Chapter 12: Special Cuts

“How old is this cow?”

“Thirty-two months. For a re-fattened cow, that’s pretty old, which makes it more worrisome.”

Choi sajang let out a sigh.

“How do most farms manage re-fattened cows?”

“It depends on the farm. Some just cut down on feed and starve them, others make them exercise.”

Father continued the explanation.

“The problem is, most places try to get the weight off in a hurry. That stresses the cow out and ruins the meat quality.”

“But this meat…”

I touched it again.

[Additional Detection]

Muscle fiber damage: None

Stress signs: Minimal

Intramuscular fat redistribution: Uniform

‘There’s no sign of stress?’

“Which farm did this meat come from?”

Choi sajang checked the documents.

“Cheongju, Chungbuk—Kim Sangcheol’s farm.”

“Kim Sangcheol’s farm?”

Father reacted.

“Oh, that place. Isn’t it run by a veterinarian?”

“That’s right. I heard they specialize in re-fattening.”

“What’s different if a veterinarian runs the place?”

I asked.

“They take a scientific approach. Instead of just starving them, they control weight with a plan. But how can you trust that?”

Choi sajang read more.

“Says here… it’s a 75-day re-fattening program. Usually it’s 30 to 40 days.”

“Seventy-five days? So they lost the weight slowly?”

“Exactly. But that means higher costs, too.”

I touched the meat for the third time.

This time, the sirloin.

[Sirloin Section Analysis]

Marbling: ★★★☆☆

Special notes: Proper muscle development from exercise

Expected taste: Chewy yet tender

‘They managed it gradually with exercise for 75 days.’

The pieces came together in my head.

Over-fattened state → 75-day planned diet → Minimal stress → Intramuscular fat redistribution → Hidden Grade 1

“Do you know how they exercise the cows at that farm?”

“No idea, I just heard they let them graze.”

‘That explains the lack of muscle fiber damage.’

“How much is it?”

“15,000 won per kilogram. Same as regular Grade 2.”

“Hmm…”

Feigning indecision, I checked one last time.

[Final Analysis]

Expected quality after aging: Grade 1+ or 1++

‘I have to buy this, no question.’

“Father, shall we try this?”

“Re-fattened cow? Well… if you think so…”

“It seems different since it’s from a reputable farm. They put in seventy-five days of work.”

Choi sajang cut in.

“Still, re-fattened is re-fattened. I’d love to sell it, but as your father said, it’s risky.”

I was confident.

The data I’d seen.

And the care implied by seventy-five days.

“I’ll take the whole carcass.”

Everyone was surprised.

“What? The whole thing?”

Choi sajang’s eyes widened.

“Junho, the whole re-fattened cow? That carcass must be over 190kg…”

Father also looked worried.

“It’s fine. Really, it’ll be fine.”

I smiled confidently.

Choi sajang scratched his head.

“Wow… Look at Junho. A month ago he was awkward just touching meat…”

“Choi sajang, just wait and see.”

I spoke with confidence.

“One week from now, you’ll taste this meat and be shocked. I bet even Grade 1++ will be jealous!”

Father gave me a small smile.

“If my son’s this confident… we’ll take it all.”

“Are you sure, Jung sajang?”

“Yes, I’ll trust Junho. He’s never picked a bad one yet.”

Choi sajang shook his head with a smile.

“Ha… Such trust in your son, Jung sajang. Even after thirty years, I still get nervous with re-fattened cows.”

He tapped on the calculator.

“All together, 198kg… that’s 2,970,000 won.”

“That’s fine.”

I answered energetically.

“Junho, are you really sure?”

Choi sajang checked one last time.

“Choi sajang, I’ll grill it myself and bring it next week. Once you taste it, you’ll understand why I’m so sure!”

“Oh? Really? Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Choi sajang patted my shoulder.

“Jung sajang, you raised your son well. What guts and an eye for quality.”

“Sometimes I think he’s better than me.”

“What do you mean, sometimes? I think he’s already surpassed you! Haha!”

While we loaded the meat onto the truck, Choi sajang followed us out.

“Junho!”

“Yes?”

“Lately, everyone’s struggling because of MegaMeat… but seeing you and your dad gives me hope.”

He raised his fist.

“Fighting! Hope you hit the jackpot with this re-fattened cow!”

“Thank you! I’ll make sure it’s a success!”

As I climbed into the truck, I looked back.

Choi sajang was waving.

As Father started the engine, he spoke.

“I’m actually curious, too.”

“We’ll know in a week.”

*****

The next day.

“Junho, today we’re going to buy pork special cuts.”

3 a.m., inside the truck headed for Majang-dong.

Father started talking as he drove.

“Is it different from beef?”

“Very different. First, let me explain the market structure.”

He continued as we stopped at a red light.

“There are two main ways to buy pork in Majang-dong.”

“Two ways?”

“First, auction. Early in the morning, you bid on whole pigs that just came from the slaughterhouse.”

“Like the beef carcass auctions?”

Father nodded.

“But there’s a difference.”

“What’s different?”

“With beef, places like Choi sajang’s have boning facilities and process it right there. We just take the cut portions.”

“Right. Choi sajang always prepped everything.”

“But it’s different with pork special cuts. Regular wholesalers don’t separate the special cuts. They just bundle up the neck as neck, the belly as belly, and sell it off.”

“Why? For beef, they cut by section…”

“Beef cuts are big and easy to tell apart. Sirloin is sirloin, tenderloin is tenderloin. It’s clear.”

Father gestured to explain.

“But pork special cuts are tiny and hidden. Jowl meat is just 300g, collar butt is 250g… separating each requires special skill.”

“Oh…”

“And for most wholesalers, it’s a hassle. Why spend time pulling out 300g of jowl from 10kg of neck? Easier to just sell it all as neck.”

The light changed and we set off again.

“So if we buy a whole pig ourselves…”

“That’s a problem.”

Father sighed.

“We don’t have boning facilities at our store. We managed with beef at Choi sajang’s, but can’t do that for every pork special cut.”

“True…”

“Even if we did bone it ourselves, what about the other 80kg? Can we sell all that?”

“We could sell all the beef.”

“That’s different. Pork goes for 5,000 won per kilogram. A 100kg pig is 500,000 won. Of that, special cuts are just 2~3kg, maybe 100,000 won at most.”

“Oh…”

“Spend 500,000 won to make 100,000, and we have to handle the other 400,000 worth? Can we really sell it all?”

Now I understood.

“It’s not profitable. And pork loses freshness faster than beef. You have to sell it within a few days.”

We were nearing Majang-dong.

“That’s why we need specialists like Yu sajang.”

“What does Yu sajang do?”

“He processes 20~30 pigs a day. The special cuts go to places like us, regular cuts to large restaurants, bones to soup shops…”

Father smiled.

“That’s economies of scale. We buy one, he buys thirty. Of course he can process every cut efficiently.”

“And his boning skills?”

“Exactly. He’s specialized in special cuts for thirty years. We could never match that.”

We arrived at the parking lot.

“So, we can manage whole beef carcasses, but for pork, buying just the special cuts is more efficient for us, right?”

“Exactly! You catch on fast.”

Father patted my shoulder.

“Everyone has their specialty. We pick and sell good meat, Yu sajang bones out the special cuts.”

We got to the parking lot.

Even at dawn, it was bustling with people.

“And Junho, one more thing.”

As we got out, Father spoke.

“You have to know the going price. Special cuts fluctuate a lot.”

“Why?”

“Supply and demand. If pork jowl shows up on TV, the price can jump thirty percent overnight.”

“Whoa…”

“If there’s a glut, it can go for half price. That’s why you need to check the market price every day.”

As we entered the market, Father added,

“And never buy just by looking.”

“Huh?”

“You have to touch it. Texture, elasticity, fat—only by hand can you tell the real thing.”

He held up his hand.

“There, that’s Yu sajang’s place.”

Beneath an old sign, the world of special cuts was waiting.

*****

“Jung sajang! Long time no see!”

In one corner of Majang-dong, beneath the faded sign that read ‘Yu’s Special Cuts.’

Yu sajang, in his early sixties, greeted us warmly.

His muscular forearms bore the marks of many knives.

Proof of thirty years in butchering.

“Yu sajang, it’s been a while.”

“Your boy’s grown up? I hear he’s in the meat trade now.”

Yu sajang looked me over, up and down.

“I’m learning from my father.”

“Good! Most young folks these days avoid this kind of work.”

He led us inside.

Unlike the big wholesalers, the space was small.

But it was packed with special cuts.

“What are you looking for today?”

“Special cuts. We’re changing strategy because of MegaMeat.”

Yu sajang’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh… smart kid, this one. You can’t beat them with just pork belly.”

He opened the fridge.

“Got something nice today. Collar butt and cheek meat.”

‘Collar butt—between the loin and belly. Only 250g per pig.’

He pulled out some vacuum-packed meat.

Instantly, information came through my fingertips.

[Pork – Collar Butt]

Time since slaughter: 18 hours

Current freshness: 96/100

Meat color: Vivid red

Fat color: Cream

Location: Between 7th and 8th rib

Intramuscular fat: ★★★★★

Juiciness retention: ★★★★★

Tenderness: ★★★★★

Meat aroma: ★★★★☆

pH reading: 5.7

PSE risk: None

Special notes: Marbling like beef ribeye

Explosive juiciness when grilled

‘Amazing. This is the real deal.’

“How do you separate this?”

“That’s my skill. Most just sell it attached to pork belly. Takes real work to separate.”

Yu sajang grinned proudly, picking up his knife.

“See, just look at the color. That bright red—this is important.”

He held the meat up to the fluorescent light.

“You’ve heard of PSE meat?”

“PSE?”

“Pale, soft, exudative meat. If the pig gets stressed during slaughter, it turns out like that—white and mushy.”

‘Ah, slaughter stress.’

So that’s why meat color matters.

“This collar butt is perfect. And…”

Yu sajang pointed to the fat.

“Look at the fat color. Creamy, right? That’s a sign of freshness. If it gets old, it turns yellow.”

“Father, look at this.”

“Right, that’s what makes it special. With pork, fat is usually in layers—like pork belly.”

Yu sajang continued the explanation.

“But collar butt is different. The fat is spread within the meat, just like in beef. So when you grill it…”

He snapped his fingers.

“The juices burst out! Why? The fat melts and traps the moisture.”

“So, high juiciness retention.”

“You even know that term? Correct! How well it holds moisture. Do you know pork’s biggest weakness?”

Yu sajang gave a quiz.

Of course I knew, but I answered awkwardly.

“Gets dry?”

“Right! Especially imported pork—the juice is all gone after freezing. But special cuts like this are different.”

Yu sajang pressed on the meat.

“See the springiness? That means the pH is right.”

“pH…”

“The acidity of the meat. Normal is 5.5 to 6.0. Too high, and it gets mushy. Too low, it’s tough.”

In 2157, nobody thought about this.

Cultured meat was produced with perfect pH control.

In the era of cultured meat, the cell culture stage fixed pH at 5.7.

No slaughter stress, no lactic acid buildup, so things like PSE didn’t even exist.

‘That was the real problem. It was too uniform—no excitement. Every piece tasted the same, the same texture…’