Indonesian Chefs Receive U.S. Beef, Pork Culinary Training

USMEF’s Sabrina Yin prepares U.S pork dishes for a tasting by Indonesian chefs during the U.S. Meat Culinary Program in Singapore

USMEF-ASEAN hosted Indonesian chefs at a U.S. meat culinary program designed to give them new menu ideas and help them prepare specific cuts. Funding support for the two-day program was provided by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), the Beef Checkoff Program and the Pork Checkoff.

Participants first learned about different cuts and specifications of U.S. beef through a cutting and cooking demonstration featuring U.S. beef heel muscle, rib finger, short plate, chuck short ribs and sirloin flap followed. The chefs sampled a variety of dishes created with these cuts.

Sabrina Yin, USMEF-ASEAN director and lead instructor for the program, broke down the chuck roll and explained to the chefs that although this cut is often made into hamburger due to its rich flavor and balance of lean meat and fat, it can also be used many other ways. For this demonstration, it was made into chuck eye steaks and grilled.

“The chefs appreciated the different textures of the various cuts and how they could use alternative U.S. beef cuts in Asian and Western cuisines,” said Yin.

The second day of the program focused on U.S. pork and pork products. Yin explained production, cuts and specifications and U.S. pork’s suitability in various cuisines. Samples of U.S. pork spare ribs (St. Louis style), butt, belly and sausages were prepared for the chefs.

Yin presented an overview of USMEF and distributed educational materials on the U.S. red meat industry

The chefs also watched videos on U.S. pork production and the National Pork Board’s promotional video titled “One Cut at a Time” and went home with educational information on U.S. red meat.

Indonesia recently relaxed restrictions on popular beef cuts such as short plate and short ribs, but the market remains challenging. For example, importers still must purchase a certain volume of domestic beef before being granted import permits. Indonesia also remains closed to high-demand variety meat items such as beef hearts and livers.

While opportunities for U.S. pork are limited in Indonesia, importers report growing interest in foodservice items, including ribs. Last year exports of U.S. pork to Indonesia totaled 442 metric tons (mt), up 8 percent from 2014. The United States is Indonesia’s largest pork supplier.

Further outreach to Indonesian chefs and other food industry professionals is planned in March at the Food & Hotel Tourism Bali trade show.