Members of 4-H clubs from across five parishes, including seven from Jackson Parish,  participated in their first ever Grilling Camp this weekend, fondly referred to as “Beast Feast 2024.

They started their adventure on Friday at the LA Tech Meat Sciences Lab where they spent the day with   Dr. Murphy and Mr. Gordon, toured the processing plant and learned about carcass grades and how they affect the foods that are grilled.

The group then spent the rest of their day grilling and sampling different types and cuts of meat from hamburgers to pork chops to sausage to lamb and ribs. After a great day at LA Tech, the grilling teams headed out to Jimmy Davis State Park to continue their adventures until Sunday morning.

The 4-H’ers created meals using skills they learned over the weekend including food safety, knife skills, seasoning, marinating, charcoal grilling, and plating while also enjoying some lake time, camp fires, and the ever endearing s’mores roasting. Beast Feast 2024 was a success. New friends, fun memories, and life skills were made by all. 4-H… Making the Best, BETTER… one life experience at a time!