MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Aug. 29, 2023) – Young chefs from Oakland FFA cooked their way to 1st place during the annual FFA Grill Master Competition on Aug. 21 at the Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon. Twenty-Eight teams of FFA students from across the state competed in the beef barbecue contest, sponsored by the Tennessee Beef Industry Council.  

“We were blown away by the number of teams that participated in the contest this year,” said Emily Haskew, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Tennessee Beef Industry Council. “We had some great teams competing, and the dishes they placed in front of the judges were truly impressive.”   

 The event is designed to teach high school agricultural education students about the beef industry and proper cooking techniques all while participating in a fun, competitive grilling competition. Teams had charcoal grills, beef steaks and a few pantry ingredients to prepare a mouth-watering dish for judges to sample.  

 Coaches were on hand to provide tips and advice, but all cooking was conducted by students. Teams were judged based on meat preparation, flavor, tenderness, safety, appearance, and recipe imagination.   

 The 2023 winning teams include: 

• 1st Place: Oakland FFA (Rutherford County) 
• 2nd Place: Brighton FFA (Tipton County) 
• 3rd Place: Franklin County FFA (Franklin County) 

 Winning teams received prizes and cash awards provided by sponsors including the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, Lodge Cast Iron, Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association, and the Tennessee Beef Industry Council. For more information, visit www.tnbeef.org.