What is Heritage, and why is it important? Cochon 555 DC

A heritage breed, for those who may not know, is a breed of livestock that has not been genetically altered by crossing breeds to satisfy a broad growing program.

For the consumer, Just for fun, Processing, RestaurantsChris FullerApril 14, 2013Butcher demo, Cochon 555, Cochon DC, Meat Chris, Heritage meatComment

Traceability is your Friend

How do you find out whether a product has been raised humanely, in a sustainable way, locally, etc? You find out where it came from.

Marketing, Processing, ManagementChris FullerJanuary 15, 2013USDA, food safety, fsis, meat recall, product origin, traceability, meat processingComment

2013: The year of Niche Meats

Although the jury is still out on a specific definition of “local,” “sustainable,” or even “humane,” consumers are increasingly demanding meat that has some kind of back story that they can connect with.

Marketing, Processing, RestaurantsChris FullerJanuary 15, 2013Butcher, Niche meats, healthy meat, natural meatComment

The Turkey Diaries: The best Thanksgiving turkey method (ever)

I will now share with you the fruits of my labor, the result of years of turkey diaries leading to the penultimate turkey recipe:

Chris Fuller’s Thanksgiving Turkey, bitches.

Cuts & Recipes, For the consumer, RestaurantsChris FullerNovember 15, 2012Butcher, Fall, Meat, Thanksgiving, Turkey, recipesComment

You (M)eat with your eyes

I hope you can use these tips for building and arranging your case. After that, it’s just all about great customer service and having a great product, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Management, Marketing, Restaurants, ProcessingChris FullerOctober 4, 2012Butcher, Meat, Meat processing, meat display case, retailComment

Cut Highlight: Flat Iron Filet

Today we’ll highlight one of these cuts that is gaining popularity: the flat iron filet.

Cut highlight: Boneless Lamb Shoulder

The weather is starting to cool down, and to me that means it’s coming into roast season. I love a good roast on a cool fall night for dinner.

Mediator or Meat Processor?

Sometimes I feel more like a mediator than a meat processor. Since choosing to work on the slaughter side of the meat industry, in order to create better access to quality processing services for local and small scale farmers, I’ve been a connection between the food production sector and the food service sector.

Marketing, Processing, Restaurants, ManagementChris FullerSeptember 18, 2012Butcher, Chefs, Local Food, Meat processing, Restaurant, local meatComment

Why I'm the best boss... Or, just not the worst

Most of the ingredients to a successful workplace will be taken care of when you consider these three pillars for creating a great team: keep the best people who can work together, create a positive and professional work environment, and exercise proper discipline in proper doses.

Five mistakes to avoid in your meat processing business: Opening Day

This is the fourth in a series of posts on building your meat processing business.

Highlights from the 73rd annual Meat Convention

Highlighting five important takeaways from the 73rd annual meat processors convention in St. Paul.

Marketing, ProcessingChris FullerAugust 2, 2012American Association of Meat Processors, Butcher, Meat processingComment

Mistakes to avoid when building your meat processing business: Construction

This is the third in a series of posts on building your meat processing business.

Why I can call slaughter "humane"

Wow this turned out to be really long. Grab a bowl of popcorn cause I’m diving into humane handling headfirst.

Why so much Ground Beef?

To follow up with our last installment about carcass yields, we are going to discuss the breakdown of cuts from a single animal carcass.

Processing, For the consumer, Cuts & RecipesChris FullerJuly 5, 2012Meat processing, Yield, ground beef, take-home yieldComment

It's a dirty job...

Sometimes I just deal with shit all day.

Marketing and Pricing “Exotic” Meat

With careful marketing and proper pricing, Hollow Hill Farm has won the hearts of many first-time bison eaters.

Mistakes to avoid when building your meat processing business: Design

This is the second in a series of posts about mistakes to avoid and tips to remember when designing your plant.

Mistakes to avoidChris FullerJune 12, 2012Butcher, Meat processing, Plant design, USDA Comments

How much meat will I take home?

I get this a lot after people pick up their meat from the plant: “I only got X pounds of meat and half of it was ground beef!”

Processing, For the consumerChris FullerJune 1, 2012Meat processing, Yield Comments

Welcome to Meat University