Finding value in every animal
When we began our Millstream Meadows journey, we had plenty of experience in buying and cooking meat but a lot less in raising and butchering animals – very much like most of our customers.
Over the years, we have changed that and whilst we certainly don’t profess to be masters, we have gained a wealth of knowledge in these areas.
Some of you may already know, we aren’t about doing the same things that everyone else is doing and we often have a different way of viewing the farming/meat industry than most.
One of the things that has been coming up for us quite a lot lately is that there seems to be an industry attitude that an animal that doesn’t present with the perfect fat to meat ratio or the ideal weight/size is somehow worth less or a waste.
We don’t agree with that and in this article, we’re going to explore why.
The shift in behaviour
In the old days before factory farming and huge processors, animals were raised by small, local, independent farmers and processed by small, local, independent butchers. These butchers were typically artisans at their craft, being able to look at an animal carcass and identify what cuts would be best off that particular animal regardless of it’s breed/size/weight etc.
In those days, people were used to utilising a broad range of cuts and whilst I’m sure that people enjoyed a steak as much as they do today, people appreciated that there was only so much steak one animal can produce and would find ways to make the other cuts just as delicious if not more so.
As time went by and centralised processing and distribution became a thing, the need for faster, more standardised products became the focus.
Fast forward to now and people have been conditioned to be able to walk into the supermarket and buy as much steak as they could want regardless of how many animals had to be processed to produce it and never give a thought to the remaining parts of the animal.
With this shift in focus, we've noticed a move away from the traditional craft of butchery, where understanding the animal, recognising its qualities and taking pride in making the most of every cut were once central to the job.
When the “ideal” overshadows the real value of an animal
With mass production, comes the requirement for uniformity – after all, if a butcher has to stop and think about what they are cutting, it slows them down – it’s far more efficient for every animal to be the same size/weight and all the cuts to be the same.
This however, means that animals that don’t fit that uniformity, may be rejected or written off when in fact there’s plenty of value in them.
A prime example of this would be dairy bull calves - the male calves born to dairy cows that are not required for breeding. On a dairy farm, these calves are of no use so typically one of two things happens – they are either sold for veal or they are sold/given away to someone who is willing to raise them up to be beef (or pets). The thing is that the jersey breed is not known as a beef breed and when fully grown and grass fed, will have yellow fat rather than white which makes it not part of the uniform presentation. The craziest part of this is that many old farmers will tell you that the best beef they ever had was from their old milking cow who had reached the end of her life! So why don’t we see jersey meat on the shelves? Because it doesn’t look the part.
What the industry seems to miss, is that there is a market for those things that don’t fit their standard. In fact, there are people who look for and appreciate individuality in food production rather than the same old same old.
The lost art of traditional butchery
The butcher used to be the one to talk to about how to prepare different cuts, how to improve the quality of the animals you were raising yourself, and what you could try that might appeal to you. It was a relationship that developed over time as you went in regularly to stock up your freezer.
As butchery became more process-driven, the emphasis was on volume of production and speed and uniformity of output. And with the demand for particular “more desirable” cuts, the butchers started ordering in boxed meat of particular cuts from meat wholesalers. As a result, many of today’s butchers have completed apprenticeships in environments where they haven’t had to think about how to deal with a carcass that was outside the standard and in some cases, have rarely even cut meat off a carcass. Many wouldn’t know what to tell you about how a cut should be prepared either.
Historically, a butcher’s son would carry on the family business and with it, the skills and knowledge would be passed down but with low wages and a physically demanding job, butchery as a profession has fallen out of fashion and it can be very difficult to find butchers, especially in rural areas.
Add to that, the fact that people have chosen supermarket convenience over supporting their local butcher and it’s easy to see how small butcheries have been closing down and those skills have become harder to find.
Finding value in what others overlook
At Millstream Meadows we believe there is value in every animal and prefer to minimise waste wherever possible.
That’s why we offer some of the cuts that you are unlikely to find in your local supermarket – things such as tongue, kidney, liver, heart, fat, pigs heads, trotters, marrow bones etc. And you might be surprised to find out that some of those things sell out as soon as they are listed on our website! It’s insane to think that some processors simply throw those things away as a waste product.
Sometime in farming, life gets in the way of perfectly laid plans. We had 3 litters of piglets born very close together and it just so happened to be when Brad had just left for a week. As that left me on the farm by myself, the male piglets didn’t get castrated in time (it’s illegal to castrate piglets older than 7 days) so they remained intact. This meant they became boars which is not ideal as their hormones can influence the taste of the meat. It’s important to distinguish that roughly 15-25% of boars will actually be affected and some people actually prefer the taste of boar meat. So what did we do? We separated the boys from the females and grew them out. We had planned to process them a little earlier to minimise the chance of boar taint but again life got in the way and they ended up staying in the paddock a fair bit longer than we would have liked.
When we took the first lot to the abattoir, the slaughterman/butcher made a point of warning us about boar taint to which I replied “That’s ok, we’ll taste it before it goes up for sale and if there’s any hint of taint, I will sell it as boar meat”. He wasn’t so sure about that response and made a point of telling me again after they had cut up the pigs that they were “smelling a bit of taint”. After packing up the meat at the butcher, we had pork schnitzel that night and not only was it taint free, it was some of the tastiest pork we’ve ever produced!
A cull cow (one that has had calves in the past but for whatever reason is no longer needed on the farm) is generally considered by the industry as no good for anything but mince (if that) but a skilled butcher will identify cuts that can be salvaged by perhaps cutting them differently or creating something different with them. In fact, many of the cuts that we sell most of can be even better from a cull cow who has had more time to develop a deeper flavour and intramuscular fat content.
What if we changed the way we looked at things?
Whilst we are doing our bit to educate people and be the change we want to see in the industry, the biggest driver of the industry is consumer demand.
Why is it that we gravitate towards those “desirable cuts” such as big steaks?
When was the last time you purchased a cut that is outside your comfort zone?
Do you know the story of the meat that is on your plate?
Perhaps the problem isn’t that some animals don’t fit into the standards of the industry but rather that we’ve become so accustomed to expecting cuts to fit into that “perfect” mould that we’ve forgotten how to see value in anything else.
The final takeaway
Whilst one individual and even one small business cannot change an entire industry alone, we can absolutely start conversations and question our own behaviours that can create a ripple effect more powerful than we imagine.
So my challenge to you is to order a cut that is a little outside your comfort zone and give it a go. You never know – it may just become your new favourite cut!
Let’s create a movement towards finding value in every cut on every animal.
If you ever have any questions about particular cuts you are looking to source or how you might prepare a particular cut, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.