What’s for dinner?

Senior Division winners in the 2010 Morgan County Beef Cook-Off are (L-R) Dakesha Davis, first place; Brianna Palmer, second place; Samantha Blankenship, third place; and Monica Wilbanks, fourth place.

Junior Division winners in the 2010 Morgan County Beef Cook-Off are (L-R) Boone Shipley, first place; Olivia Kitchens, second place; and Promise Holladay, third place. All three attend Danville Middle School.

Cattlewomen choose Beef Cook-off winners

Morgan County Cattle-women judged a record 86 beef dishes and awarded cash prizes to seven contestants in the 2010 Beef Cook-off Contest at Priceville Middle School Oct. 5.
“Kesha’s Famous White Rotel Dip” captured top honors in competition with 49 other contestants in the senior division. Dakesha Davis, a West Morgan senior, came up with the prize -winning dish by using cream cheese and sour cream instead of Velveeta as two of the main ingredients.
“Smoked Beef Brisket” came  out  on top in the Junior Division It was entered by Boone Shipley, an eighth grader at Danville Middle School.
Runner-up winners were:
Senior Division—Brianna Palmer, Brewer sophomore, second place; Samantha Blankenship, Brewer junior, third place; and Monica Wilbanks, Brewer senior, fourth place.
Junior Division—Olivia Kitchens, Danville seventh grader; second place and Promise Holladay, Dan-ville eighth grader, third place.
Each of the winners received a cash prize.
“We were thrilled with the number of entries we had,” said Cathy Crow, president of the Cattlewomen. “That’s the most we’ve ever had. The competition was very strong and the judges had a difficult time picking the winners.”

Seniors Division

First place
Kesha’s Famous White Rotel Dip
Dakesha Davis
12th grade
West Morgan High School

1 lb. ground beef
2 cans mild Rotel
1 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese
18-oz. sour cream
Doritos chips
Chopped jalapeno peppers

1. Put Rotel, sour cream and cream cheese into crock pot to melt
2. Cook ground beef until browned
3. Chop peppers into small pieces
4. Drain grease from beef
5. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot when cheese and sour cream are melted
6. Rotel is ready to be served with chips.

Second place
Bodacious Brisket
Brianna Palmer
10th grade
Brewer High School

1 brisket
2 tbsp roasted garlic and herb seasoning
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp parsley
dash of lemon zest
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 cup beef broth

1. Preheat  oven to 350 degrees.
2 .Combine roasted garlic  and herb seasoning, chili powder, sea salt, parsley, lemon zest and oregano to make a dry  rub. Rub into both sides of brisket and place in oven uncovered for one hour.
3. Remove brisket from oven and pour beef broth over it
4. Heat oven to 400˚ F.
5. Place brisket in oven for three hours, with lid over it
6. Remove from oven and serve.

Third place
Cheesy Beef Enchiladas
Samantha Blankenship
11th grade
Brewer High School

2 lbs. ground beef
1 tub of sour cream
1 medium box of Velveeta
2 packets of taco seasoning
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of onion soup
10 flour tortillas
Crunched tortilla chips

Brown beef in a Dutch oven pan. Mix the seasoning packets with the drained beef as per the directions on back of packet. Chop Velveeta into small blocks. Mix in the sour cream. both soups and the Velveeta. Cook until all the cheese is melted. Layer the mixture  and two of the tortillas until finished  starting and ending with a layer of cheese mixture. Bake at 350˚ F for 8-10 minutes. Top with the chips.

Fourth place
Momma’s Famous Sloppy Joes
Monica Wilbanks
12th grade
Brewer High School

3 1/2 ponds ground beef
1 1/2 packs of Sloppy Joe seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp garlic  pepper
1 bell pepper. Chopped
Sprinkle  of meat tenderizer
Ketchup,  as needed
Mustard, as needed
12 hamburger buns

1. Dry the ground beef in a sikilloet along with the chopped bell pepper.
2. While cooking the meat, add garlic salt, garlic pepper, sprinkle of meat tenderizer and onion powder.
3.When meat is fully cooked drain it.
4. Put the Sloppy Joe seasoning packet sin and mix it well.
5. Now add the ketchup and mustard according to taste (almost half a bottle of ketchup and a little mustard.
6. Store overnight in the refrigerator
7. The next day put it in a crock pot and let simmer until heated
8. Arrange on a platter with the buns and garnish.

Junior Division

First place
Smoked Beef Brisket
Boone Shipley
8th grade
Danville Middle School

1 whole beef brisket
Seasoning Paste:
2 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps kosher salt
2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsps prepared mustard
4 tbsps Cattleman’s Steak Shake
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp Cayenne pepper

In a small bowl, combine the seasoning paste ingredients and stir well Cover the entire brisket with the paste.
Build a fire in the smoker or grill using hickory wood and place meat inside after temperature reaches 200-225˚ F.
Cook until internal temperature reaches 185 degrees F. Cooking time will vary depending on temperature and size of brisket. You may also cover in foil after cooking for a couple of hours to retain juices and make it more tender.
A 10-12 pound brisket will serve 10-14 people.

Second place
Swiss Steak
Olivia Kitchens
7th grade
Danville Middle School

Round steak
1/2 onion
Ketchup
Water
Flour
Heat oven at 350 ? F. Cut up and fry onion. Beat round steak. Batter in flour, fry to brown, in same pan you are going to cook it in. Use 1/2 tsp of oil. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of ketchup and 1/2 to 1 cup of water, Check every 15 minutes until done.

Third place
Stuffed Bell peppers

6 large green bell peppers
5 cups boiling water with 2 tsps salt
1 pound of ground round beef
1 tbs. diced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2tsp garlic salt
1 cup brown cooked rice
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
6 diced mushrooms
Preheat oven to 350 ? F. Cut thin slice from end of peppers and remove seeds. Wash the peppers and put them in boiling water for five minutes and then put them on a towel to drain. On medium heat, cook mushrooms, beef and onion until tender. Drain beef mixture and return to pan. Stir in one cup of the tomato sauce, rice, salt, and garlic salt and heat until warm. Stuff bell peppers with meat mixture and stand upright in a deep casserole dish and pour rest of tomato sauce on top of peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. Serves 6.