76.7%, respectively. Changes in consumption can be attributed to price, convenience, and knowledge of cuts and cookery methods. In addition to meat selection, whether or not consumers opt to prepare food at home or dine out has been linked to convenience, value, speed of preparation, and taste preferences. SDSU BBQ Bootcamp aims to address these areas of consumer preferences by addressing value cuts, methods of preparation, and flavoring.Materials and MethodsSDSU BBQ Bootcamp programs combined presentations and demonstrations that address 4 knowledge areas: 1) meat selection and retail cuts; 2) grilling, smoking, and barbequing; 3) food safety and degrees of doneness; and 4) spices, rubs, and marinades. Speakers discussed selection of known retail cuts, but emphasized the selection and preparation of new value cuts and participants are offered samples of these cuts. In addition, participants are offered the opportunity to sample products of different degrees of doneness, as well as samples prepared with various spices and marinades. The courses were approximately 2.5 h in duration and were generally presented to an audience of 25 to 35 participants. At the end each program participants were provided a meal of the demonstrated meats along with side dishes, and a dessert prepared using a grill or smoker, followed by a question and answer session. At the end of each course, participants were asked to complete an evaluation of the program using a Likert scale where 1 = not valuable, absolutely not, and no knowledge and 10 = highly valuable, absolutely, and expert knowledge with regard to presentation effectiveness, speaker explanations, and knowledge level before and after the program, respectively. Additional open-ended questions were asked on surveys to improve future BBQ Bootcamp programs hosted by SDSU personnel. Data of pre- and post-knowledge was analyzed using a paired t test.ResultsTwenty-eight SDSU BBQ Bootcamp programs have been presented reaching over 900 consumers from 2012 to 2017. Of the respondents (n = 357; 39.7% respondent rate), the average rating for pre-knowledge of meat-related topics was 5.90 and post-knowledge was 8.11 (P < 0.05), demonstrating the effectiveness of the materials and demonstrations utilized in the program. Overall, 94.3% of participants responded that the course was beneficial and 93.2% responded that the course improved their understanding about food safety and proper cooking temperatures.ConclusionThe majority of participants responded that the BBQ Bootcamp improved their knowledge of meat selection and preparation. Results indicate that the SDSU BBQ Bootacamp demonstration-based extension program focusing on meat selection and preparation can increase consumer knowledge about meat products and at-home preparation.

Keywords: Education, meat selection, meat preparation

How to Cite:

McKinney, S., Fehrman, C., Webb, M., Rhody, A., Grubbs, J. K., Underwood, K. & Blair, A., (2018) “SDSU BBQ Bootcamp Increases Consumer Knowledge about Meat Selection and Preparation”, Meat and Muscle Biology 2(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.221751/rmc2018.147