Culinary Camp in the Philippines Shares Advantages of U.S. Beef, Pork, Lamb

Educating Filipino chefs and restaurant operators about the quality and value of U.S. beef, pork and lamb, USMEF conducted a U.S. Meat Culinary Training Camp in Bohol province, a popular tourist destination located in the central region of the Philippines. Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board, the two-day camp included cutting and cooking demonstrations and samplings of U.S. red meat dishes.

USMEF Culinary Assistant Lawrence Char explained to chefs and restaurant operators in the Philippines how U.S. beef can be profitable for their businesses

The training workshop also pointed out advantages of U.S. processed pork products and the different cuts of U.S. beef that can be utilized when making American-style hamburgers.

A presentation by USMEF Culinary Assistant Lawrence Char provided insight for those on the business side of the hospitality sector. Char shared information on yield, portioning and profitable menu concepts featuring U.S. red meat.

“Along with the chefs and restaurant operators, USMEF invited three local importers to send sales staff and some of their most valued U.S. meat customers to attend the culinary training camp,” said Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN. “The importers took advantage of this invitation because they understand the value of this experience and the education that can be gained about U.S. red meat.”

The first day of the camp was dedicated to U.S. beef and began with Monica Regaspi, USMEF representative in the Philippines, focusing on the quality of U.S. beef, the USDA grading system and the advantages of grain-fed beef. Several cuts of U.S. beef were introduced, including top blade muscle, top sirloin, short plate and ribeye. A cutting demonstration was performed, along with an explanation of the different applications for each cut.

Following a cooking demonstration by Char, participants tasted samples of grilled U.S. beef rib finger and short plate, as well as U.S. pork spare ribs.

In the evening, a barbecue dinner was served, complete with a grilling station for camp participants to grill cuts they had prepared and marinated earlier in the day.

Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN, demonstrates the many uses for U.S. pork and lamb cuts during the U.S. Meat Culinary Training Camp in the Philippines

The second day focused on U.S. pork and lamb. Yin showed U.S. pork videos that detailed production and harvest practices, then explained different cuts of both U.S. pork and lamb. The discussion continued with a cutting demonstration featuring U.S. pork Boston butt, ham leg and spareribs, along with bone-in U.S. lamb breast and riblets.

Monica Regaspi, USMEF representative in the Philippines, gives an overview of the U.S. red meat industry at the U.S. Meat Culinary Training Camp

Char shared recipe ideas for the highlighted cuts and samples of cooked U.S. pork loin and U.S. lamb riblets were given to the participants.

Upon completion of the intensive two-day training, participants were given meat charts, fact sheets and other educational materials to take back to their respective businesses to share with colleagues and staffs. Yin also shared USMEF’s social media pages for the ASEAN region, noting that they feature links to interesting and useful culinary websites and videos, as well as highlights from USMEF activities in the region.