in our part of the world (way up north) everything is boneless for beef now here, exceptions are prime rib and t-bone's. and even the top sirloin has a new spec, cap removed and packed separate, inside round with no fat or veins at all! it's great but higher costs. i see Walmart is all centralized cutting, the only things in the meat dept are a scale, a table, and a cooler and freezer. that's it. no expensive meat cutters or equipment
My question is:
Is centralized cutting the way of the future for everyone?
Will there always be a market for the "traditional" meat cutter?
Well, they still have blacksmiths and glass-blowers, just not very many of them.
Youre right the big chains can't get rid of us fast enough, but there will probably always be a need in smaller and specialty stores. But if I were a hard-working young man, I think I'd be looking for soemthing in the trades instead.
As I see more and read more about butcher shops opening up here and there, I think the Meat cutter will be around for a long time !
the current crop of butcher shops are a full-circle return to an older era with a modern twist to make it worth an extra stop.
Today, people want to know more about their food,They'll make that special trip to a butcher shop, they get something extra, whether it's a greater knowledge about their meat, cooking advice or a unique product.
I believe the traditional cutter will never be phased out completely. Some companies may do away with them(Walmart) but the grocery business is too competitive these days and quality cut meat is their edge.
i think the worst thing these days are a bunch of 20 year old guys that can cut a few things ......and dont understand what they are cutting and even know where it comes from ......teaching other meat cutters...or i mean bolonge slicers..lol.......as far as the traditional days of rail beef is gone .....but new meat cutters still need to be educated.....they dont know what they are doing after older guys retire thoses 20 years olds are the future of the business.......no wonder people go cargill and ect
I wonder about this quite often. With us older cutters slowly getting older, will any of the younger generation want to learn how to cut meat? I can still break down a side of beef with the best of them, but will the young kids want to learn the business?
I don't think the business of a fully knowledgable meat cutter will ever completely go away. Hell, I'm only 33 and I learned with the best of 'em. I run a smaller full service meat/seafood shop in a all-natural/organic market with business booming. Our customers really appreciate it when you can show them where each cut comes from and how to cook it correctly and this includes seafood. We break full lamb carcass and cut beef and pork from primal. We even still cut chix for our organic line. We even fillet salmon, sable, halibut and occasionally a few others. And we're in the middle of Iowa. I've got a problem with too many clerks wanting to learn to cut! Of course, they all think they can learn it overnight...
masteryeti sounds like you have a REAL one to work in. talking about the clerks that think they can do it overnight, when I took myJourneymanMeatCutter test from the union in 1970, I had already been cutting for 9 years wth some big companies, A&P, Dechamps, Big Star, But still had to take this test, I had to know the name every bone, every muscle and every seam. you don't learn that over night, but who would even give a test like that today. The kids today are lucky LOL
i wish i could take a meat cutting test........i think i would do well i been cutting meat 12 years and learned from guys cutting 30 -40 years.......lol guess im not a real meat cutter just a hobbiest..lol......80P
