Harris Ranch Snares $250,000
Award For Best Beef Product

DENVER — Harris Ranch Beef Company of Selma, Calif., received the $250,000 Centennial Award for the "Best New Beef Product in America" for its fully-cooked, read-to-heat-and-eat-in-seven-minutes pot roast. The award was presented at the recent Cattle Industry Centennial Convention here.

The first of its kind, the "Best New Beef Product in America" award was designed to recognize the efforts of innovative companies that are meeting the needs of today’s consumers. The products were judged on a series of criteria including: whether or not the product was branded, newness, taste, addressing consumers’ changing needs, and effectively addressing food safety issues. The product was selected from more than 50 entries by a panel of seven food and meat industry representatives.

The winning pot roast is a closely trimmed brisket rubbed with seasonings, placed in an inner bag, and then slow-cooked for six and one-half hours. The product is reheated in a cooking bag, where the beef and seasoning combine to produce dark beef gravy.

"We think products such as this microwavable pot roast will play a very important role in the success of our industry," said Dave Wood, chairman of the Harris Ranch beef division. "New product development, that’s what it’s all about. We should be proud that NCBA and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board have focused on and identified this as one of our goals."

Not all of their products, Wood told listeners, have been successes. John Harris, corporate chairman/owner of Harris Ranch, gave a lot of the credit to Wood, "who kept forcing us to keep eating that pot roast until we got it right."

Harris Ranch believes strongly that new products need to meet several consumer demands. "We think quality and consistency are absolutely essential. Convenience is a big part of the equation, and of course, food safety," Wood said. "These products have to be produced with food safety insurances, and last but not least, these products better taste great."

Harris Ranch has focused on developing new products out of chuck and round cuts, the muscles that are particularly tough to merchandise. The company has a goal to introduce two new products a year.

The four other finalists in the contest include: Bil Mar/Sara Lee Flame Roasted Beef; Burnett and Son Beef Pot Roast in Gravy; RMH/Certified Angus Beef Pot Roast with gravy; and RMH/Certified Angus Beef Prime Rib with Au Jus.

The new award is funded by the national beef checkoff, administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. The 111-member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the $1-per head checkoff, to certify state beef councils, to implement the provisions of the federal order establishing the checkoff, and to evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.