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Deciding which Forms to Purchase
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Published 2025
Whether you buy whole carcasses, fabricated cuts, or anything in between depends on four factors:
- How much meat-cutting skill you or your staff have.
- How much work and storage space you have.
- Whether or not you can use all cuts and lean trim on your menu.
- Which form gives you the best cost per portion after figuring in labor costs.
Meat purveyors can usually cut meat more economically than food-service operators can because they deal in large volume. Carcasses or primal cuts cost less per pound than fabricated cuts, but they have more waste (fat and bone) and require more labor (which costs money). However, some operators still do some of their own cutting, depending on how they answer the four questions above. They feel cutting their own meat gives them greater control over quality.