For those interested in learning to cut meat, the University of Kentucky Meat Cutting School offers accessible and affordable classes, with hands-on teaching from the live animal to food products.
Extension meat specialist Gregg Rentfrow said the school started in 2007 as a bit of an accident, according to a release from the University of Kentucky (UK). UK staff offered meat cutting training to Kroger employees and the interest and need grew from there.
“First, it was an Extension program that was fun for everybody,” Rentfrow said in a release. “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 the UK Meat Cutting School works 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, including watching UK’s experts process the animals. 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,” Land said in a release. “This is great.”
Workshops hosted by the Meat Cutting School attract hobbyists and professionals alike. Some, such as 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 storefront 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.”
Gregg Rentfrow cuts beef during a training in 2018.
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.
Even though this is not her profession, Weber said she is passionate about and fascinated by it .
“These are public-facing classes I can come down to and learn from experts, which is awesome,” she told UK staff.
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.
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.
Learn more about the UK Meat Cutting School at https://afs.ca.uky.edu/foodscience/university-kentucky-meat-cutting-school. Learn more about the UK Butcher Shop at https://afs.ca.uky.edu/butchershop.
Contributions by Bailey Vandiver.
