Take a New Direction with MSC's Meat Cutting Program

Looking for a new direction with your career? Check out the Maricopa Skill Center Meat Cutting program!  

Students can earn a certificate as an Apprentice Meat Cutter. The school has an open to the community Butcher Shop & Deli, which students are trained to work in.

Program details: 

Students are in class five hours a day Monday-Friday. It is approximately an eight month long course which costs approximately $4,412.00. Students must be 17.5-years-old to enroll and 18-years-old to work in the industry.

What the students learn:

Students learn how to process meat, pork and poultry while in the class and students are typically cutting their second day of class.

Students learn how to safely use and maintain hand tools and power equipment utilized in the meat cutting industry. Also, students learn how to identify, cut wrap, weigh and display all retail cuts for a meat case.

MSC’s Butcher Shop & Deli on campus provides students with an opportunity to gain hands on experience.

Butcher Shop & Deli:

The Butcher Shop & Deli is open to the community. The Shop is open during business hours Monday-Friday. Students fill the meat counter on Mondays.

The Butcher Shop will also process game. Students get hands on experience learning about processing game. No game is sold in the shop.

For more information, call 602-238-4374.

After graduation:

The students can look forward to careers as a retail meat cutter, retail meat wrapper, wholesale meat cutter or a meat and deli counterperson. Salaries range from $11.96 to $21.39.

Next program start dates: 

May 5^th (Must be enrolled and have taken assessment by March 24^th)

June 2^nd (Must be enrolled and have taken assessment by April 21^st)

Other Certificate Option:

MSC is also home to a Meat Department Helper certificate. The certificate will allow students to assist meat cutters by preparing the meats to be cut; trimming and packaging cuts for retail; stocking, rotating and maintaining meat cases.

Students must be 17.5-years-old to enroll and 18-years-old to work in the industry. The certificate takes about 4 and half months to complete with an estimated cost of $2,548.00.

Find out more! Call 602.238.4350. Visit the website. 

Public tours are available 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Program of the Week: Meat Cutting

Apprentice Meat Cutter

Packaged retail meats in the Butcher Shop & Deli at Maricopa Skill Center.

Imagine wearing winter clothes all year-round in Arizona. In fact, none of us would survive especially in the middle of July! But, in the Meat Cutting Program at Maricopa Skill Center (MSC), students wear jackets and beanies to keep themselves warm. The average temperature inside the meat cutting room is set at approximately 30-40ºF to maintain proper sanitation.

Diagram of Beef Primal Cuts

MSC's Meat Cutting Program receives domestic orders from vendors, which arrive in large, divided sections called primal cuts (as shown in the diagram). The students process and handle these primal cuts into individual retail cuts.

Students in the Meat Cutting Program demonstrate proper steps in preparing beef ribs and beef top sirloin for merchandising a retail meat case and for filling customer orders. 

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Beef Ribs

Step 1: A section of the beef rib area is carefully placed under a band saw to slice each piece.

Step 2: After each beef rib is sliced, the piece is examined to see if there is any bone dust, which is removed by a scraper.

Step 3: Any excess fat is trimmed using a 6-inch boning knife.

Step 4: A tray and clear wrap is used to package each beef rib.



Step 5: After the trays are sealed and labeled, they are merchandised in a retail meat case.
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Beef Top Sirloin

Step 1: Each beef top sirloin is cut into any thickness the customer desires. The knife used to cut this is a 12-inch steak knife.

Step 2: This measuring tool was actually custom-made from the Precision Machining Program at GateWay Community College. It is used to accurately slice the thickness of the meat in different measurements.

Step 3: The beef top sirloin pieces are packaged in a freezer wrapping paper.



Step 4: The packages are then boxed up and ready for customers to pick up.

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Butcher Shop & Deli at MSC.

As you can see, there are interesting steps that goes along processing and handling different types of meats. The next time you're shopping at the grocery store, you'll know exactly what's going on behind the counter in the meat cutting room.

Stay tuned for the next blog spotlight: Construction Trades!