American Cured Meat Championships

Cured Meat Competition

In 1949, small business meat processors gathered in Chicago to enter their hams in the First Annual National Ham Show. Sixty-five hams were judged in four classes. This competition started a tradition that is known today as the American Cured Meat Championships (ACMC) - the only national event of its kind in North America.

This event has expanded over the years to cover a wide variety of products including hams, bacon, jerky, and sausages. Now hundreds of products are entered in 25 - 30 classes each year. A recent addition includes Cured Specialty Meat Products. The regional class for Cincinnati, OH is Country-Style Pork Smoked Sausage.

Meat processors enter their products for evaluation by judges who are meat scientists and specialists in the meat industry. This evaluation provides information for product enhancement that could result in greater sales and business opportunities.

The Evaluation of Processed Meats

Presentation given by Jay Wenther to the American Meat Science Association at the 57th Reciprocal Meat Conference. - Posted on 7/28/04 by JBW

2009 ACMC Coordinator, Technical Advisors and Judges

2009 ACMC Rule Booklet

Rules for the 2009 American Cured Meat Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. The rule booklet will be mailed automatically to processors that have entered products in the ACMC in the past three years.

2009 ACMC Pre-Registration Form

ACMC Product Entry Requirements

Classes of Entries

		Andouille Sausage

		Bacon (Heavyweight) Bacon (Lightweight)

		Braunschweiger

		Country Bacon - Dry Cured

		Cured Specialty Meat Products

		Dried Beef

		Frankfurters/Wieners (Coarse Ground)

		Frankfurters/Wieners (Emulsified)

		Ham - Bone-In (Heavyweight) Ham - Bone-In (Lightweight)

		Ham - Boneless (Commercial)

		Ham - Boneless (Traditional)

		Ham - Semi-Boneless

		Jerky - Restructured

		Jerky - Whole Muscle

		Luncheon Meat - Large Diameter

		Meat Snack Stick

		Ring Bologna - Cooked

		Semi-Dried Sausage - Cooked, Non-Fermented

		Small Diameter Smoked/Cooked Sausage

		Smoked Turkey

		Specialty Game Meats

		Specialty Flavored Small Diameter Cooked and Smoked Sausage *(2009 Regional Class)*

		Summer Sausage - Cooked

The next competition will be held in conjunction with the American Convention of Meat Processors & Suppliers' Exhibition, July 16-18, 2009, in Omaha, Nebraska. Anyone who is a processor member of the American Association of Meat Processors, produces their own products, and is a registered attendee at the Omahah Convention, may enter the ACMC competition.

Official Sponsors of the 2009
American Cured Meat Championships

Omaha, Nebraska

Handtmann, Inc.

Mar/Co Sales, Inc.

To see a list of the American Cured Meat Champions from 2008, Click Here

To see a list of the 2008 winning product scores, Click Here