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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

The 4-H Beef Cookoff took place at the Jemison Municipal Complex between area middle and high school students competing for top chef.

The students made a wide variety of dishes with the meat. Beef is the focal ingredient to help bring attention to the strong meat production in Chilton County.

“We wanted to showcase our beef farmers in the county, and this event was another way to do that,” 4-H leader Pam Ousley, said. “The beef in the county is another area that people may not think about, but there’s such good beef producers in our county.”

The contest was split into a junior group representing the middle school students and a senior group for high school students.

Addison Tigner of Clanton Middle School won first place in the junior group with her steak fajitas.

“We eat fajitas a lot at our house, so I wanted to make something I was familiar with,” Tigner said. “I had to adjust some things with them, different sauces, but everything was mostly the same.”

Mike Pierce from CMS placed second with his beef wellington, and Libby Cate Collins from CMS placed third with her shredded beef sammies.

Lauren Jones from Jemison High School took home first place in the senior’s group with her rendition of beef tacos.

“It’s important to me so many schools participated this year,” Ousely said. “All of these students are active in their school, and for them to take the time to do another event is a plus.”

Jones used the contest as a chance to show her versatility as a cook, serving brisket as her main ingredient.

“Brisket is an uncommon meat you don’t see a lot of in Alabama, and people don’t know how to cook it well,” Jones said. “So, when given the opportunity to cook it, you have to research on it to find how to best make it how you’d want it.”

Alexis Redd from JHS placed second with her roast beef sandwiches with an added element of flavor.

“The pickled radishes made it pop a little bit with the color,” Redd said. “I think it turned out really well.”

Trivonna Abbott placed third by making beef birria tacos which she has been wanting to try for a while.

“I’ve been seeing them on TikTok, and I always wanted to make them,” Abbott said. “So, I decided I wanted to make them myself.”