Courtney Murphy

Courtney Murphy is a butcher’s apprentice at Moody’s Avon shop and is our featured cutter for this edition of the Moo Crew News, Meet Your Butcher series.

Courtney  was born April 2, 1985 in Danville, Indiana. His parents, Doug and Chris, are also native Warriors and still work locally in the distribution and printing businesses.  Courtney has one sibling, an older sister named Heather.

Although born in Danville, Courtney grew up and attended school in Plainfield and while there enjoyed participation in sports, particularly baseball.  After high school Courtney worked a variety of jobs including some time at Steak n Shake and McDonald’s, car detailing, home remodeling, and mowing. He also worked at Kroger for three years just prior to landing the butcher’s apprentice position at Moody’s Avon shop in the spring of 2011.

Courtney loves spending time with his only son, three-year-old Khyle. They enjoy fishing, camping and sometimes shooting some hoops. Courtney also makes time to hang out with Jessica, his girlfriend of two years and plays a little flag football with his church league.

When asked what he likes about his work at Moody’s Courtney answers, “…the employees and customers are really nice to work with…This area (Avon) is nice and I only live five minutes from the shop.” He also adds, “This is a good trade to learn. There is something different to learn every day and the Moody’s are great people to work for.”

Like so many of our staff, Courtney became acquainted with the Moody family business through a friend of a faithful Moody Meats customer. We sure are glad he did. Courtney has been a quick learner and a faithful employee since the beginning of his tenure and is well on his way to becoming an artisan meat cutter. He would like to learn more about the slaughtering, skinning and breakdown process of whole carcass meat to build his knowledge of the butchering profession.

You regular Avon Moody’s customers have probably  had a chance to meet Courtney. If not please take the time to say hello. I’m sure you’ll be greeted with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

Thanks, Courtney, for all your hard work and dedication.

Ken Burger, Chief Brand Officer

A Butcher’s Joke:

In our Meet Your Butcher series of the Moo Crew News newsletter we have been using the term artisan to describe several of the “cutters” here at Moody Meats.  I was speaking with Adam Moody recently about what qualifies a meat cutter specifically, or someone in any profession for that matter, to be considered an artisan. Then a few days later I opened my email and saw that Chad Hassler, Owner and Operations Manager, had forwarded an article that also touched on this subject. It was from smallfoodbiz.com January 20, 2012 and was the result of the writer’s visit to a recent San Francisco food show. Following is an excerpt from that article.

Is Artisan losing it’s meaning?  Words like “artisan” and “small-batch” were being tossed around and touted at almost every booth at the show.  In many cases though when you dug a little deeper it turned out that the product wasn’t quite as advertised.  In one case a small brand told me that their products were “artisan” and “handcrafted” only to find out, after a little digging, that their products are actually made by a third-party manufacturing facility that utilizes machines for all their production.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that small companies shouldn’t look for ways to make their production more efficient but at the same time I think that then disqualifies you from using terms like “artisan” and “handcrafted.”  Unfortunately, since terms like that aren’t regulated, there’s really not much that can be done.

The reason that this is incredibly important to those of you who are actually artisan, handmade, small-batch, locally sourced, etc, etc is that those phrases that you’ve been using to help differentiate your products from the mass-manufactured brands may be losing their currency in the marketplace.  On the one hand, if every company from the biggest of the Big Brands (franchise chain Panera Bread calls themselves “Artisan Fast Food”) to the cottage food producer is using these terms then that’s not an efficient way to differentiate your product from the crowd.  Also, there’s the chance that consumers will stop trusting the word because they see it being used in cases where it so obviously doesn’t apply in which case, even if it’s true for your products, it’s not necessarily going to be something the customer will believe.

The dictionary defines Artisan as a skilled craftsman; somebody who is skilled at a craft. How is small batch defined?  One definition of batch is the amount of material prepared or needed for, or produced in, one operation. But what is small? Small compared to what? Of course when we think of cooking something in small batches it does elicit images of mom in her kitchen pulling out a sheet of freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies. What do the words artisan and small-batch mean in relation to how Moody’s operates? Let’s take our ham salad, BBQ and pulled pork products as examples. All are made with overnight slow cooked meats in batches of about fifty pints. Most of the mixing is done by hand. Sure we follow the same recipe every time but each batch is still taste tested and of course, tweaked if needed to insure the right flavor and texture. Containers are hand labeled and hand packed. Our natural lard is usually made in a small batch of two or less gallons. Did you know that every egg we sell is individually inspected while hand washed? Every egg! Our Double Smoked bacon is hand trimmed, truly center cut, sixty “shingles” at a time, monitored for proper smoke coverage then individually hand packaged. Our Avon and Zionsville butchers, Steve Burnette and Dennis Richardson each have about twenty years of individual experience cutting meats. They are authentic artisan meat cutters.  And Moody’s has four other Journeyman cutters with five or more years of experience. Does Moody’s have skilled craftsmen, artisans, prepping all those beautiful meat case selections and custom cutting your personal orders?  Yes we do. Does Moody’s provide consistently fresh, truly small batch products? Yes we do. Does Moody’s always strive to provide you with as much locally sourced meat and other local products as possible? Yes we do! Moody’s is a leader in local, sustainable and responsible farming.

In the future when you see the words, “artisan”, “hand made”, “small batch” and “local” used to promote a company’s products  remember us at Moody’s Butcher Shops…, locally sourced, small batch cooking, hands on processing and artisan staffed. Moody’s Butcher Shops, Authentic. Fresh.

Ken Burger, Chief Brand Officer

 Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
¾ lb. lean beef, cut into ¾- inch cubes
3 cups water
10 ½ -oz can condensed beef broth
16-oz can tomatoes, un-drained, cut up
¼ cup barley rinsed
2 teaspoons paprika
1 medium onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables
Salt
Pepper                               

Heat oil in Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat; brown meat. Stir in remaining ingredients, except vegetables, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover. Simmer 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables; simmer 20 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 6 (1 ½-cup) servings.

About 160 calories and 14 grams of protein per 1 ½ cups.               

I like to make enough soup to use a whole bag, 16 oz. of frozen vegetables because I like to freeze some. But that seldom happens because a good soup never lasts in our house. For reheating adding some additional broth is a good idea.

Remember to keep adding to your arsenal of secret ingredients and “make it your own”.

Adam with grandson, Oliver

A few years back there was a very clever TV commercial with Peyton Manning yelling at various people engaged in their work. The tone from the obviously disgruntled Manning was that of disgust and disappointment in the quality of work being done.  Of course, the sarcastic point of the ad was that all of us yell at the TV when a player drops a pass or misses a block or throws an interception as if we were all experts!  This truth was made evident during the Colts’ last season: it must not be as easy as it looks to be a world-class NFL quarterback or there would be a lot more of them.

Perhaps spectators of the farming arena should take note of this.  The truth is there really are no spectators in farming.  I often point out that, in one way or another, we all farm by proxy. Every time we hand over our hard earned dollars to a food system we are “hiring” that system to raise and process and sell the very food we eat.  In this hiring we are voting for, and therefore edifying or supporting that system.  It is not hard to find animal activists who disagree with the industrial models of livestock production. But are they supporting this model by purchasing the cheapest form of food available from such a system?  The disparities that exist between “agri” and “culture” are ever widening as more and more consumers want to have a say in the way their food is raised. Yet too many know very little about what that involves. Their expectations may not be able to be fulfilled void of getting back to the 80 acre farm themselves and putting on the overalls of their ancestors.

Just like the insinuation of the Manning commercial, meeting everyone’s expectations every time is not as easy as it looks.  Sustainable farming, or management intensive agriculture as I call it, requires much more than merely driving a tractor or the automated feeding of 30,000 chickens by the push of a button. The skill and management necessary for sustainable farming is incredibly heuristic and therefore is difficult to teach within the restrictions of a classroom or an article.

If we want to continue to have a choice regarding the origin of our food then we must support those choices by “hiring” the producers and processors that meet our expectations and vote for them with our dollars. The biggest challenge that exists for sustainable local food systems is not the weather, weeds, or the weasels.  Nor is it government regulations or BIG industry.  It lies in the ability to consistently gain and maintain the critical mass needed to sustain the business economically.  It needs you!

For consumers to have a choice in any purchase there must be an economically sustainable business alternative or there will soon be only one choice which, of course, is no choice at all.

Adam Moody

Justin Miller

Justin Miller is our featured Artisan Cutter for this edition of the Moo Crew News. Born in Indianapolis on May 13, 1980 to Alexis and Nina Miller, Justin has four siblings: John, at Holy Cross School of  Theology; Isaac, at Purdue; Hannah, married and living in Crawfordsville and his youngest sister, Lucy, adopted from China. Justin’s father is an Orthodox Priest, pastor of Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church and operates his own appliance repair business.

At the age of ten, Justin and his family moved to the Crawfordsville area in 1990 where they bought a 150 acre farm in an effort to distance themselves from urban living in Indianapolis and integrate into a local church community. Justin’s education consisted of: Montessori school in his primary grades,  Boy Scout and Eagle Scout training, South Montgomery High School, and Purdue University where he earned a B.S. in Forestry and Natural Resources.

Fresh out of college Justin worked in the construction business for a local contractor. He met his future wife, Anne Lawrence of San Jose while at an Orthodox Young Adults Conference in December of 2000. They married in July of 2004 and started their family right away with a little girl.  Looking for opportunities Justin moved his small family to San Jose, California where he made a living working construction and helping his wife’s parents. Apparently his Hoosier roots ran deep and kept calling him home since it was only sixteen months later when Justin and his family moved back to Indiana. His in-laws followed shortly thereafter.  Justin’s family has grown and he and Anne have three beautiful children; six-year-old Nectaria, Jacob who is three, and little eight-month-old Peter.

As is often said, it is not just what you know, but who you know. And that is how Justin found Moody Meats. Justin was in search of a career opportunity when a family friend mentioned that Moody’s was looking for a butcher.   This resulted in Justin landing at our Ladoga processing facility in August of 2008. Justin apprenticed as a Butcher’s Assistant and is currently involved in many aspects of production ranging from custom artisan cutting, to making our well known BBQ, pulled pork and ham salad.

Outside the Butcher Shop, Justin enjoys gardening, classical music, singing, prayer, walking, beekeeping, woodworking, investing and studying local and church history. He dreams of  learning to fly, working with horses, and building his own house and hopes to one day establish an orthodox monastery in Montgomery County.

When asked what he enjoys about working at Moody’s Justin answers with a wry smile, “Working with really big knives.” He then adds, “Serving our patrons with the best meat around, the smell of freshly smoked hams, and providing exemplary customer service.”

Maybe you like the customer service or the top-quality meat, or maybe you just like guys with big knives.  Whatever your pleasure, if you find yourself  in our neck of the woods please stop by and say hello to Justin and the rest of the Ladoga Moo Crew.

Adam and Lucy Moody

Sacrifice: Dying that produces new life.

As such, in this the third part of my series on the topic of sustainability, we look at what would seem to be the least popular leg of the process to talk about.  In my experience this topic is most neglected in discussions, seldom getting a mention when I listen to lectures or read reports on the subject.  Maybe the speaker or writer knows it will be a “hard sell” and prefers to keep the discussion “light”.  After all, who wants to talk about sacrifice and death? They are weighty and can be demanding subjects to wrestle with.  Or maybe it is neglected due to ignorance. Regardless, there is no complete process of sustainability without death.

The fact is ALL the food we eat today, whether plant or animal, was grown at the expense, or sacrifice, of another plant or animal.  More than that, the plain truth is everything you eat was once alive and had to die before it could be consumed.

If you have a cycle of sustainability, and life and birth is part of that cycle, ( and we know that it is), then death and sacrifice must also be part of the cycle.  We observe the cycle of life and see this to be true.

In my life I have experienced what I believe are three of the most beautiful examples of this truth. Let me share them to help this truth come to life for you.

We once had an apple tree growing in a fence row of our farm. Old and twisted, it was “self pruned” by years of ice and wind brought by our Indiana winters. As it was waning in life I noticed a young apple tree had sprouted under the canopy of this old tree. A split in the branches of the parent had allowed sunlight to get through and bathe the spout in life giving light.  Over the next few years the parent tree completely gave way to the emerging young sapling which had the advantage of familiarity with the soil and climate, and the protection from early and late frosts from the parent which by now was just a rotted out stump of a trunk.  A small but yearly harvest of apples was sustained.

I was once deer hunting during bow season when all the leaves were still on the trees.  One warm evening I had perched myself above a heavily used trail in a tree stand.  A doe with two very playful fawns slowly meandered into the area.  The wind was in my favor that evening and I had not made a sound or movement, but the mother deer, suddenly “sensed” a problem and stomped her hoof into the ground.  The fawns absolutely froze. After a few moments she put her head down as if she was eating for a moment then raised quickly to check the area again.  Her ears were really working and with her nose in the air she would roll back her upper lip striving to validate her intuition. Upon a second stomp of her hoof the two fawns moved back down the path from which they came. The mother stayed behind for another five minutes or so continuously testing the air and the area. She never “busted” me directly but she knew there was something wrong and would not let it go. She protected her babies, staying behind and guarding the area and their retreat to insure their safety and possibly sustaining their lives to the next generation.

In 1997 I approached my father with a proposition.  I said to him, “Dad, I want to take the farm in a different direction.” “ I want to start raising food instead of commodities.” Dad was in his 60’s and was debt free. He owned his farm free and clear.  As I laid out the plan for what would ultimately become Moody Meats, I asked dad what he thought.  His words have never left me. He said. “I wouldn’t do it, but if I were you I would.”  Over the next twelve years dad selflessly worked for me earning $100 for a fifty hour week on MY dream to fulfill his dream of keeping the farm vital and viable for the next generation.  In 2005 he sold 95 acres and gifted the majority of the revenue to Lucy and me in order to expand our business.  His best friend from childhood and a fellow farmer thought dad was nuts.  I heard dad tell him “…there is much more of a chance of Moody Meats employing my grandchildren than that 95 acres of corn and beans will produce.”

Dad has passed now. To this day I cannot forget the sacrifice he made in his waning years when he could have just cruised out with grace and enjoyed the slower pace he was so fond of. His example of sacrifice and death to himself, like the other examples above, demonstrates to me without a doubt what a necessary part sacrifice and death play in the cycle of sustainability and in our lives.

I’ll step out on a limb here and state that the sacrifice that God made in our behalf through the gift of His Son, Jesus is the perfect example of true sustainability. This is fitting and such a good reminder to many of us at this time of the year who celebrate, not only the birth of Jesus but also Him giving His life in death so we might enjoy new life.

With that I’ll finish by saying as we approach the holidays that as far as me and my company, Christmas would just be another day without Jesus, our Christ.

Thank you for your patronage. May you have great enjoyment and peace this holiday.

From all of us to all of you, Merry Christmas and have a Safe and Happy New Year.

Adam Moody, CEO, Founder and Farmer

Rib Roast Definitions:

Prime Rib – Boneless Rib Roast.

Standing Rib Roast – Bone in. Bones have not been removed. It is not “boned out”.

Standing Rib Roast R&R – Bones Removed and Re tied back onto the roast.

Most people use these terms interchangeably.  WE DO NOT! It is our job to use the correct terms so there are no guesses and no mistakes. We understand  this is a very expensive roast and also the centerpiece of an important day.

We will help you by using and explaining correct terms and by being very specific when we write the order.  We can give your cutters correct, accurate and complete information to insure orders are filled without error.

Figuring Portion Sizes:

Standing Rib (Bone in)

-1 rib feeds 2 people (2 average eaters)

-Each rib section is about 2 pounds.

-Bone in product is figured at about 1 pound per person per serving

-So a 6 rib Standing Rib Roast feeds 12 people and weighs about12 pounds.

Please take note:  there are only 7 ribs in a Standing Rib roast.

 Prime Rib (Boneless, Bone out)

-For a Prime Rib (boneless) product we figure 3/4s of a pound per person.

(Normally boneless product is figured at ½ pound per person but people tend to want more and over eat some for the holidays.)

-Calculate by: number of eaters X .75. Example.  8 people x .75# = 6#

-A 6# Prime Rib will feed 8 people.

Rib Roast R & R (Ribs removed then retied to the roast)

-1 rib feeds 2 people. 

-So again, a 6 rib R & R’d Rib Roast will feed 12 people.

-It is our experience that ordering by the rib is less confusing than ordering by the pound for bone included rib roasts.

Bone Weight:  Understand that the bone will add weight. It adds tremendous flavor when cooking but is of course discarded when finished.

Whole Beef Tenderloin: (boneless)

-Generally a whole Beef Tenderloin (BT), weighs 2 to 3 plus pounds.

-Portion sizes are figured the same for BTs.  ½ – ¾ # meat per person.

-If you need a cut larger than 3 pounds we can double the size by tying two end to end which is  a very nice looking piece. Or try baking two separately.

For great recipes to cook Beef Rib Roasts and Beef Tenderloins check out two favorites from the archives of “From Lucy’s Kitchen”.

Remember, if a rib roast or tenderloin won’t suit the situation, a pork crown roast, whole pork tenderloin, smoked or fresh ham, sirloin roast or a boned, rolled and tied rump roast are great alternatives.

Ask your butcher. He will always do his best to find what will work for you.

Zionsville and Avon Shops

Christmas

Monday thru Friday, December 19^th thru 23^rd           10:00 am – 6:00 pm

 Saturday, December 24^th                                                                    8:00 am – 2:00 pm

(Saturday store hour changes are for Christmas only.)

Sunday and Monday, December 25^th and 26^th.                               CLOSED

New Year

Tuesday thru Friday, December 27^th thru 30^th          10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Saturday, December 31^st                                                                     9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday, January 1^st.                                                                                   CLOSED

Regular store hours resume Monday, January 2^nd.

Earn an extra Carnivore Card Stamp with Gift Certificate purchases of $100 or more.

Offer ends December 31^st, 2011.

Rub roast all over with oil, kosher salt, black pepper and minced garlic. About 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and the more garlic the better. Allow the roast to sit on counter and come up to room temperature (about 2 hours). Roast should be placed bone side down.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place roast in oven for 30 minutes to sear.  It will spit and crackle.  Turn oven down to 350 and bake uncovered for 15 minutes per pound.  Check internal temperature often.  Cook to an internal temperature of 125 – 130 degrees depending on your preference.  Remove and tent loosely with foil for 15 minutes.  The roast will still cook while tented.

130 degrees is rare (red), 145 is medium rare (pink), and 150+ is done to well done.

How to Cook a Beef Tenderloin

Allow roast to sit on counter and come up to room temperature.  Rub all over with minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper in a mixture of oil.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  A 2.5 – 3 lb. tenderloin will take about 45 minutes to cook to rare.  If allowed to rest after cooking it will continue to cook.  Depending on your preference it may be taken out to rest after 40 minutes.

Allow yourself one hour for the whole cooking/carving/serving process.  Do not overcook a beef tenderloin to well done.  It will be chewy.

With plenty of sides this should serve 6 average eaters.

1 ½ c. water
¾ c. uncooked wild rice
½ c. flour
½ c. onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ c. butter
4 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
½ c. cubed potatoes
½ c chopped carrots
½ t. thyme leaves
½ t. nutmeg
1/8 t. pepper
1 bay leaf
17 oz can corn undrained
2 c. half n half
1 lb. (3 cups) cured & smoked ham, cubed
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 ½ c. water and rinsed wild rice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 35 to 40 min. or until rice is tender. Do not drain. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.

In large saucepot or Dutch oven, sauté onion and garlic in butter until crisp-tender. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in 4 c. water and bouillon.

Add potatoes, carrots, thyme, nutmeg, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover; simmer 15 to 30 minutes until slightly thickened. Add corn.

Cover; simmer an additional 15 to 20 min. until vegetables are tender. Stir in half and half, ham and cooked rice. Cook until thoroughly heated. Do Not Boil. Remove bay leaf. Garnish with parsley. Makes about 8 servings @ 1 ½ cups.