As some of you know our daughter and her husband raise pureblood & fullblood wagyu cattle and sell their meat at some higher end weekend markets around the area along with some shipping of orders off their website. They recently struck a deal with a local butcher which will make their business more profitable in that they no longer have to travel far distances or pay to have processed meat shipped back. Today they asked her to come down, watch and provide input on specific speciality cuts she requires on top of the usual ones. Lucky for me I got to tag along and watch the whole process from carcass to finished product. Cold room as suspected but the artistry involved to take apart a carcass in the proper order to maximize each of the necessary cuts was simply amazing. Here are a few photos:
Want to point out the skirt steak prep. This work is being done by a 14 (?) year old apprentice who's knife skills & dexterity is nothing short of amazing. It's really nice to see someone coming up in the trade, which has actually been dwindling in recent years. The steer was graded out to be A4 which has to do with how they view a specific section of the ribeye. Needless to say this is very special meat that comes with a price befitting the effort put into raising the 31 month old steer.
Once cut and prepped, each piece is individually vacuum packed weight and labeled. Nothing goes to waste. Scrap bones and pieces are moved to another table where the meat is painstakingly removed and used with other parts for hamburger. Even the fat is saved and bagged. They have buyers wanting it to mix with deer meat for sausages etc. A number of the organs are also harvested and sold.
The business of raising cattle, selling beef and making a profit with it is a tough & demanding way of life. These kids watch their expenses to the penny and after (4-5 years) getting the herd to a sustainable size are now starting to generate a profit for their continued hard work. Just an FYI, we don't take any advantage of their business. We pay the same as all the other customers because we don't believe in taking money away from what's needed to support their family. After all of the morning's activities I got to spend a nice time at lunch with the daughter. Now that's what matters
.
Want to point out the skirt steak prep. This work is being done by a 14 (?) year old apprentice who's knife skills & dexterity is nothing short of amazing. It's really nice to see someone coming up in the trade, which has actually been dwindling in recent years. The steer was graded out to be A4 which has to do with how they view a specific section of the ribeye. Needless to say this is very special meat that comes with a price befitting the effort put into raising the 31 month old steer.
Once cut and prepped, each piece is individually vacuum packed weight and labeled. Nothing goes to waste. Scrap bones and pieces are moved to another table where the meat is painstakingly removed and used with other parts for hamburger. Even the fat is saved and bagged. They have buyers wanting it to mix with deer meat for sausages etc. A number of the organs are also harvested and sold.
The business of raising cattle, selling beef and making a profit with it is a tough & demanding way of life. These kids watch their expenses to the penny and after (4-5 years) getting the herd to a sustainable size are now starting to generate a profit for their continued hard work. Just an FYI, we don't take any advantage of their business. We pay the same as all the other customers because we don't believe in taking money away from what's needed to support their family. After all of the morning's activities I got to spend a nice time at lunch with the daughter. Now that's what matters
.
Last edited:
