(WHNT) — Next week, nearly 20 of Alabama’s top meat cutters will hit the ice rink to show off their amazing knife work and hopefully take those skills to the National Meat Cutter Challenge.
The competitors in next week’s qualifying competition will receive 30-40 pounds of beef each.
That will include one sirloin, one filet and one rib-eye to cut.
As far as judging goes, judges will look at quality, yield and speed in the timed competition.
The winner will be the meat-cutter who yields the most steaks with the highest quality cut in the least amount of time.
It will be 38 degrees in the ice rink to ensure the meat keeps its fresh quality.
The list of competitors includes four from North Alabama:
- Drake Spears, Florence
- Latnette Dulaney, Florence
- Christopher Byrd, Decatur
- Ricardo Lopez, Huntsville
The contest is Tuesday, November 7 at 10:00 a.m. at the Pelham Civic Ice Center, and it is open to the public.
This is a regional competition, so the competitors with the top scores will advance to the semi-finals which are set for March 2024.
That’s where they’ll compete for a chance to go to the 2024 National Meat Cutter Challenge, also in March.
The national winner will get $25,000 and be crowned “Meat Cutter of the Year.”
According to Texas Roadhouse, the National Meat Cutter Challenge is part of the Meat Hero program, created in 2001.
The goal is to recognize the daily efforts of Texas Roadhouse meat cutters who hand-cut each steak served at the restaurants.
