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Post Info TOPIC: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


     As you can see it's all in who you ask, I started in a school that taught the full course from live animal to ringing it up for the customer. The man who taught me the kill floor was an artist at what he did, he grew up on the kill floor. The man who taught me the cutting room was also an artist at what he did, he spent over 30 years with Krogers. Meat Cutter or Butcher there both dignified and honorable titles, and I will be proud to be called either.



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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


I am both, when u work for a small business like myself, I follow the animals from slaughter to the customers hand. I slaughter, skin, break carcasses, cut finished product, sausage, curing, etc. I prefer butcher.

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


The older I get, I'm Changing my views on this-because of whats happening in our retail industry- in particular-case ready meats..

we are preaching to the choir - to each other in here- yet, still we have different opinions of who is a Butcher/Meatcutter

I like to change with the times- Professionally, I reference myself as a meatcutter(from my own definition of what I think a meatcutter is, or should be)
However,

What does the general public- which is our customers, perceive as being the most skilled?????? or identifiable...


Because walmart has case ready fresh meats- If im competing with them- I want to get the message out-we (my store) cuts fresh meats daily, and has meatcutters/butchers on-site

Ive been surveying customers /friends/relatives over three different states on this, and most are telling me "it drives the message home when you say the Professional Butchers are in the stores"

One angle I was a bit surprised from many responses, is they've heard , Meatcutters are no longer in many stores like walmart-so if they hear the name BUTCHER, it does bring immediate competency and professionalism- to the stores that have them.


I think the word "Butcher" got a negative connation years ago with the phrases "You butchered the hell out of that" meaning rough cuts, not a fine cutting job

25 yrs ago, My old head cutter was a meat supervisor for 35 years at first national, and he use to say "you butchered that on the block" to anyone training that made a mistake in cutting






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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


I am employed as a high-volume retail cutter but I say that I am classical trained as a butcher having had personally harvested and processed 200-head (beef, swine, lamb) during my retail meat-cutting apprenticeship.

I halt at saying that I am butcher or a meat-cutter. I don't think I rate such a title. But, my formation has compelled me to continue learning and developing all of the critical and supporting skills required to some day call myself a butcher.

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


Your kidding!.........Butcher when i worked for my old man...


meat cutter........when i worked for costco!

 

 

what do you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


Hello Great reply Mark, keep up the good work,, question, I was in NYCity and got sick from a charcuterie plate from a restaurant, Do you do any misro testing to see if your products have bacteria or other foodborne illnesses... Alan



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Alan Lazar



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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


right on...



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Alan Lazar



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"Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


In my opinion I may call myself a butcher because we still slaught & debone our own animals for the shop / store.

I think you can call yourself a meatcutter when you don't slaught & debone anymore.

I'd like to know what you all think about my opinion



-- Edited by hendrikschurer on Monday 28th of January 2013 02:59:03 PM

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


I couldn't agree more with MaineMeatMan, the title of butcher does sound more appealing to consumers.

I will say myself that the terminology that should be used for the knuckle heads that whack meat all to pieces should be referred to as whackers instead of Butchers.

I was mentored by a real butcher that had been cutting meat since the 70's, and he was the cleanest cutter that I have ever seen, even better than any run of the mill meat cutter. He trained me so well in 6 months that at the age of 22 I could break down beef, pork, and deer, even make fresh link sausage, that's unheard of for meat cutters/butchers to do that under the age of 25 now days and I'm currently 25 and next in line to be a market manager in my company. I've always heard the term butcher used both ways, but the way I see it real butchers know what they are doing, if it wasn't for the old school butchers we wouldn't have what we have today in knowledge of how to cut what we cut . Yes things have came a long way from what they were, but we most definitely have to remember our roots.

P.S. As long as we do not all become meat handlers of prepacked meats I don't care what they call me.

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


At work im a meatcutter. Been in retail for 38 years from burger kid to meat mgr.At home from Oct. to Jan. Im a butgher and a meet cutter.Processing deer, beer and what ever else the hunters bring me.From skinng,breakdown cut and wrap grind and sausage to freezer. so I guess Im both    



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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


Always heard that a Butcher is one who kills, hangs, cuts, wraps. Meat cutters order, process, display, pack, wrap, and sell. Either way does not really matter, the customer will always call you a butcher first, most retail shops refer to their counters as a butcher block or butchers corner ect. I still say Meat cutter for grocery stores.

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"Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


bonjour a tous moi je suis ce qu on appelle un boucher français et je trouve sympa de voir que chez vous on se pose cette question car chez nous avons le même sujet la grande différence entre un boucher et un découpeur de viande c est que le premier choisis sa bete sur pied chez l éleveur la même au abattoir s occupe du depiecage et magnifie ces pieces par quelques preparation bouchere voila un exemple de travail de boucher

 

Hello has all me i am what is called a butcher french and i found nice to see that at home you are asked this question because at home we have the same subject the vast difference between a butcher and a carver of meat c is that the first chosen its bete on foot among the farmer the same to the slaughterhouse s occupies the depecage and magnifies these parts by a few preparation-worm voila an example of work of Boucher

 



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Member

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


A butcher gives us the material to work with and meatcutters create the art.

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


But when i was single and on a first date the question so what do you do for a living always came up.
Being a chick.. it was always fun to say.. i'm a butcher.. the look on the guys face was always priceless!

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


I spent many hours processing chicken as well..at the time I hated it.. now its all pre packaged.. all you do is weigh it and throw it in the case. When I started, making sausage was a pain in the butt.. Now that's pre pack too. I miss old school.. don't miss whole round, bone in chucks  or whole beef loin..(praise to the short loins!) Where i now work they don't even cut lamb pork or veal. Just boxed beef and pork butts. I miss the days of hand cutting perfect veal scalloppine, no meat cutter work his/her knifes would ever use a slicer for that! I got the chance to get out of retail market and into a mom and pop store and had a blast creating my own homemade sausage, processing chicken, and processing seafood.. i miss it.. i sold out and went back to the big companies with all their stupid rules... what a waste processing an entire inside soley to make cubed steaks. And don't get me started with the fantasy names they use.. denver steaks? beef braising ribs (flanken steak) it confuses customers.. oh i hate strip steaks but love t bones.. REALLY??? try convincing them its the same cut of meat! you wont win... in my opinion they should just be called what they really are.. shell steak, new york strip.. just call it a damn top loin steak and be done with it!



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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


Here at the Holmen locker and meat market we do it all. Slaughter , break down carcasses
We make all our own sausage and smoking best full service meat case around. We are
Butchers

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


You obviously are at Food Lion. I lasted 58 days, left the BS, went to the Pig-much better, all fresh, natural meat. Now I am going back to manufacturing (great money and hours)-the butcher trade is dying IMO and Food Lion is the worst place I ever worked. good luck to you



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Allen Scott


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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


excellent posts!!

I'd like to add another two cents of opinion here

we are in an industry that gets hammered day to day-from the liberal media that props up all things vegan-like meatless mondays
to sensationalizing e-coli recalls, to interviewing folks that dont eat meat anymore-saying a healthier diet is one of less and less meat,,,not to mention the peta wackos and their anti-meat agenda
alot of propaganda in the wind, -and many of our customers listen to it.

wal-mart, the largest grocery retailer in the u.s. has case ready meats, no meatcutters on site

retail meatcutters in the meat industry (retail meat sales) still drives the majority of meat sales-they are the end-users of a huge industry-from the ranchers- to the processors, to the wholesalers and truckers etc, retail meatcutters actually sell the meat- thousands and thousands of people are employed because of this-the end-user makes it happens in the whole pipeline

I've been in this business 30 years, and as in all businesses it has changed significantly- years ago- i use to hear that butchers are the boners and breakers, and meatcutters were at retail- alot will still agree on the definitions
however,
here's some food for thought, if you tell a master carpenter he's a handy-man, he will get offended, if you tell a first rate mechanic, he's a backyard knuckle-buster, its degrading-we cant be dumping on one another within the industry- if one cutter is degrading another one-it hurts all our image-indirectly

although their may be some truths within our industry insights-between processing/breaking/retail box cutters- it harms our whole industry for us to argue this- and point fingers- because it goes to the image of the general public, and it is here that we are in a battle-for public opinion

and this is where the industry is now- walmart is a goliath, while we may ridicule their meat department, less than 1% of the population has our insights- more and more customers are buying case-ready meats because THEY DONT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!!
it is up to us to inform, educate, frame the debate
how many of our flyers -promote "butchers in the store" fresh cut meats everyday, from our professional butchers"
"over 90 years experience with every cut" (combined cutting experience within the department)
if you arent advertising like this- then you should be-WE HAVE TO GET THIS MESSAGE OUT TO THE PUBLIC-THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE OF FRESH CUT MEATS -THAN CASE READY- AND THAT YOU WELCOME SPECIAL ORDERS!!!

this is the most important message for the stores to get out- we all may know this-but its the general public we need to convince-otherwise more and more customers will be shopping places of case ready

im hoping case ready- goes by the wayside- but we all must understand, this is a cut-throat, very competitive industry, many, many of the parent companies of grocery stores have already been consolidated, and owners might be in foreign countries (like food lion) my point being-all it takes is one top exec bean counter accountant to say- we must go case ready beef to cut expenses- in that one decision-if approved, can wipe out all meatcutters in that company

so, to me, as an industry- i think we should all use he word BUTCHER -because the customers seem to like this title better
and we should be fighting the move for case ready beef at ground level- how??
put up signs all over the meatcase "our burger is ground fresh on-site many times a day" our steaks are hand-cut to ensure freshness and quality" - place these value statements in the flyers
we need message signs like these.. and drive it home with customers- reinforce competency, integrity and quality

christmas is just around the corner- how many special orders with walmart get????????????
none!!!
while you may get hundreds- this is the time to drive home these messages

we all hear and see the comments,,, the cutting industry is on a downhill slide... etc-
i challenge all of us- what are we doing about this?? are we allowing others and anti-meat groups to frame the arguements and public opinion??? that threatens our very livelyhood???

do what you can at store level-you are the most important contact in the whole industry when you are talking with a customer.

if we arent our own best cheerleaders- no one else will be

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RE: "Butcher" or "Meat Cutter"?


In Canada a Butcher is one that can do EVERY process from slaughter to sausage making custom cutting ect (they don't just bone chop ect) and are also multi spieces trained to call someone a Butcher is i suppose a high title. Olds College produces *Butchers*. Up here when asked if you are a papered butcher that is the abilities you are expected to have.

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I cut in bc. Canada, in my mind a n tcher is the last step for a retail meat cutter to become. A butcher is the best of the best. They can skin, rail bone, cut pretty for the counter, can make sausage and smoke. To be called a butcher is to know all aspects of the trade, I am only one year in, but my manager and journeyman that left taught me sausages, case cutting and railboaning and the nicest thing he ever Said to me was that one day I would be an amazing butcher, as long as I continued my passion for the trade.

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