Chapter 7: Both People and Meat Need Aging

[Reconfirmation]

[After 3 days of aging, hidden intramuscular fat distribution expected to appear]

[Juiciness retention: Increased]

[Certainty: 95%]

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Father finally gave in and raised both hands.

“…Alright. I’ll trust you this once. But only this one time.”

“Ohh, thank you, Dad.”

President Choi tapped on his calculator.

“Alright, so at the Grade 1 price… Half a carcass weighs 180 kilos, so that’ll be 3,150,000 won.”

It was a lot of money.

Father’s expression grew serious.

“Junho, are you really… sure about this?”

“Yes, just wait three days. I guarantee it, 200%.”

After completing the payment, President Choi spoke up.

“President Jeong, how do you want the butchering done? Taking it as is?”

“No, please divide it by cut and vacuum-pack everything too.”

President Choi called over a staff member.

“Send this 180-kilo one to Workroom 3. Butchering and then vacuum-packing.”

“Yes, sir.”

Father explained to me.

“They only handle transactions here; the actual work happens separately. For hygiene.”

“Oh, I see.”

As President Choi wrote out the invoice, he added,

“Work fee is 500 won per kilo. With vacuum-packing, it’s 700 won. We’ll settle the exact amount after confirming the finished weight.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

As we stepped outside, the cart loaded with the carcass was heading toward a separate building.

“That’s the workroom. It’s HACCP-certified.”

There was a sign outside the building: [3rd Butchery Processing Center].

“Let’s go check it out too. We should see how they cut it.”

At the entrance to the workroom, we received sanitation gowns and caps.

“Please change your shoes as well. It’s part of hygiene regulations.”

Inside, a chill hung in the air.

Rows of stainless steel worktables stretched out, and several workers were in the middle of breaking down meat.

“Table 3 is ours.”

A worker in a white coat was hanging up our carcass.

“How would you like it divided?”

“Standard butchering, please. Ribeye, tenderloin, striploin, ribs…”

Father gave instructions with practiced ease.

The worker deftly picked up a knife.

He separated the carcass, already split in half, into forequarter and hindquarter first.

“This guy’s got skills.”

With twenty years of experience, his knife work was precise.

He followed the backbone to separate the ribeye and skillfully sliced between the rib bones to remove the short ribs.

“The ribeye came out well. For Grade 1, this is really nice. The grain is even too. Good pick.”

‘Hehe, I knew it!’

Even the worker was impressed by the quality of the meat.

After about thirty minutes, all the cuts were separated.

“Shall we vacuum-pack now?”

“Yes, please, pack each cut separately.”

We moved to the vacuum-packing machine.

Meat was placed into clear plastic bags and inserted into the machine, which drew out the air and sealed them tightly.

“Would you like labels attached?”

“Yes, please, write the cut name and date.”

[Hanwoo Ribeye Grade 1 – 2025.3.15]

[Hanwoo Tenderloin Grade 1 – 2025.3.15]

The labeled meat was packed into boxes.

“All done. The actual finished meat weight is 131.2㎏. Total, including packing, is 3,276,000 won. Please settle up in the office.”

On the way out, Father commented.

“We used to do all the butchering at the shop ourselves, but now it’s all done like this.”

“For hygiene reasons?”

“That, and the pros get better yield and keep things cleaner.”

Including the work fees, the total was 3,276,000 won.

A huge sum.

“Now it’s the real deal. Do you really think it’ll change in three days, like you said?”

“Yes, it definitely will.”

We loaded the meat onto the truck and left Majang-dong.

The morning sun had risen completely.

‘Three days from now… I’ll surprise everyone.’

*****

7 a.m. A truck stopped in front of the butcher shop.

“Phew… This is where the real work starts.”

Father turned off the engine.

“Work?”

“Sorting and prepping the meat is the real job. Buying is just the beginning.”

He opened the shutter and switched on the lights.

Cold air from the dawn flowed into the shop.

“Wash your hands first. Really well.”

I scrubbed my hands with soap at the sink.

Meanwhile, Father put on an apron and gloves.

“Never forget to wash your hands before handling meat. Hygiene is the most important. Alright, let’s unload them one by one.”

Opening the truck’s back, we found ice boxes stacked neatly.

“These are heavy, so be careful with your legs. Don’t lift with your back, use your knees.”

Father demonstrated.

He bent his knees and lifted the box as if hugging it.

“Like this. Got it?”

“Yes.”

We took out the vacuum-packed meat, one by one.

Each bag had a label.

“This is ribeye, this is tenderloin… Oh, and there’s something important.”

Father picked up one vacuum-packed bag.

“Always check the packing condition first. Look here.”

“Huh?”

“Make sure it’s properly vacuumed, no tears. If air gets in, the meat can spoil.”

I pressed the pack with my finger.

It was tightly sealed.

“If it’s firm like this, OK. If it’s mushy, the vacuum’s broken. Now, let’s sort them by cut.”

We spread out the meat on the worktable.

“Ribeye with ribeye, tenderloin with tenderloin. And then…”

Father opened the fridge.

Inside, there were separated sections.

“This is for steak, this is for grilling, this is for stew. You have to store them by cut and by use.”

“Why make it so complicated?”

“Temperature management is different, and so is the turnover. Tenderloin sells fast, so it goes up front. Shank sells slowly, so in the back.”

‘I’ll sell out in a day anyway.’

As I moved the meat, I naturally touched it.

[Grade 1 Ribeye]

[Current status: Good]

[In 24 hours: Juiciness begins to increase]

[In 72 hours: Reaches optimal condition]

‘Just as I thought… Three days is perfect.’

“And this.”

Father took out a thermometer.

“Check the fridge temperature. Morning and evening, every day.”

“What’s the right temperature?”

“Regular fridge, 4°C; aging fridge, 12°C. If it’s too cold, the meat freezes; too warm, it spoils.”

He put the thermometer in the fridge. It read 2.3°C.

“Just right. Let’s prep what we’re selling today first.”

Father took out Grade 1+ ribeye from the fridge.

“Be careful even when opening the vacuum pack. Watch.”

He snipped the edge of the bag with scissors.

“Don’t rip it open all at once. The juices will splatter. Open slowly from the corner like this.”

Srrrt—

As the pack opened, bright red ribeye was revealed.

“Don’t handle the meat carelessly when taking it out.”

Father supported the meat with one hand and gently lifted it with the other.

“Support from underneath like this. Finger marks look bad.”

He placed the meat on the worktable.

“First, trim the surface.”

He pulled out a thin, long knife.

“This is a fillet knife.”

“It’s different from a regular knife?”

“The blade’s flexible, so it’s good for curved work. Watch.”

He pointed at the white membrane on the ribeye’s surface.

“This is silver skin. It’s tough, so you have to remove it. But if you take too much off, you lose yield.”

He angled the knife and slid it under the membrane.

“Angle is important. Too deep, you lose meat. Too shallow, the membrane stays.”

Scrape, scrape—

The knife slid smoothly along the silver skin.

“See? Now, your turn.”

With shaky hands, I took the knife.

“Don’t force it. Let the knife do the work.”

First try. The knife went in too deep, and a chunk of meat came off.

“Ah…”

“It’s alright. Everyone’s like that at first. Again.”

Second try, third try…

I started to get the hang of it.

“There you go, much better. Keep your wrist steady and just adjust the blade angle. Now, time for trimming fat.”

He pointed to the white fat layer at the edge of the ribeye.

“Don’t cut it all off. It adds flavor when you cook.”

“How much do I leave?”

“About 5mm? Too thick, it’s greasy. Too thin, it’s dry.”

Father measured precisely with a ruler as he cut.

“Every customer has different preferences. Some want more fat, some want it all off.”

Then, a question popped into my mind.

“Do we throw out all the trimmed parts?”

“Throw them out? No way. We save them for later.”

Father took out a container.

It was filled with meat scraps and fat.

“The fat goes to President Yoon’s gopchang place across the street, and the scraps get minced and sold for tteokgalbi.”

“Why give the fat to the gopchang place?”

Father laughed and explained.

“Beef fat is essential for seasoning gopchang. Especially for grilled daechang—if you grill it together, it tastes way better.”

“Oh, so that’s why?”

“And President Yoon supplies us with daechang and gopchang. It’s a win-win.”

He added,

“Fat is just waste at a butcher shop, but at a gopchang house, it’s valuable. Especially with high-quality Hanwoo fat like ours—they pay more for it.”

“So you sell it for money?”

“Of course! 3,000 won per kilo. If we send 10 kilos, that’s 30,000 won. Covers meals for the two of us.”

“Wow, it actually makes money!”

“That’s the meat business. Every part is useful.”

It was a moment that showed Father’s thirty years of experience.

“Nothing goes to waste, huh.”

“Of course. Do you know how much a single cow costs? Now, the important part.”

Father opened a small fridge in the corner.

Inside, various meats were hanging.

“This is the aging fridge. Not the same as a regular fridge.”

“What’s the difference?”

“You can control humidity. Too dry, meat gets tough. Too humid, you get mold.”

He checked the hygrometer. It read 75%.

“70~80% is ideal. And…”

He took out a piece of meat.

The surface had turned dark red.

“If the outside changes like this, it’s normal. It’s called dry aging.”

“Is it safe to eat?”

“You trim off the outside and eat the inside. The inside is even more tender and delicious.”

Then he put today’s Grade 1 meat in the aging fridge.

“Be sure to mark the date.”

He wrote the date on a label and stuck it on.

[Received 2025.3.15 – To be sold 3.18]

“Let’s get the display ready.”

Father took out clean trays.

“Meat display is an art. It has to look good to sell well.”

He started cutting ribeye for steak.

“Thickness is key. Too thin, it dries out on the grill; too thick, the inside stays raw.”

He measured and cut precisely 3cm thick.

“Steak, 3cm. Bulgogi, 3mm. For grilling, 1.5cm. Each purpose needs a different thickness.”

I already knew this, but I stayed quiet and listened.

Father seemed to enjoy teaching his son.

Quickly, the cut meat was arranged on the tray.

*****

As we were catching our breath after preparing for business—

“Excuse me! Is Junho here?”

The butcher shop door swung open, and a stranger walked in.

“Uh… Are you looking for me?”

“Hyung! It’s me, Minjae. Kim Minjae!”

Minjae? Who’s Minjae?

I have no clue.

“Ah… Uh… Minjae… Nice to see you.”

“Wow, you’re really working here! The study group guys are freaking out because you’ve been AWOL for three weeks!”

Study group? The guy who only drank, what kind of study group is that?

‘More like a drink-study, right?’

“Hello, sir! I’m Junho hyung’s junior from school.”

Minjae bowed 90 degrees.

Father seemed a bit awkward but greeted him warmly.

“Oh, I see? Welcome.”

“Hyung, can we talk for a bit?”

“Dad, I’ll step out for a moment.”

“Go ahead. Take your time.”

Outside, Minjae pulled out a cigarette.

“Hyung, want one… Huh?”

I crossed my arms to make an X.

“What, really? You quit smoking?”

Minjae’s eyes went as wide as ping-pong balls.