SELMA — A crew of 4H-ers from Dallas County tested their cooking skills Wednesday in the Junior and Senior High Beef Cook-off.

Twenty-one cooks in two age groups — two in Senior (14-18 years old) and 19 in Junior (9-13) — competed for $25 prize money and the right to represent Dallas County in the state competition. As much as $350 will go to the state winner.

“This is their first competition of the year,” said Callie Nelson, County Extension Coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in Dallas County.

The Extension System and the Cattleman’s Association sponsored the cook-off. Each contestant received $10 to defray the costs of preparing the dish.

Each cook also earned a participation ribbon for entering a dish. A certain number of ribbons are required before the 4-H student can attend field trips.

John Hoomes, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Regional Extension Agent for 4-H and Youth Development, said the cook-off teaches each cook different life skills.

“One thing we always tell the kids is to follow directions,” he said.

Each cook had to supply the recipe with each dish, and the food was judged in four areas: the recipe (a maximum of 5 points), appropriate amount of beef (5), appearance (10) and taste (80).

Winners in the Senior Division were Autumn Williams, first place for Roast Beef Spread, and Bridget Square, second place for Chili with Beans.

In the Junior Division, winners were Dusty Burge, first place for Cheese and Pasta; Karli Rabb, second place for Joe Dip, and Darryl Cosby, third place for Beef Pasta.