North Fork Packing

When unloading these little Houdinis this morning, these Olympic athletes hurdled the panel we use to unload and went on an unexpected adventure / tour of our facilities.

Seriously though, we have never once not had sheep cooperate, and this was highly unexpected and statistically inconsistent with our 100% track record of unloading lambs directly into the pen.

However, the farmer had gone out of her way to handle her animals and train them to come with a grain bucket. She was cool like a cucumber and got her bucket and easily coaxed them into where they needed to be. 
That was significantly easier than the sheep safari that we were bracing ourselves for in that moment.

I don’t have enough positive and good things to say about farmers who handle their animals and train them. It makes the whole process so much smoother. 

Why can’t we tailor the fat content of custom ground beef?
This image helps explain why.

We process half a beef at a time that we did not raise or feed. These animals vary widely in age, breed, gender, and thus marbling. We then follow a customer-provided custom cut sheet and grind trim from that specific half carcass into a single batch of ground beef.

Because all trim from that half is combined, the resulting grind reflects the natural variation of that animal and selected cuts, not a controlled fat ratio. Even with disclaimers on the cut sheet that we cannot provide a specific lean-to-fat percentage, and we still receive frequent requests for precise fat content.

In the photo (not mine, but shared because it clearly illustrates the point), you can see the amount of intramuscular fat present. In cases like this, producing lean ground beef from that carcass simply isn’t feasible.

Custom ground beef is an elite product: dry-aged with no added moisture, no fillers, and no modified atmosphere packaging used to artificially maintain a pink color. It comes from a single, locally raised animal with known genetics and is not imported. The animal is handled and processed in a controlled, low-stress environment, and the grind is made from real whole-muscle trim rather than mixed or imported trim sources.
However, because it is derived from a single carcass, the fat content cannot be customized.

Me once a day to a consumer: it just is what it is.

I am excited to announce my appointment to the WSDA livestock identification advisory committee.

It is my intention to learn everything possible about the issues at hand and work collaboratively with our regulatory bodies and to always represent the best interests of local small scale producers.

Sunday 9PM…. checking drip cooler, age cooler, and freezer #1 and #2 temperatures before going to bed.

Everything looks optimal ✔️

Want your oxtail?
Make sure to request it BEFORE the slaughter date, then we can cut it off, package it, and have it ready for pickup with your order.

Otherwise 15-18 days later it doesn’t make it through the dry aging process.