If you love good barbecue but haven’t mastered how it’s done, BBQ Boot Camp could be for you.

Beef, chicken, pork, what have you might be the meat you would like to learn to cook “right.” Then again, it could be all about the sides.

If so, BBQ Boot Camp still has you covered.

The camp is actually an evening of education, food and fun and was dreamed up by North Dakota State University to help people make the connection between ag and cooking but also to teach home cooks how to prepare food more safely.

Sounds like an experience not to be missed – and a smart way for NDSU to be involved in the community.

BBQ Boot Camp will be held Wednesday, July 18, from 5-7 p.m. at the North Central Research Extension Center, 5400 Highway 83 S. Registration starts at 4:30 p.m.

And it truly draws people with many interests related to barbecue.

“People are really interested in outdoor cooking and how to do it so not only do we show them and let them taste test but we also give them a full barbecued meal at the end of it,” said Paige Brummund, Ward County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent in Minot.

BBQ Boot Camp might sound familiar to some. It’s not new but one hasn’t been held in Minot since 2012.

The boot camp is conducted by the NDSU Animal Sciences Department collaborating with Extension. The program covers topics including basic grilling styles – gas, charcoal and smokers, properly preparing meat, different rubs, marinades and seasonings to use on the meat, and cooking temperatures and how the temperature affects the quality of the meat, food safety tips and nutritional facts on meat, current topics in the meat and food industry and the importance of understanding the world food supply.

They even go into how to select the best cuts of meat at the grocery store.

“There’s a lot of new ways to cut meat and process meat. People can get a lower priced cut of meat that if it is prepared properly, it can be just as good and just as tender as a really expensive cut of meat,” she said.

That is especially valuable information for today’s consumers to know.

Again, NDSU is proving a great service to Minoters through BBQ Boot Camp. It’s an event that hopefully can be held year after year in Minot and other cities chosen by the university.

Well done. Or, rather, good job NDSU.