Dressing % and processor differences

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Hpacres440p

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Just picked up a second steer today with a >72% from HW dressout from a favorite processor. Some of you may remember me griping about a 50% dressout from a different processor last year. I was talking to the owner of my favorite folks while waiting for my boxes, and was complimenting their good return. The difference in these two is that one sells retail (low dressout place) and the higher return processor does not. Both are USDA.
What is the likelihood that extra trim is kept by one to make retail sausage, ground, etc, and the other gives it all back to the customer, as they should?
 
Hpacres440p said:
Just picked up a second steer today with a >72% from HW dressout from a favorite processor. Some of you may remember me griping about a 50% dressout from a different processor last year. I was talking to the owner of my favorite folks while waiting for my boxes, and was complimenting their good return. The difference in these two is that one sells retail (low dressout place) and the higher return processor does not. Both are USDA.
What is the likelihood that extra trim is kept by one to make retail sausage, ground, etc, and the other gives it all back to the customer, as they should?
Click to expand...
We have a guy here that does a really nice job cutting, portioning, and vacuum packing the cuts. But everything comes back lighter than it should.
How do you prove a processor is stealing your meat?
 
Hpacres440p said:
Just picked up a second steer today with a >72% from HW dressout from a favorite processor. Some of you may remember me griping about a 50% dressout from a different processor last year. I was talking to the owner of my favorite folks while waiting for my boxes, and was complimenting their good return. The difference in these two is that one sells retail (low dressout place) and the higher return processor does not. Both are USDA.
What is the likelihood that extra trim is kept by one to make retail sausage, ground, etc, and the other gives it all back to the customer, as they should?
Click to expand...
72% dress out is really high, or am I misunderstanding what you mean?
 
Are you saying the other place didn't provide soup bones, ect ? Any place that skims customers meat and sells it retail won't be in business long. I can't imagine why any processor would risk their business for a few pounds of meat when they already have a source of meat. The risk isn't worth the reward. Not saying it has never happened, but its rare. And 72% seems unrealistically high. I've butchered my own and kept everything, including rendering the fat, and I still don't think I got 72%.
 
M.Magis said:
Are you saying the other place didn't provide soup bones, ect ? Any place that skims customers meat and sells it retail won't be in business long. I can't imagine why any processor would risk their business for a few pounds of meat when they already have a source of meat. The risk isn't worth the reward. Not saying it has never happened, but its rare. And 72% seems unrealistically high. I've butchered my own and kept everything, including rendering the fat, and I still don't think I got 72%.
Click to expand...
It's possible to get 72% on the rail... but I've never seen it with smooth muscled cattle.
 
Every animal is different will have a different dressing volume. I prefer to focusing on quality of the meat and the cuts rather then the quantity of the meat. I prefer to take them straight from the package to the cook .don't want to spend a bunch of time trimming,to me that's the butchers job.
Reminds me a the saying "no sense in beating a dead dog."
No amount of complaining about it is going to change the fact that you aren't happy with one butcher. Take it as a lesson and move on.
Another saying also comes to mind.
"Grant me the wisdom to change the things I can.accept the things I can't and the ability to know the difference."
 
Rmc said:
Every animal is different will have a different dressing volume. I prefer to focusing on quality of the meat and the cuts rather then the quantity of the meat. I prefer to take them straight from the package to the cook .don't want to spend a bunch of time trimming,to me that's the butchers job.
Reminds me a the saying "no sense in beating a dead dog."
No amount of complaining about it is going to change the fact that you aren't happy with one butcher. Take it as a lesson and move on.
Another saying also comes to mind.
"Grant me the wisdom to change the things I can.accept the things I can't and the ability to know the difference."
Click to expand...
I have had a terrible time finding a processer that does a good job. The ones that are really good have a waiting list of at least a year. One we used a couple of years ago, the meat came back tainted. My mom was a meat cutter and she said if there is any problem with the cooling procedure (not enough room for the air to circulate in the cooler, for instance), it will go into the fat. So the hamburger did not smell good when it was cooking.

One thing I know for sure, never take beef into a plant that also cuts wild game during hunting season.
 
faster horses said:
One thing I know for sure, never take beef into a plant that also cuts wild game during hunting season.
Click to expand...
Why not?
Been doing it for years without any issues. Would have to drive 150+ Plus miles to find a butcher who doesn't cut up both wild and domestic meat
 
Separate cooler at my local shop for game and they don't cut beef on the same day as game.

There's a lot of fat material inside the carcass that doesn't get processed and bone too, 72% could be possible if you boned nothing out, chuck, ribs etc. I guess.
 
Rmc said:
Every animal is different will have a different dressing volume. I prefer to focusing on quality of the meat and the cuts rather then the quantity of the meat. I prefer to take them straight from the package to the cook .don't want to spend a bunch of time trimming,to me that's the butchers job.
Reminds me a the saying "no sense in beating a dead dog."
No amount of complaining about it is going to change the fact that you aren't happy with one butcher. Take it as a lesson and move on.
Another saying also comes to mind.
"Grant me the wisdom to change the things I can.accept the things I can't and the ability to know the difference."
Click to expand...
It was for discussion, nothing more. I know where to go and where to avoid. I was simply curious if others have had similar experiences, and if so, how it was dealt with other than simple avoidance of the one in question. Processors are in limited supply, plenty of opportunity for a little underhandedness every once in a while, if they are busy regardless.
 
I'm not sure how you would deal with it other then avoiding them. How would you prove it for one and if they really stole meat then they are a thief and most likely a liar too so it's not like they are going to say "Yeah we stole some meat, sorry let me go get it for you."
 
Never had the issue with beef or pork but did have issue with a deer last year from someone. We normally grind our own deer up been doing it for years but last year I killed a deer and had to go out of town that night so I dropped it off at a processer to have 100% burger made out of it and back straps sliced I ended up with a 1/3 of what i expected to get with no explanation from owner they just said I must have mistook deers size it happened to 4/5 other people also that processer ended up going under
 

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