Science meat

Foodie culture in the United States is still riding a wave of meat love, which shows no signs of abating. Sometimes fresh and local meat can be out of most people’s price range, though, especially 17 bucks for an air-chilled chicken. I’m going to let you in on a secret: the UC Davis Meat Lab. It’s a way for UC Davis to make a profit off of the animals slaughtered by animal-science students. The facilities are surgically clean, and the prices are low. I asked meat lab manager Caleb Sehnert about some popular cuts and what he does with his own abundance of meat. Go to http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/facilities/meat.htm for hours and prices.

“Lamb is our most seasonal product and is a big hit right now, but is in very short supply.

“Our marinated tri tip is always popular, especially with barbecue weather coming up in the near future! We also plan on having a consistent supply of our custom handmade sausages for our customers.

“My personal favorite is a thick cut rib-eye with cajun seasoning, cooked to medium rare on the barbecue or cast-iron skillet.”