What It Means to Cut Meat for a Living

The Word Is Broad. The Realities Are Varied.

The word “butcher” sounds simple. Someone who cuts meat professionally.

That’s technically true. But like most trades, it exists on a spectrum.

If someone thinks about our shop, they might picture trimming steaks or grinding beef. Move upstream and you’re breaking down primals or quarters. Go further and you’re talking about harvesting. That’s a different category entirely. It deserves respect.

The word is broad. The realities are varied.

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Before There Was a Shop

Before I ever looked at a location or drew up a blueprint, I wanted to know one thing.

Did I have the stomach for it?

So I stopped buying individual chicken parts and started buying whole birds. I’d never broken one down before. I wasn’t sure how I’d react.

I wasn’t squeamish.

That experiment told me something important. The work wasn’t going to repel me.

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The Weight of It

People don’t think about weight until they’re holding it.

A boneless beef chuck can weigh over 20 pounds. I’ve seen them closer to 30. Same with a top round.

You pick one up and immediately understand something about the scale of the animal. These are not small creatures.

That realization changes how you think about preparation and waste. It forces perspective.

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Your Nose Knows

People assume the smell is overwhelming.

At our level in the supply chain, it isn’t. Upstream, I’m sure that changes. But where we work, smell is less dramatic and more diagnostic.

I’ve had customers call a few days after buying something and ask if I think it’s still good.

My answer is always the same.

Your nose knows.

We rely on our senses. There are systems and safeguards in place, but smell is often the most honest indicator.

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The Hours

I went from working 40 hours a week at my old job to 80, sometimes 90, during the early years of the shop.

Seven days a week.

It was grueling.

But I was in my early thirties and still had the fire. It didn’t feel impossible. It felt necessary.

Sleep mattered. Diet mattered. Exercise mattered. When I ignored those things, I paid for it.

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Fatigue Doesn’t Show Up While You’re Moving

There’s a stamina element where if I keep going, I can just keep going.

It’s when I stop that it hits.

After a long holiday push or a 12-hour day, I’d get home and suddenly feel like I weighed 500 pounds.

Knowing that has helped me manage it.

If I feel it coming, I keep moving. Eventually the system resets.

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The Trade Changes You

When you work with any medium long enough, you gain respect for craftsmanship.

It doesn’t matter if you’re making clay pots or cutting beef. Working with your hands changes how you see other people who do the same. There’s something incredibly honest about it. It’s stripped down. It’s direct.

Details start to matter.

An ounce here or an ounce there adds up. Ounces turn into pounds. Pounds turn into serious numbers.

It’s a numbers game.

You have to be detail-oriented. There’s no other option.

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This Stuff Doesn’t Fall Out of the Sky

At some point I started saying that out loud.

And it doesn’t.

I’ve been to large-scale production facilities. I’ve been to ranches. I’ve met the people doing the work upstream. It’s hard work. It’s honest work. It feeds hundreds of millions of people every day.

That deserves respect.

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Waste Is a Thief

In business, waste shrinks margins. That’s true everywhere.

But here, waste isn’t just financial. We’re talking about an animal. Something living.

Using as much of it as possible isn’t just smart. It’s respectful.

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Discipline Over Ideas

I’m not short on ideas.

The discipline is knowing when not to chase the next one. Making sure the systems already in place are running smoothly before building another.

I’ve been guilty of starting new projects before finishing old ones. I’m learning to rein that in.

The last thing I need is another unfinished system sitting on my desk.