On this week’s MeatsPad podcast, Dr. Jonathan Campbell joins hosts Francisco Najar-Villarreal and Dr. Phil Bass. He discusses the art of curing and the applications of sodium nitrate and nitrite in processed meats.

RJ’s Meats of Hudson, Wis., brings its sandwich capabilities to its home in Hudson, Wis. Austin Keating, Multimedia Specialist for BNP Media and the National Provisioner magazine, interviews Rick and Joe Reams to learn more.

Hofmann Sausage Company recently started selling summer sausage and three new flavors of jerky. In-spite of their renowned hot dog business suffering from less food service sales in the  COVID-19 pandemic, the chief marketing officer for the 142-year-old company, Rebecca Baker, says their diverse product lineup and a large network of customers along the east coast keep business going strong. Austin Keating, Multimedia Specialist for BNP Media and the National Provisioner magazine, chats with Baker to find out more.

Francisco Najar-Villarreal and Dr. Phil Bass return in this week’s MeatsPad podcast to talk with Dr. Dustin Mohrhouser, associate pork quality manager with Smithfield Foods. He talks about the work he does with Smithfield in terms of animal health and meat quality. You may never think about guacamole the same way again after hearing Dr. Mohrhouser discuss abscesses.

This week, MeatsPad features Dr. Amilton De Mello of the University of Nevada. One of Dr. De Mello’s many areas of research involves nutrigenomics. The benefits of eating meat for its nutrients is well known, but there may be more benefits that can come from meat consumption, down to the nucleotide level.

Dr. Gerrard, department head of the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, discusses the factors that determine meat taste, tenderness and quality.

Do you know why a chicken has both white meat and dark meat? Do you know the factors that affects the tenderness and taste of red meat? This week, Francisco Najar-Villarreal talks with Dr. David Gerrard of Virginia Tech about some of the basics behind the meat we process and eat on a regular basis.