CUSTOM PROCESSING
STATE OF THE ART PROCESSING THAT EXCEEDS STANDARDS
Jerome Country Market is your premier meat processor, serving the Greater South Central Michigan Region. We pride ourselves on our state of the art meat processing services. For over 30 years, we have been a leader in quality meats processing. From trailer to freezer, every animal is carefully weighed, processed and package to ensure the highest yields possible for our clients. Feel free to look through this page to learn more about our process.
On-Line Cutting Order Forms
Please click the appropriate button below, to begin processing your online form.
OUR PROCESS
Holding Area
Our enclosed holding pens offer easy unloading to help minimize stress for the animals. The holding area houses (6) 13 x 10 steel pens. The concrete floors are sloped to allow for easy draining and cleanup. Each pen is also equipped with their own water fountains, to keep the animals hydrated during the holding period. The animals are tagged and monitored via video camera at all times for security and tracking.
Butchering Area
Each animal is individually processed on a stainless steel rail system. Our certified rail, scale and trolley hooks are all certified stainless steel. Our Structural hangers for our rail system are stainless steel. All workstations are stainless steel, to ensure superior cleanliness.
Cooler Area
To ensure each carcass maintains optimum temperature, our work facility is equipped with independent coolers. We have chill & drip coolers that quickly cool down the carcasses after the are first processed. Carcasses need to be 42 degrees or less, within 24 hours. As the meat is aged, it is held in a regulated refrigerated room for best results. In addition to our independent coolers, our processing facility is always chilled to a safe 32-35 degrees.
Processing Area
Our meat cutters have over 145 years of combined experience. Our experienced cutters provide the very best finished product. Once the meat has all been cut, it is vacuum packaged in our state of the art packaging machines. Each package is then labeled to identify the type of cut and customer information. The meat is then immediately moved to the blast freezer, here the meat will freeze within 12 hours, awaiting pickup.
Sausage Room
In the sausage room, all meat is processed using stainless steel equipment that provides easy sanitation and cleanup. The grinders and mixers have separators that pull out any bone chips, gristle and unwanted fat. To make sure we give our customers the most flavor, we only use the best briners, injectors and tumblers.
Smoke House
Our smoke hours is equipped with the very best smokers and processes that produce award winning meats. We operate 6 Alkar Automated Microprocessor stainless steel smokers. Our smoked meats are cooled in their own cooler, and packaged separate from our non smoked meats. For the best health and safety practices, smoked products are never stored near raw products.
MEAT PICK-UP
Every product that we packaged is tagged with a printed label that includes the type of cut and the customers information. We store all products in a cooler and/or freezer, stocked in bags with the customers name on it.
When a customer arrives to pick up their order they simply present their pick slip, and their meat will be brought out from the cooler and/or freezer, in a shopping cart. This process is simple and quick. If you need assistance loading your order, we will be more than happy to provide you with assistance.
How Much Meat Will I Get?
Many time people are amazed at the quantity of meat that they receive after bring in an animal to be processed. The steer, hog, or other animal was huge in the eyes of the owner. The following information represents an average. The actual live weight to retail cuts yield varies and is dependent on various factors such as breed, fat to muscle ration, cutting order, age, etc.
How much eating meat will I get?
Frankly, there’s no exact answer to this question. Here are some of the reasons:
- Each animal is built differently. One may have more muscle, fat or bone than the next.
- Meat can be close-trimmed or left with some fat on. Cutting preferences can determine quantity.
- Meat can be boneless or bone-in. This will make a difference in the weight and amount of meat you put in your freezer.
Weight loss during harvesting and processing of meat from live animals to table-ready cuts should be expected.
After the harvest, the carcass will weigh considerably less than before. The percentage remaining can be estimated:
- Beef 58%-65%
- Veal 58%-64%
- Pork 73%-75%
- Lamb 48%-52%
Harvesting removes the head, blood, hide and inedible parts from the animal. In beef, veal and lamb, it will account for an average loss of slightly less than half the original live weight of the animal. The harvested loss in hogs averages about one-quarter of live weight.
Example: If your steer weighs 1100 lbs. live, it will most likely weigh 638-715 lbs. when harvested or “dressed”. This is 58%-65% of the live weight.
After processing, your table-ready meat will weigh less than the carcass did before processing. The percentages of closely-trimmed, mostly boneless cuts remaining from dressed weight can be estimated:
- Beef 50%-65%
- Veal 65%-75%
- Pork 60%-75%
- Lamb 48%-60%
Processing is the cutting of the “dressed” or carcass meat into ready-to-cook portions. Processing accounts for another loss in weight as excess fat and bones are trimmed away. Not only does trimming make meat more appetizing, it also reduces required freezer space and often eliminates further preparation in the kitchen. The more fat and bones removed for convenience, the greater the decrease in pounds. The fatter the carcass, the lower the final weight of the table-ready cuts will be.
Example: If your pork carcass weighs 185 lbs., expect approximately 111-139 lbs. of closely trimmed, mostly boneless eating meat after processing. This is 60%-75% of the “dressed” weight.