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Like what the fuck happened here? A few years ago I was buying skirt steak dirt cheap. Nobody was eating it. Somebody let the cat out of the bag.
Good bye my favorite piece of cow.
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any meat cutters out there...
- Thread starter lion paw
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Like what the fuck happened here? A few years ago I was buying skirt steak dirt cheap. Nobody was eating it. Somebody let the cat out of the bag.
Good bye my favorite piece of cow.
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I'm not a pro but I typically process the animals that I kill when hunting - elk, deer, hogs & antelope. Not because I get a lot of pleasure out of doing it but really because it's hard to find a good butcher. Processing an animal is not particularly difficult but the final product is significantly impacted by the effort of the butcher - a guy that is skilled, takes his time and tries to do a good job will end up with a finished product that is light years better than the guy who is just trying to get it done.
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i get it......and i like it....
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It's hard to even find where I live. You ask people for skirt steak and they are like wtf are you even talking about? Although I haven't tried actual butchers, just local grocery stores. The only reason I know about skirt steak is from researching Mexican food.
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Tender, fatty, flavorful. Sear that bitch fast on the grill. Eat while it's dripping red.
I think I'm gonna cry a little.
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basically a butcher can kill and process a whole animal. butchers also cure and smoke meats and make sausages and other deli meats. being a butcher can be fun and rewarding work.
meat cutters are basically what you have in grocery stores. generally, they do not cut carcass beef or pork in retail grocery stores. when a grocery store puts striploin steaks on sale they would need to order 25 hind quarters in order to keep up with the customers demand. instead what they do is order 5 cases of striploins which come in cryovac packages. all they do is open up the cryovac, cut the steaks and do a final trim before putting the steak on a tray to be sold. cutting up 25 hind quarters is time consuming, costly and would also mean that you have 25 sirloins, tenderloins, flanks and hips to sell. Everyone is coming in for the striploins that u have on sale so you're going to get stuck with a lot of waste.
Regarding skirt steaks. First off, there is only one steak on a side of beef. Secondly, meat cutters don't know what you're talking about because they are only found on carcass beef. As far as i know retail stores can't buy boxes of skirts to sell their customers...
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Well boys and girls I've been doing this for a touch under 10 years. I am also a college student and I hope to get out when I graduate but it is solid work and I can't complain about where I am.
My shop is not a union shop but there are meatcutters unions. I still make decent money, it isn't a ton but I can care for my family and have some money left over. If you get into management in a midsize or large company or even a meatcutter in a union you can make a decent amount of money.
Honestly the trade is dying. I can break down a whole animal because when I began work it was still commonplace to get hanging cattle or lamb, and break down the entire animal (or half carcass), I can also make sausage from scratch. I have even spent a few years breaking down deer, which is much much different nowadays as well. Most grocery stores or butcher shops do get their meat broken down into the primals and cryovaced. As a meatcutter you will portion and trim the primals, tray them, maybe help customers, display the product and change displays with seasons and sales.
It isn't hard per se, but it can be hell sometimes. 8-12 hours on your feet in 50 degree or less rooms, covered in blood, tossing around boxes that can weigh well over 100 lbs. All of your joints will feel it. I know many guys with carpal tunnel, bad knees, bad backs etc. I can already feel the carpal tunnel setting in. Then there is the equipment, you will have to know the ins and outs of cleaning, sharpening and making minor repairs on every type of knife you can imagine, wrapping machines, freezer/cooler cases, band saws, meat slicers, choppers, patty machines, sausage pumps, grinders, etc.
You will also likely have to learn all about work safety and food handling. Take it seriously if you are going to do this. I have a couple buddies who have lost fingers, had nerve damage or have had to get stitches for some pretty serious gashes.
I'll check this thread later if anyone has any questions/comments.
BTW, where I live choice skirt steak is pletiful and runs 5.99-8.99 depending on where you go. You can definitely purchase cases of it, we buy four to six 60lb cases a week at my shop. The price spike in skirt steak is due to it growing in popularity, just like the flank steak, it was dirt cheap a few years back but thanks to Food network and the like people actually know about these awesome cuts that were once the butchers secret. And, there are actually four skirts on each animal, two inner and two outer, they are located on the plate of the animal. The inner skirts are wayyy better, much larger and uniform in shape than the outer skirt.
My shop is not a union shop but there are meatcutters unions. I still make decent money, it isn't a ton but I can care for my family and have some money left over. If you get into management in a midsize or large company or even a meatcutter in a union you can make a decent amount of money.
Honestly the trade is dying. I can break down a whole animal because when I began work it was still commonplace to get hanging cattle or lamb, and break down the entire animal (or half carcass), I can also make sausage from scratch. I have even spent a few years breaking down deer, which is much much different nowadays as well. Most grocery stores or butcher shops do get their meat broken down into the primals and cryovaced. As a meatcutter you will portion and trim the primals, tray them, maybe help customers, display the product and change displays with seasons and sales.
It isn't hard per se, but it can be hell sometimes. 8-12 hours on your feet in 50 degree or less rooms, covered in blood, tossing around boxes that can weigh well over 100 lbs. All of your joints will feel it. I know many guys with carpal tunnel, bad knees, bad backs etc. I can already feel the carpal tunnel setting in. Then there is the equipment, you will have to know the ins and outs of cleaning, sharpening and making minor repairs on every type of knife you can imagine, wrapping machines, freezer/cooler cases, band saws, meat slicers, choppers, patty machines, sausage pumps, grinders, etc.
You will also likely have to learn all about work safety and food handling. Take it seriously if you are going to do this. I have a couple buddies who have lost fingers, had nerve damage or have had to get stitches for some pretty serious gashes.
I'll check this thread later if anyone has any questions/comments.
BTW, where I live choice skirt steak is pletiful and runs 5.99-8.99 depending on where you go. You can definitely purchase cases of it, we buy four to six 60lb cases a week at my shop. The price spike in skirt steak is due to it growing in popularity, just like the flank steak, it was dirt cheap a few years back but thanks to Food network and the like people actually know about these awesome cuts that were once the butchers secret. And, there are actually four skirts on each animal, two inner and two outer, they are located on the plate of the animal. The inner skirts are wayyy better, much larger and uniform in shape than the outer skirt.
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Dana White encourages meat cutters to become cockfighters.
Squirting Gun
Blue Belt
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Ive never held the title of Butcher but I have been Butchering and breaking down full primals for 10 years. From red meats to poultry or fish, its a skill that takes years. Ive been lucky enough to have had great mentors help me along the way.
At local grocery stores you normally start out around $15/hr with limited experience. If you are serious and dedicated you can be making $25/hr within about 5 years.
I personally love breaking down whole sides, there is something therapeutic about it.
At local grocery stores you normally start out around $15/hr with limited experience. If you are serious and dedicated you can be making $25/hr within about 5 years.
I personally love breaking down whole sides, there is something therapeutic about it.
HuntersCreed
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I handle my meat daily.
