By Bailey Vandiver
Since 2007, the University of Kentucky Meat Cutting School has been offering an accessible and affordable overview of meat processing, from live animal to food product.
The school started a bit “by accident,” said extension meat specialist Gregg Rentfrow, when UK personnel offered meat cutting training to Kroger employees. As interest and need grew, so did the UK Meat Cutting School.
"First, it was an extension program that was fun for everybody,” Rentfrow said. “Then all of a sudden it became a need for the industry.”
Previously, those interested could more readily find a meat cutting school, where they would spend several weeks learning the trade. But the introduction of boxed meats in the 1970s decreased the need for skilled cutters and cutting schools. Finding training became more difficult, and now the meat cutting labor force is more likely to be unskilled— problems that the UK Meat Cutting School is working to solve.
The Meat Cutting School hosts several workshops per year. Each workshop is devoted either to beef or pork and is limited to five or six people so participants can truly get a hands-on learning experience.
That’s no exaggeration—participants get the chance to do everything they watch UK’s experts do, including slaughtering cows. Chris Land, who attended the final beef workshop in July 2024, has hunted and processed deer for years and wanted to expand his knowledge.
“I knew this would be hands-on, but I didn’t know we’d be going through two whole animals ourselves. This is great,” Land said.
Workshops hosted by the Meat Cutting School attract hobbyists and professionals alike. Some, like Brian Jones of Williamsburg, already work in the meat processing industry and attend for professional development.
“There are new cuts that I learned here that we do differently than UK,” Jones said, which is exciting information to take back to his employer.
Kyle Wooton runs K&R Farm in Richmond, including a direct-to-consumer store front that sells beef, pork and lamb.
“Very interesting to learn the different cuts because of the retail space that we have,” Wooton said. “It's been great, and it helps to learn a little bit more about the anatomy of the livestock as well.”
Beyond learning from UK experts, Wooton also benefited from meeting with a USDA representative as part of the workshop.
Meat Cutting School programming has become popular with chefs, Rentfrow said. Abby Stranathan is the head baker at Shaker Village and said she tries to “always be learning.” Attending the workshop equipped her to expand beyond the bakery to help the chef with meat.
“When Chef needs more help, I can reach in,” Stranathan said.
Jecy Weber traveled from Columbus, Ohio, to attend the workshop and improve one of her hobbies and passions. As part of a medieval organization that does reenactments from 600 to 1600 A.D., Weber often participates in boar hunts and processes the meat. The knowledge she gained from the workshop will help her offer a more authentic experience for other reenactors.
“This is not my profession. I am passionate about it and super fascinated,” Weber said. “These are public-facing classes I can come down to and learn from experts, which is awesome.”
Weber and Stranathan are friends and had “a fantastic time” learning together throughout the workshop.
“This is a scale of animal that we wouldn’t get a lot of access to, as neither one of us are working in the meat processing industry,” Weber said. “This is hard to learn from a book.”
Workshops serve the dual purpose of being both fun and useful—for participants and for workshop leaders Rentfrow and Brock Billingsley, research facility manager in the UK Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
“It’s neat to pass on the information, and it gives us a little bit of time to show off,” Rentfrow said.
Participants left the workshop with a lot of additional knowledge—and maybe a couple steaks for dinner they had cut themselves. Rentfrow has hopes for expanding the Meat Cutting School to be even more beneficial in the future, including hosting more workshops per year and longer, more detailed training opportunities. Future renovation and building projects in Martin-Gatton CAFE will expand capacity for the Meat Cutting School.
Source : uky.edu