Igniting Texans’ Love for Beef This Grilling Season

Just as temperatures heat up in this part of the world, so does Texans’ love for grilling and smoking beef.

It’s the time of year when mastering the ultimate smoked brisket or perfecting a steakhouse-quality reverse sear at home is top of mind. This grilling season, Texas Beef Council (TBC) is firing things up to inspire consumer confidence, spark meal-time creativity, and keep beef front and center with innovative Beef Checkoff programs. 

Mastering the Art of Texas Barbecue

Texas has a rich history of barbecue unlike any other. The trend of locating the best our state has to offer, while also mastering techniques at home, is popular and shows no sign of slowing down. To showcase beef’s critical role in Texas barbecue cuisine, TBC created the award-winning series BBQuest so millions of viewers could experience the stories, flavors, and beef producers that make it so legendary. 

To continue the spark from BBQuest, TBC turned up the heat by creating Smoke Lab — an immersive, hands-on experience where beef-loving Texans can hone their skills. Participants learn from expert grill and pit master Jerry McPherson, who has over a decade of experience leading cooking and grilling classes. Jerry covers topics like choosing the right cuts, understanding quality grades, and step-by-step skills for smoking the perfect brisket. 

“Smoke Lab isn’t just about learning to grill or smoke, it’s about building confidence and a passion for cooking beef,” says McPherson. “When attendees leave here with new skills and excitement, they become advocates for our mission while supporting beef producers across Texas.”

Smoke Lab has hosted 121 participants, with the next training for this summer already sold out. Visit BeefLovingTexans.com/SmokeLab to learn more or join the waitlist for an upcoming event.

Beef on Screen

For the last decade, TBC has been building a community of beef-loving Texans. Social media platforms may change, but our digital presence as Beef Loving Texans stays ahead of the curve with innovative content and campaigns.

Today, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. People are looking there to learn new skills, get news, and find entertainment in a highly digestible video format. The new Beef Loving Texans series, “Sizzle & Smoke,” breaks down four beef recipes that appeal to trending consumer interests, including Smoked Tri Tip, Thai Burgers, Grilled Picanha with Chimichurri, and Reverse Sear Tomahawk Steak.

“In our digital landscape, we know video is crucial for effectively communicating all that beef brings to the table,” says Rachel Chou, TBC director of consumer marketing. “With videos like ‘Sizzle & Smoke,’ we can powerfully demonstrate techniques from a popular TBC personality like Jerry who resonates with our Beef Loving Texans community.”

The series will be promoted through the summer. Fire up the grill and catch episodes on the Beef Loving Texans YouTube channel. 

Building Beef’s Brand

Texans are not only eager to learn about cooking beef, whether hands-on or virtually, but they also show their enthusiasm by proudly displaying their love for it. Following overwhelming demand for Beef Loving Texans-branded products, TBC opened an online merchandise store in 2018 offering apparel and accessories sporting clever, beef-centric designs.

Today, the store has experienced substantial growth with over 6,000 orders to-date and proceeds going back to creating trendy, new items that increase brand recognition for beef. This has been possible through online promotions and a partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program, which showcases Beef Loving Texans merch, along with other Texan-made products, in their pavilions at major events like State Fair of Texas, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, and Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

“People love the opportunity to shop in-person,” says Adriana Mora, TBC manager of consumer marketing. “We have to be strategic about choosing reputable events that will sell merchandise on our behalf, which allows us to be more efficient with staff travel and time. Plus, we know the audiences of these events share a love of beef and Texas culture that aligns perfectly with our Beef Loving Texans community.”

Producers can showcase their pride with a Beef Loving Texans gate sign or be on the lookout for hot new items like a pitmaster journal coming to the store this summer. Explore today at Shop.BeefLovingTexans.com.

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From in-person experiences to engaging digital content and popular merchandise, TBC is dedicated to fueling Texans' passion for beef and reinforcing the vital role of beef producers in our state's culture. This grilling season, producers can follow Beef Loving Texans social media channels to experience how Texas Beef Checkoff programs are bringing more Texans to the table.