Looking to switch it up this holiday season? Beefitswhatsfordinner.com has options for every taste & budget to help consumers looking to try something new at the meat case this Holiday Season. As the snow starts to fall, furnaces are kicking on & shopping lists are being formed check out the following links for recipes and cooking recommendations for your favorite Classic Holiday Dinner:   

 ·       If you’re planning for an upscale holiday dinner a beef roast can save the day. While a Filet Mignon is well known and loved a Rib Roast or Loin Roast, is a flavorful alternative. Discover mouthwatering recipes, learn new cooking tips, and explore the cut that makes a roast a prime holiday alternative. https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/newsroom/tips-for-holiday-roast   

 ·       If beef isn’t the center of your holiday celebration but you still want it part of your day this year check out all the different ways to incorporate beef into your holiday meal plans https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/cooking/holidays   

·       Running out of new recipes to impress the in-laws? Check out the collection of holiday recipes at https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/collection/10048/holiday-entertaining for inspiration   

 ·       Make your holiday gathering one they will talk about for years to come. Stick with the classics to impress. https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/collection/33393/classic-holiday-dinners   

For more cut information, recipes, and cooking inspiration, visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com this holiday season.

According to the 2017 Cattlemen’s Stewardship Review, about 20 percent of U.S. cattlemen and cattlewomen have served in the military, more than the national average of 14 percent. And 39 percent donate their time to other civic organizations, compared to a national average of 7 percent. Here is one story of New York beef producers making a difference. Brothers John and Peter Lehning grew up on a small farm in western New York active in 4-H raising cows, sheep, and chickens. Their love of agriculture came from their father who was born and raised on a dairy farm but who enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from high school. His service inspired both brothers to follow in their father’s footsteps and pursue careers in the military. “Although my dad never talks much about his combat experience during the Korean War, his service is what guided my interest in joining the United States Air Force,” said John.  Both brothers went to college through the ROTC program. John studied criminal justice at Michigan State University and Peter went to Cornell to major in environmental science. They completed their education knowing military service was meant for them.  John spent more than 24 years flying aerial refueling tankers around the globe and as a Special Operations 757 pilot while Peter flew medical evacuation helicopters in Iraq and led health care operations in Afghanistan. Military service is a family affair as both of their wives are veterans as well. Peter’s wife, Lisa, served in the Army and now works full-time for the Veterans Administration, and John’s wife, Sandi, volunteered in the Peace Corps in Africa before serving as a Public Health Officer in the Air Force. John and Peter loved their military service and the experiences it provided for more than two decades, but after retiring, it was time for them to return to their agricultural roots in upstate New York. They started Lehning Farms with a couple of Red Angus breeding pairs and have grown to an average-sized herd of 25 head. Their wives and children all have a hand in the operation and the farm partnership works well for the entire family, especially with John’s unique schedule as a full-time pilot for American Airlines. “You are never bored when you have property and manage a farm,” said Peter. “I love the rural lifestyle and appreciate what this area has to offer me and my family.” Lehning Farms direct markets beef to customers looking for halves, quarters, or a 25 lb. box of assorted cuts.  “Our customers like the pasture to plate concept and want to support local producers,” said Peter. “The box option is a unique way to meet the needs of this niche market by providing product in a way that still fits in their freezers.” Beyond the day-to-day farming duties, John and Peter find time to volunteer with a variety of local organizations. In addition, Peter currently serves as Chairman of the New York Beef Council, and he and John are actively involved with the New York Beef Producers Association.  Agriculture runs deep in the family. In addition to the cattle operation, Sandi has a successful business providing cut flowers for weddings and parties, the Lehning’s sister, Sarah, in Virginia is the lead grower in a greenhouse operation and numerous aunts and uncles are involved with vegetable and dairy farming.  Their lives may be busy with farming and family, but there is still time for some brotherly banter. While both brothers flew aircraft in the military, there is a little friendly debate as to whether planes or helicopters remain supreme. John prefers the speed and agility of a supersonic trainer like the T-38 Talon, and Peter enjoys the reliable “Huey” helicopter, which is unforgiving, but a great machine to learn how to fly. No matter what the sibling rivalry may be when it comes to aviation, both agree that returning home and raising cattle is the best way to live.

The attendees included dietetic interns from Syracuse University and D’Youville College. The farmers led the attendees on a tour of the farm and discussed the daily practices of caring for the cattle, the land, and water. They discussed rotation grazing, how cattle improve soil health, and Beef Quality Assurance training. They explored beef sustainability and learned that cattle are unique in our food system because they upcycle inedible grass and plants into high-quality protein that families enjoy.  Interns were also educated about the nutrition of beef by dietitian consultant Michelle Barber.  The attendees were very engaging and had a strong desire to know about cattle care and the environmental impact of beef production. Survey results of participants showed a very positive shift in their view of the environmental impact of beef farming. Those who are concerned about cattle farming practices dropped from 85% to 14% after the tours.  After the tours, those who would recommend beef consumption 3 to 4 times a week increased from 20% percent to 67% percent. “The experience was VERY insightful to the practices, the production, and the overall operation of where beef actually comes from. Knowing more about the cows themselves and the nutritional benefits I found all to be very insightful,” wrote an attendee.  NYBC’s nutrition program is financially supported by the Kansas and Nebraska Beef Councils. For more information on the event, contact Jean O’Toole at [email protected]

NYBC’s focus with the Build Your Base program is on helping and arming local communities with the information and resources to support the health and efforts of their local athletes.  We are committed to giving athletes, their families, and coaches tips and strategies that they can put into action to perform better and be healthier!  No more guesswork! Athletes, their families, and coaches will have the ability to gain access to simple-to-follow, easy-to-make beef-powered recipes and meals plans that support athletic performance and recovery.    NYBC is committed, with the help of the partnership with NYSPHSAA to providing athletes in our programs with up-to-date, evidence-based tips and strategies for using protein to support muscle growth and recovery.  Helping student-athletes eat to perform better on the field and court is second to helping them gain the nutrition skills needed to be healthy throughout their life.  Jean O’Toole, Executive Director of NYBC states, “as a former high school and collegiate athlete, I wish this program was available to help guide me nutritionally as an athlete, we are excited at NYBC to provide the opportunity for high school and collegiate sports programs the opportunity to bring a science and research-based program focused on nutrition to the athletes of New York!”   NYBC will be present at numerous New York Public High School state championships and will be providing beef jerky to student-athletes participating in select championship events throughout the scholastic year!   Interested in implementing the Build Your Base Program in your school, or looking to find out more information about Build Your Base, go to www.buildyourbase.org and more information about the New York Beef Council visit, www.nybeef.org. 

This virtual evening event focused on at-home beef butchery and cookery. Food bloggers from throughout New York, with the assistance of NYBC in purchasing a strip loin sub-primal, received the first-ever online butchery lesson from master butcher Kari Underly. Underly is the owner of Range Meat Academy and author of Art of Beef Cutting, a James Beard nominated book. Using two video cameras, Kari led the cutting of the sub-primal showing influencers how to create strip steaks, strip roasts, and petite strip filets.  In addition, she discussed how to utilize all meat and fat scraps to ensure using practically the whole sub-primal. 

“The versatility of the strip loin makes for great discussion and lessons in both cutting and cookery,” added Jean O’Toole, Executive Director of New York Beef Council. “With the new knowledge from today’s event attendees understand how this one cut can be further broken down to and utilized for multiple great eating experiences.” Post evaluations of the event revealed that 100% of attendees would recommend this opportunity to their colleagues and all rated the experience a 5 out of 5 star rating! 

Social influencers were asked to document their learnings and create a recipe utilizing the meat they cut during the event. Initial social analytics show the reach to be over 12,000 followers, over 15,000 impressions and nearly 1,000 engagements with the bloggers’ posts. The video of the learnings from the event can be found on the New York Beef Council’s YouTube page so you can cut your own beef too! 

Cutting meat in person is a challenge, but cutting meat virtually takes a lot of patience! I think I would've double checked/leaned on Kari a bit more if I were in person. But, in a way this then just gave me more confidence because I had to move forward (and I knew I could go off mute and ask a question if I felt like I really needed to). 

The NYBC’s goal is to serve as the premier source of beef information to the influencers in our region. Events such as this allow the Beef Checkoff to engage directly, even in a virtual format, with influencers and bloggers to highlight beef’s versatility, quality and taste. Attendees reflected upon the event by saying, “I never thought about doing those smaller ‘filet mignon’ type steaks. Such a great idea because so often traditional size steak is too big for a lot of guests.” Also, “My favorite part and biggest takeaway was the emphasis on using every part of the beef, even the scraps.” 

Students were tasked with preparing and presenting all aspects of a restaurant-quality meal including fabrication, creation, budgeting, and menuing of an appetizer and entrée. This year’s competition focused on the Chuck Sub primal. The cuts of meat from the chuck come from mainly the shoulder of the animal and are an underutilized cut of beef in the foodservice industry. The Chuck can be tough and chewy by nature and requires a longer prep time compared to other cuts making it less desirable amongst chefs in a fast pace restaurant atmosphere. However, it does have many benefits and uses which focusing on this cut provided a challenge for competing teams. This year’s winning team was from the Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College’s School of Hospitality Management. Team members were Mia Zeglinski, Niyah Rivers, Roshaun Heath, and Jazmyn Wakefield. The team’s winning meal included Socca Flatbread with Tuscan Style Slow Cooked Beef Chuck as an appetizer. For the entrée, a Vietnamese Cinnamon and Chili Rubbed Beef Teres Major was prepared. Each student on the team received a $500 dollar scholarship for their delicious winning creations.

At about six months of age, babies will begin to eat solid food in addition to breastmilk or formula. It is important to start solid foods around this time as it helps your baby meet nutritional requirements, and teaches he or she how to eat a range of textures and flavors. Some key nutrients for babies’ development are protein, iron, zinc, Vitamin D, DHA, and fat. Beef, whether in a solid or pureed form, can be a source of some of these nutrients.

To capitalize on these new recommendations New York Beef Council engaged five social media nutrition bloggers this spring to promote baby’s first foods. NYBC called on registered dietitian social influencers that had young infants or toddlers, and challenged them to create a family meal using recipes from Beef It’s What’s for Dinner.com or a beef recipe from their own recipe books. They had to create a regular family meal as well as a ground and pureed version of the meal. To enhance the experience the dietitians were given Baby Ninja blenders to create the ground and pureed options. Their social channels then had a giveaway of the blenders to engage their followers. Social influencer meals ranged from beef fajitas created by @thesassydietitian to sloppy joes created by @chefabbiegellman to meatballs created by @dairyfarmerrd. 

The promotion was fun and successful in showing moms that want to share a family meal and create their own baby food just how to do it, ensuring their favorite family meals are part of the newest member of the family’s diet.  Total reach for the promotion was over 46,500 consumers with nearly 5,500 engagements for the campaign! There are five lucky families that now own their own baby food blenders to ensure beef protein is part of their infant’s healthy diet.

For more information about introducing solid foods to infants and infant preparation and feeding tips, visit https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/nutrition/beef-in-the-early-years.

Students were tasked with preparing and presenting with photos and video a consumer-friendly veal recipe. Students were also tasked with watching a virtual veal tour to gain a greater understanding of how veal is raised.  After the virtual tour, one student stated, “I was happily surprised at how well maintained and taken care of the calves are.” After students were immersed in a virtual farm tour, they were able to allow their creative sides to lose as they created a veal recipe of their own. This year’s winning team was from the Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College’s School of Hospitality Management. Team members were Shyla Billie, Kupae Harrison, and Morena Hernandez. The team's winning recipe was Potato and Veal Bolognese. Each student on the team received a $500 dollar scholarship for their delicious winning creation. 

New York Beef Council asked a simple question in April, “Who has the ‘Best NY Burger”’?  After many nominations, votes, and debates this question has been answered through the taste buds of consumers and the final tasting efforts of four judges from around New York State!   The 2021 “Best NY Burger” Winner is Syracuse’s Ale `n Angus Pub, with their newly created, specifically for this competition “Hot `n Smokey Candied Bacon Burger”!   New York Beef Council launched the fourth annual “Best NY Burger” Contest this April by soliciting online nominations from NY consumers as to what restaurant served the best burger.  The Top 10 nominated burgers were identified and put to a vote vying for “Final 4” honors.  The “Final 4” burgers were then judged by judges from around NY State (beef producer, print and television media, and foodservice distributor) judged the burgers on taste!   The Ale `n Angus Pub’s “Hot `n Smokey Candied Bacon Burger” is made up of an 8oz Certified Angus Beef patty, topped with candied bacon, smoky chipotle mayo, pepper jack cheese, and seasoned onion straws on a Kaiser roll. Served with a pickle spear and homemade chips!   Ale n Angus Pub’s newest winning burger will now need to be retired from the competition! Ale `n Angus Pub is not new to the winning cycle for this contest, they have won three of the four “Best NY Burger” contests since New York Beef Council brought the competition back in 2018!  (2018 – Power Play Burger, 2019 – “Beef on Weck Burger”)   Congratulations also go out to the Top 10 and Final 4 winners: