DAMN, this gave me a flash to the days of when I use to have to bone out 5 to 12 buggy's like this every day. Some Saturday's you could get up to I5 or I7 on a big beef sale
We typically didn't bone whole loins or short loins. We saw cut them and only boned the the steaks with the smallest bones.
What I do remember though is getting baskets and baskets of "rag bags" which were the forequarter shanks and chuck eyes already boned from boxed chucks. Had to work them all into boneless shin meat, round cubes, and extra lean trim for "ground round". I don't miss that either!
apcowboy wrote:
DAMN, this gave me a flash to the days of when I use to have to bone out 5 to 12 buggy's like this every day. Some Saturday's you could get up to I5 or I7 on a big beef sale
Oh yea! We'd break 3 sometimes 5 days a week. Depending upon sales. This apprentice would be schooled in receiving, weighing, tagging and rotating all the hanging beef. Then hours more on proper rib breaks, seam cuts along with primal separation. All the "fun" began when every quarter was primed and this apprentice was sent into a corner by the triple sink. I had to bone my way out. My way to the bathroom! My way home! Corralled in by carts! Doubled up all the way into the walkin. I remember all too well how this type and amount of work was as accepted as putting on a meat coat and apron at the beginning of the day.
holy crap haven't seen that since the 70's carts of neck bones is what i remember it sucked to be the young guy but boy did i lean hoe to make that s curve, the bone can i was told was snow white no red in that sucker that was money
holy crap haven't seen that since the 70's carts of neck bones is what i remember it sucked to be the young guy but boy did i lean hoe to make that s curve, the bone can i was told was snow white no red in that sucker that was money
Now that you mention it I was given baskets of necks to bone also, when I was an apprentice and before we went to boxed beef! That was a high point for me. For the most part all an apprentice was allowed to do was cut up chicken and clean. If you wanted to actually learn anything you had to work off the clock with the evening cutter and he would show you how to do whatever was on his production list for the night. And of course he would also let you clean the department for him.
True story. 1986, Big Star grand opening in Stone Mountain Ga. My first day at that store. Went to work at 1:00 p.m.. Faced about 200 lbs. of 3rd bag trim from 99 cent boneless chuck ad. Right out of the box, with brand new Forschner steak knive, nearly cut half my left index finger off. Cleaned it, wrapped it with quaze and film and left it alone for 3 days . Didn't miss any work. Don't miss those days one bit.
True story. 1986, Big Star grand opening in Stone Mountain Ga. My first day at that store. Went to work at 1:00 p.m.. Faced about 200 lbs. of 3rd bag trim from 99 cent boneless chuck ad. Right out of the box, with brand new Forschner steak knive, nearly cut half my left index finger off. Cleaned it, wrapped it with quaze and film and left it alone for 3 days . Didn't miss any work. Don't miss those days one bit.
Hi Machine, You were with them there about 6 years before they sold Big Star off ?? I worked A&P all of the 70's, left them in 82, I worked part time with Big Star on north side Big A, North Druids Hills when I worked the A&P there. Big Star were Colonial in make up lol, I liked working for them, they tried to get me to come full time but I had a lot of years in with A&P, a lot of it non union on the Gulf Coast. After Colonial closed or converted to the Big Star name, Grand Unionbought them in 82. The N.C. S.C. and Va. stores were sold to Harris T in 1988, the Ga. stores were sold around 91 or 1992 , most Big A locations going to A&P. I worked another Big Star on Campbellton Road across from the A&P I worked at. I clocked out every day at 4:45 and clocked in there at 5 and worked till 10, was back at A&P at 6 the next morning lol I was young then, could handle that ****
Thanks,Leon. When I joined Big Star there were 2 Colonial stores left. One at Lenox Square and one further down Peactree in Buckhead, if my memory serves me. I enjoyed them also and actually get a pension each month because of my years with them. Still have a lot of friends from those days.
IMO, Breaking beef doesn't take much skill relatively speaking, relative to any other meat dept job. It could easily be argued that working the trim takes more skill than the breaking. Of course breaking takes more muscle. I never worked in a place where one or two big doofuses, did the breaking and made a new guy clean up their $hit. I've heard of it, but was never the victim or the doofus. (Maybe I'm a doofus, but not in that way). I don't like it, and would feel like a jerk if I made one guy work it ALL up. Maybe most of it, but let him/her have some fun too. Share the breaking. I broke one beef on Sunday and worked all the trim myself. The clerk would have LOVED to work up the plates, necks, etc. But not to do that, and only that day in, day out.
I did learn to break beef on my free time before school in 1978-9. After school, I'd come in and do my regular work for minimum wage ($2.65?)
What's that doing on the sales floor?
I wonder how many toddlers with dirty diapers sat in those carts.
Thanks,Leon. When I joined Big Star there were 2 Colonial stores left. One at Lenox Square and one further down Peactree in Buckhead, if my memory serves me. I enjoyed them also and actually get a pension each month because of my years with them. Still have a lot of friends from those days
Did you know many of them old A&P boys ??
I stayed on the south side, east side to Snapfinger road mostly. North Druids Hills was a favorite one of my market to work we rock and roll there back then 130,000 to 145,000
My " Meat Gods " were Buddy Mitchell and Jack Shaffer
my main stores were Campbellton Road, Old National Highway, Jonesboro Road , Snapfinger Road, Memorial Drive, old & new store
I got exiled from Atlanta once for swinging a knife at a market manager head at West Paces, was send to Lagrange, Ga. for two weeks then brought back to Atlanta to Powers Ferry Road till I slap a store manager then they sent me back to the south side to Jonesboro. lol which was were I would rather be we ran 140,000 there, FUN market
When I was in the trade, one saying was: "Money is made or lost on the block, not the rail."
However we did have dedicated "box men" who worked exclusively in the cooler, because the contract required an extra 25 cents and hour for cooler work and it would have been impossible to manage everyone's time otherwise. The box men did all the breaking and all the grinds, plus the receiving.
Burgermeister wrote:
IMO, Breaking beef doesn't take much skill relatively speaking, relative to any other meat dept job. It could easily be argued that working the trim takes more skill than the breaking. Of course breaking takes more muscle. I never worked in a place where one or two big doofuses, did the breaking and made a new guy clean up their $hit. I've heard of it, but was never the victim or the doofus. (Maybe I'm a doofus, but not in that way). I don't like it, and would feel like a jerk if I made one guy work it ALL up. Maybe most of it, but let him/her have some fun too. Share the breaking. I broke one beef on Sunday and worked all the trim myself. The clerk would have LOVED to work up the plates, necks, etc. But not to do that, and only that day in, day out.
I did learn to break beef on my free time before school in 1978-9. After school, I'd come in and do my regular work for minimum wage ($2.65?)
What's that doing on the sales floor?
I wonder how many toddlers with dirty diapers sat in those carts.
