The National Beef Checkoff made a flavor-packed impact at the 24th Annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle last week in Washington, D.C., using the two-day event to bring D.C. residents into the conversation about steak, hamburgers, and other beef-based barbecue favorites.

Attendees were invited to the beef checkoff booth on Pennsylvania Avenue to learn new recipes, participate in games and giveaways, and seek out a variety of information about the versatility of beef, and the flavor profile that makes it a summertime favorite. Visitors to the booth were encouraged to use #DCLuvsBeef to talk about beef on social media and win an “I Love Beef” T-shirt.

The checkoff also partnered with Roseda Black Angus Beef for the event and nearly 8,000 samples of Roseda All-Beef Hot Dogs and MVP Burgers were grilled up for hungry attendees.

“As a local beef brand in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, we were fortunate to partner with the checkoff to sample the MVP burgers and our premium Roseda Farm all beef hot dog to eager consumers,” said Mike Brannon, vice president of Old Line Meat Company, the processor for Roseda Beef. “We also had many opportunities to speak with attendees about grilling beef and the versatility of beef in the diet

Beef Checkoff’s Executive Chef Dave Zino hosted two cooking demos per day in the Giant Sampling Pavilion. His Greek and Korean “Bowls with Balance” demos showcased beef in a variety of trendy ethnic dishes that are packed with protein and nutrients while remaining low in fat, and his demos also included three Farmer’s Market Fresh relishes and salsas to accompany the perfect steak and give a unique twist to barbecue menus this summer.

The checkoff’s “Miss Patty Melt” mascot made an appearance at the event as well, taking a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue to greet and entertain BBQ Battle attendees, and beef-eaters of all ages stopped to snap a photo with her.

The checkoff also hosted a ‘Let’s Get Grilling’ online contest in the weeks leading up to the festival, and challenged consumers to test their beef knowledge while entering to win weekly beef swag prizes and tickets to the festival. The contest was a huge success, garnering nearly 68,000 impressions in total, as well as more than 4,000 engagements with millennial consumers in the surrounding D.C. area.