A Gilbert meat cutter will compete March 7 in a Texas Roadhouse competition for its butchers. 

Juan Ortiz of Gilbert will be among the 30 meat cutters in the final round of the $25,000 National Meat Cutter Challenge on the ice at Children’s Health StarCenter in Farmers Branch, Texas. 

The competition started back in August, with more than 1,000 butchers vying for spots in cut-offs across the nation, first at the local or state level, then advancing regionally. The top 30 challengers from these regional competitions will compete in this final round.  

The winner receives a grand prize of $25,000 and is crowned Meat Cutter of the Year. 

Each participant receives 30-40 pounds of beef, consisting of one sirloin, one filet and one ribeye to cut.  Meat cutters are judged on quality, yield, and speed in this timed cut-off.  

The winner is the cutter who yields the most steaks, with the highest quality cut. To assure the best, freshest quality meat, all cutting is done at a chilly 38 degrees. 

“It's really an art,” Jason Mennie, Texas Roadhouse senior director of legendary food, said in a release. “We host this annual competition to celebrate our professional meat cutters. We love our people, and our meat-cutting program is one way we show appreciation and reward their hard work and dedication.” 

Each meat cutter is responsible for hand-cutting the steaks served at their local Texas Roadhouse. In an average year, they cut about $1 million worth of meat and spend seven to eight hours a day cutting meat in the 35-degree walk-in cooler. 

The National Meat Cutting Challenge is part of the Meat Hero program, created in 2001, to recognize daily efforts of Texas Roadhouse meat cutters. Meat cutters hand-cut each steak served at the restaurants. Their work is displayed in the lobby where guests are invited to choose their favorite steak.