Portage Daily Register: Smoke the meat right — just right — or it’s over. All over.
The Portage High School culinary arts team prepared this week for Wisconsin ProStart competition knowing exactly what they’ll need to do to perform well. They know the competition, slated for March 14 in Milwaukee, will feature bigger teams from bigger schools.
They won’t be intimidated.
“You have to get the smoke flavor from the smoked chips with the beef — and you have to make sure the bacon stays wrapped around the beef, because it tends to fall off,” said senior Joseph Clemmons. “But we make it work.”
The team will prepare an entrée of bacon-wrapped, smoked top-butt sirloin of beef with a black raspberry glaze. They’ll start the meal off with an appetizer of lake perch, seasoned in a Parmesan egg batter and set on coleslaw with tangy relish. For dessert, they’ll prepare wild berry “clafoutis brulee,” a sweet and tart berry trio in warm custard with a crunchy sugar crust.
Clemmons, the team’s leader, is the only member who competed in ProStart last year. Challenges are many, he admitted, especially since the team is down to three members. “When we had five we had somebody keeping us on time, and another person helping us prepare and cook the dishes. With three, we do it all by ourselves.”