It’s a Grilling Good Time in Marshall County 4-H
Kaylee Layton
Picture a beautiful fall afternoon, the game is on, your friends are over, you fire up the grill and realize, you don’t know how to grill… what a nightmare! This is not a problem our Marshall County Grillmasters will face since they’ve mastered the art of charcoal grilling. The Grillmaster program is designed to teach youth the safe practices and techniques of using a charcoal grill. They learn about how to safely light and control a flame, and how to handle hot charcoal once it has been lit. They also learn about food safety, which includes the importance of avoiding cross contamination and the internal cooking temperatures of meat. Each 4-H’er had to choose between beef, lamb, pork, or poultry then focus on recipes and methods of grilling that type of meat. Marshall County 4-H’ers spent 6 weeks learning, practicing, and perfecting their recipes for the Central Region 4-H Grillmaster Challenge.
Counties from all over middle Tennessee attended the 4-H Grillmaster Challenge on September 13. After setting up their grills and equipment, participants were given two hours to prepare and cook their meat. Judging was a combined score of the grilling process and the final product. The grilling process was scored based on the participants ability to start a fire safely, keep the fire controlled while they grilled and if they handled the food safely. The final product was based on the recipe used, overall appearance, flavor, and tenderness of the meat.
Marshall County had a great group of Grillmasters that found ways to break outside of the box and be successful at the contest. Team members were Bryce Arnold, Brayden Robertson, Aryana King, Lewis Sieburg, Ann Stubblefield, and Matthew Brindle. The Junior High Team (Bryce A., Brayden R., Aryana K., Matthew B.) ranked eighth overall in the Junior High Division and Ann Stubblefield placed 3rd for Beef in the Junior High Division.
The staff at the UT Extension office is extremely proud of these 4-H’ers and their ability to try something new. 4-H helps youth break out of their comfort zone and learn new skills. The Marshall County 4-H programs are open to all youth in 4th-12th grade. For questions about the Grillmaster Challenge or any other 4-H programs, call the UT Extension office at 931-359-1929 or email Kaylee Layton at klayton2@utk.edu