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Alternative Cuts of U.S. Beef, U.S. Processed Pork Promoted at Food Taipei

Published: Sep 25, 2018

Focusing on the value of alternative cuts of U.S. beef and the versatility of U.S. pork, USMEF participated in the 2018 Food Taipei show with cutting and cooking demonstrations and tasting samples. Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), the National Pork Board and the Beef Checkoff Program, USMEF’s display at the show was a barnyard set with the theme, “Farm to Table.”

Chefs prepare alternative cuts of U.S. beef at the USMEF display booth at Food Taipei

More than 1,600 exhibitors displayed products at the trade show, with attendance topping 62,000.

“To continue our past efforts in promoting alternative cuts of U.S. beef, and to give visitors a better understanding of the characteristics of these cuts, we divided our area into three sessions – U.S. beef cutting demonstration and display, cooking demonstration and new cuts sampling,” explained Davis Wu, USMEF director in Taiwan.

In the cutting segment, USMEF butcher and chef Kody Chung cut U.S. beef petite tender, clod heart, tri tip, brisket, top sirloin butt and plate finger. Chung explained each cut and detailed its characteristics. He also offered menu ideas for hot pot, yakiniku, barbecue and steak dishes.

“Our goal in the cutting demonstration was to show attendees how to increase the value of U.S. beef by using these alternative cuts in many different ways,” said Wu.

Following the cutting demonstration, chef Fly Pan prepared and cooked dishes with U.S. beef tri tip, plate finger, top sirloin cap and brisket. The dishes were cooked in Taiwanese, Japanese and American styles and handed out as samples.

Visitors to the 2018 Food Taipei show sample U.S. beef dishes and U.S. pork products at the USMEF booth

To increase Taiwanese consumers’ awareness of U.S. pork – along with the many uses for pork products – USMEF displayed Johnsonville sausages and Spam, the canned cooked meat produced by Hormel Foods Corporation.

USMEF’s display at the 2018 Food Taipei show was a barnyard setting to match the theme “Farm to Table”

“We also displayed smoked, encrusted U.S. pork ribs, the product that we have launched last year with Jin Ku Food Corporation, one of the biggest local pork importers. The ribs gained a fair amount of popularity among the visitors to Food Taipei and many showed interest in purchasing them. We offered processed pork products to try to introduce more people to what is available. Many Taiwanese are becoming interested in convenience foods, and there are several high-quality products made with U.S. pork,” said Wu.