Applied Meat Processing & Butchery Arts

These courses collectively provide a robust foundation and progressive advancement for anyone seeking expertise in meat processing, from sanitation and science to hands-on fabrication and responsible butchery. Upon completion, participants are prepared for a range of roles in the meat industry, equipped with knowledge valued by employers and essential for maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality.

Level Two of the MeatCraft Butcher program takes students beyond fundamental butchery, focusing on advanced beef fabrication, meat marketing, sausage making, and meat cookery. These courses provide in-depth knowledge and hands-on practice in specialized fabrication, effective marketing and branding, traditional and modern sausage crafting, and culinary techniques from around the world. Graduates will gain the expertise to create high-value meat products, market them successfully, and prepare them to use – all while adhering to industry standards of safety and quality.

The Level Three section of the MeatCraft Master Butcher program focuses on advanced techniques and specialized knowledge in meat processing and butchery, and is designed to provide students with real-world experience in the meat industry. This level includes courses that cover essential topics such as food safety, advanced sausage making, and humane harvesting practices. Students will gain certification-level instruction in HACCP principles, refine their sausage-making skills with international styles and specialty recipes, and learn ethical and humane methods for livestock harvesting. Students will gain practical experience in a USDA- or state-inspected abattoir, develop core competencies in meat processing, and learn to apply food safety and sanitation protocols in a production environment. These courses are designed to equip students with the expertise needed for high-level roles in the meat industry, emphasizing quality assurance, ethical practices, and innovative techniques.

1. Develop the skills to expertly process beef, pork, lamb and poultry.
2. Employ industry standards of safety for meat products and meat fabrication.
3. Tackle realistic problems and variables in complex, high-pressure workforce scenarios.
4. Demonstrate value-added skills with sausage-making, marketing, and culinary techniques (Level 2).
5. Understand Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, advanced meat product development, and be able to employ ethical and humane methods for livestock harvesting (Level 3).
6. Complete a hands-on abattoir internship within a production environment (Level 3).
7. Identify career pathways in the industry and establish professional contacts.

MeatCraft Apprentice Butcher

AFF 1010 – Principles of Meat Science 2 cr

AFF 1015 – Meat Processing Sanitation and HACCP 2 cr

AFF 1020 – Basic Beef Fabrication 3 cr

AFF 1025 – Basic Lamb, Pork, and Poultry Fabrication 3 cr

AFF 1065 – Applied Communication & Problem Solving 3 cr

MeatCraft Artisan Butcher

Students must complete all courses required for the MeatCraft Apprentice Butcher certificate, plus the following:

AFF 1055 – Meat Marketing (Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Poultry) 2 cr

AFF 1060 – Basic Sausage Making 3 cr

AFF 2010 – Culinary Techniques for Meat Cookery 3 cr

AFF 2020 – Advanced Beef Fabrication 2 cr

MeatCraft Master Butcher

Students must complete all courses required for the MeatCraft Artisan Butcher certificate, plus the following:

AFF 2030 – Advanced Sausage Making 3 cr

AFF 2040 – Humane Animal Harvesting 3 cr

AFF 2050 – Internship Review 1 cr