Hello, I know it’s been a while since I wrote in this blog.  Sometimes it’s just a little difficult to write something that I haven’t already touched upon.  So I’m just going to share with you a few of my thoughts.

The holidays are now past and the New Year resolutions are slowly fading into the winter sunset.  They say February is a tough month to go through because of the short daylight hours and the gray skies that prevent the sun light from shining on us.

As for our company, we enjoyed a busy holiday period and would like to thank all of you for your support.  Our Divine Ribeye roasts were a tremendous success, and we are very proud to supply our guests with what we believe is the best Ribeye roast offered in our area.  We work hard to offer our guests great quality products for a price that offers you a great value.

I know we hear a lot of rumors out there about the ever increasing costs of product and the possibility of a shrinking supply of beef and pork, and I’ll admit I believe there is some reality to those rumors.  But like all situations, they come and they change and then we continue moving forward.  We have talked a few times about how to take advantage of the many specials offered through different marketing promotions.  Prices are reduced giving you an opportunity to buy some of those commonly used items while they cost less and store them for a later day.  Follow safe food handling instructions and you will find that it is easy to store a little extra food for that rainy day.

This is a great time to buy some nice grilling steaks for your spring time grilling season, you will find some great prices on T- Bone Steaks, Rib Steaks, New York Steaks, and Top Sirloins.  Just buy them now wrap them in a freezer paper and freeze them until the sunshine shows us that spring is surely here.  And by the way, who says we have to wait until spring to enjoy those great steak cuts anyway. 

Finally, I would like to remind you that there is a nice supply of frozen wild Salmon and Halibut on the market for you to enjoy right now.  We still have 3 months before we see the fresh salmon runs beginning.

I wish all of you happy days and good eating.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Hello and Happy New Year to each of you!

I really like the New Year coming forth.  It is easy for me to look back at the year and ask myself, “what have I done well and what mistakes have I made?”  I like asking myself those questions; it helps me make decisions about where I want to go from here.  I can see the many good things that have happened in my life and that helps me get a better perspective on the few tough times.  If we’re not careful, those tough times have a way of easily overshadowing the many good times.

The next thing I like about the start of the New Year is it gives me a place to draw the line and say, “I’m moving forward from this point right here.”  You know… a fresh start.

The same way works for me in my job as Meat Director for Yoke’s Foods.  I’m always looking back to see what was good and what may need improvement.  I really enjoyed some of the feedback and questions I received through response to this blog.

I hope all of you will feel free to contact me through the blog, and let me know what’s on your mind.  I would love to know what you like about Yoke’s and especially in our Meat Department and even any issues you would like to see us improve.  You could be like my extra eyes and ears.  Seriously, sometimes a new perspective can really help me see an old picture from a different angle and gives me an opportunity to improve our Meat Departments, and most importantly, it could help improve your shopping experience with Yoke’s.  Now that would certainly be a win-win situation.

I have blogged about our different meat programs and why I chose the programs we are currently using.  I would love to answer any questions you have about those programs or any other questions or suggestions you might share.  It would also be fun for me to interact with you.  I welcome your suggestions for topics to discuss through this blog.

Now, I would just like to thank you for reading this blog and being part of our family at Yoke’s.  Your thoughts, ideas, and your business is very much appreciated and important to us

Thank you and happy New Year.  May this New Year be good to all of us, and may we all take a fresh start and see the great blessing that are in our lives

Best to you,

Kenny the Meat Guy

I guess I would like to start this blog off with a huge Merry Christmas to all!  Now there may be some of you who feel differently about Christmas than I do, and I respect our differences.  However, I love this season. I have observed over many years a change in the hearts of the people I associate with and our guests who shop in our stores.  The Christmas spirit has a way of softening our hearts.  We become more kind and giving to others which has a way of making us happier.  It’s a great cycle that seems evident as Christmas preparations begin.  As we give, our hearts begin to grow.  If you don’t believe me, watch “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” his heart grew a lot when he gave.

For our Christmas dinner, we will once again serve Yoke’s special aged, trimmed, and seasoned  Divine Rib Eye Roast...(the seasoning is optional, but our family loves it).  It is so good!   Now you may ask, is it really better than everyone else’s rib roast?  The answer is yes!!  The proof is in the pudding.  Our success with this item has been phenomenal.  We pre-sell 100’s of roast for the Christmas holiday.  If you haven’t already tried one of these Divine ribs, you really should.  We wanted to offer our guests a pre-seasoned roast to make it even easier to prepare Christmas dinner.  So we had a seasoning developed especially for Yoke’s by a local company, and we apply it to the roast when our guests request it.  We now sell over 80% of our roasts pre-seasoned.

Speaking of traditions we also love to eat Dungeness Crabs.  Even Though they are available off and on throughout the year, the season’s best offering happens in December. That is when you will find the best prices and availability on these great tasting crabs.  They are a West coast product, we are fortunate to be so close to the supply of Dungeness crabs.

What a great time of year to enjoy Divine Rib Eye Roasts and Dungeness crab along with many other special treats we create right in our stores.  I would like to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  And once again, I hope that we will all take a moment from our busy schedules and look around and see all the good things that are happening.  We sometimes get downtrodden with a few negative things and forget about all the good stuff.  Let’s not forget to notice the good things, and I bet they will outnumber the negatives.

Have a wonderful week!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Hello,

I just wanted to let you know a little bit more about our fresh meat products.  I believe we provide you with the best quality meat and seafood at a very fair price.  Our Certified Hereford Beef, Draper Valley Chicken, Prairie Fresh Pork, and Summit Creek Lamb are all products of the USA.  We are proud of our fresh meat and seafood programs, and we are confident in the food safety and humane handling efforts these companies have in place.  

Certified Hereford Beef

Hereford beef has been a breed of cattle that has been around for years.  It’s famous for its reputation of producing tender and great tasting beef.  In 1991, the American Hereford Association undertook the most ambitious and comprehensive cattle breed study in history to determine Hereford’s genetic contribution to the beef supply.  The Colorado State University studies were plain and simple.  They wanted the consumer (the ultimate judge) to quantify Hereford beef’s merits through our minds and mouths.  The results showed Hereford Beef was superior in every category. 

Draper Valley Chicken

Draper Valley Farms are based out of Mount Vernon, Washington.  That’s not very far from here. We have used this product for years and love the fact that their chickens are raised right here in the Northwest.  They are fully integrated from the egg to the store.  What that means to us is that they have complete control of their product.   I have been to their farms and have seen the standards in place, and since they are so close, it means really fresh chicken!  Draper Valley Chickens are raised hormone and antibiotic free.

Seafood

We have built a relationship with Pacific Seafood over the last several years.  They provide us with well over 80% of our seafood.  Pacific Seafood is an industry leader in sustainability practices and food safety.  That means we are trying to use products that have a managed sustainability program which will ensure the long term availability of great seafood for years to come. 

Seaboard Pork

Our main supplier of Pork is Seaboard Farms; we use their Prairie Fresh label.  Seaboard Farms is a fully integrated company.  They own and control all of their programs including the farms that raise their hogs.  They control the feed and care for all of their products.  We use their natural line of fresh pork which means there are no added ingredients to the pork.  They have a top of the line processing facility that includes great food safety checks and humane handling of the animals. 

Summit Creek Lamb

Summit Lamb comes to us from California. Our Summit Creek Lamb is all product of the USA and has never been given antibiotics or hormones. It is pre-packaged for us and seems to fit well with our other fresh meat programs.

Thanks for your great support

Kenny the Meat Guy

 Hello my friends, I do believe I mentioned in my last blog that if you were tired of the heat just wait a moment.  Every now and then I get one right.  We went from 80 degrees to 45 in just a short time.  I’m still hoping for some fall weather. I have wood to cut and brush to burn.

Halloween is now upon us. I know there are some who don’t like Halloween, but for our family, it’s a fun time for the grandchildren.  Ok and for me too.  I mean you get to dress up, gather candy, and have fun carving pumpkins; how does it get any better than that?!!

This brings me to a short discussion on trick or treat.  In our world today, we have many opportunities to choose where and what we want to buy.  We are normally looking for price and quality, right?  Everybody has ads in newspapers, on the radio, and other methods of advertising.  The trick is to make sure that you compare apples to apples or in my language T-bones to T-bones.  You have to compare quality as well as price to get the best treat.

Take ground beef for example.  Let’s say you want to buy some lean ground beef, and you find ground beef on sale in two different stores for the same price. The question then becomes…which is better?  Lean ground beef is a general term and can have different lean content under the same description.  In the Spokane area, I have seen lean ground beef advertised as 78% lean, 80% lean, and 81 % lean.  That might not sound like much of a difference to you, but it is to me.  We also know that the beef used in making of ground beef can vary in quality as well.

I’m not going to talk about other stores, but I would like to brag about ours (Yoke’s Fresh Markets). I have worked for Yoke’s for 30 years (that’s over half of my lifetime).  I am very proud to be a member owner (employed owned).  I have been the director of our meat department for 13 years and have worked hard to bring the best quality meat at the best possible price to you, our guests.  We know without your support, we wouldn’t exist in the market place, so thank you for choosing to shop with us!  Our goal is to deliver great quality, friendly-helpful service, valued pricing, and clean, beautiful stores. All with the purpose of making you enjoy your shopping experience.  I hope you find shopping with us a TREAT

In my next blog, I would like to outline what brands of meat we have partnered with to bring you what we believe is the best, safest, and greatest valued products we can find. Stay tuned for the next treat from me, Kenny the Meat Guy!

Happy Halloween BOOOO!! 

Wow, did the temperature change overnight.  I saw 31 degrees this morning and you could really feel fall in the air.  Actually, I thought I felt winter in the air!  All of you who were ready for a change in the weather, I think you are about to get your wish.

As I have said before, I really do like living in a place with four distinct seasons.  They give you such a choice of activities to enjoy.  Of course, with the good things each season brings, you also get the not so good things to bear.  For example, I love the snow and love to cross country ski, but I hate driving on the winter roads and the short daylight hours.  But we learn how to cope with what Mother Nature brings to us, and we usually cope pretty well.

The changing seasons also bring a new variety of meals to try or experiment.  For example, when winter winds down into spring, most of us can’t wait to get outdoors and fire up the grill, right?  We have been cooking in our microwaves or ovens, and we have been stuck in the house just waiting for the warmer weather to arrive and the chance to cook outdoors. But who says you can’t cook on your grill outdoors all year around?  Yes, we cook on the grill all year around except when the grill gets completely covered in snow, and I don’t want to shovel the grill out.

What you need to do is cook different styles of food on the grill so you don’t just have steaks and burgers all year long.  With a little change in procedures, you can enjoy several different types of meals on the grill outdoors.

Here are a couple of ideas for you to try: 

London Broils: Cook on a very low heat. Season or marinade your London broil the way you like it and be patient; it will take 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how thick it is.  Do not overcook this cut of meat or it will be dry.  Slice thin with the grain of the meat (yes, that’s what I meant…with the grain).  Most cuts we suggest cutting against the grain, but this cut really has a great texture with the grain.  This is an excellent beef roast and will be a pleasant surprise to your guests when you pull this roast from your grill.  Go ahead and bake your potatoes right on the grill with the beef, I would place the potatoes on the grill before starting to cook your roast.  You will get the hang of timing so your meal all gets done at the same time.

How about cooking Cornish game hens on your grill?  Prepare your game hens by making a stuffing like you would for a chicken or turkey.  For most adults, I would cook one game hen per person.  Stuff the cavity of the game hen with stuffing, and if you’re brave and want to try something really good, take some teriyaki sauce and with a turkey baster or injector squirt some of the sauce between the breast skin and the meat.  It will form a little bubble that you can see.  As the Game hen cooks, the teriyaki sauce will baste itself in the meat.  Don’t use to much sauce, put a little on each side of the breast. Place aluminum foil on top of your grates and cook on low heat for about 40 minutes.  It’s great tasting and a fun meal to serve.  Add a green salad and some French bread to complete your meal; don’t forget the ice cream for dessert.  Enjoy!

Kenny the Meat Guy

What a beautiful end of summer we are experiencing.  The weather has been very warm, and there’s been no rain for several weeks.   I heard a few complaints about the hot dry days, but that is normal.  I’m sure there are changes in the weather coming our way soon. 

I always chuckle to myself when I hear people wanting something different than what we have.  A wise man shared this poem with me years ago (probably because I was complaining) and I have never forgotten it.

“As a rule mans a fool;

When it’s hot, he wants it cool;

When it’s cool, he wants it hot;

Always wanting what is not.”

Today, I thought we might take a look at a few changes that are coming up through the next couple of months.  As we go from summer to fall, there will be several changes taking place.  For example: the fresh wild salmon and halibut season will end and the frozen market will begin.  So grab those fresh fillets while they’re still available.

Another change is children and some adults will be returning to school.  Beginning school changes some of our eating and shopping habits we’ve developed during summer.  As the weather begins to cool, our shopping lists have different items on them.  We go from cooking outside on the grill, to inside using the oven.  At Yoke’s, we adjust to these changes to assure we have plenty of the products you want and need.

One last item to mention, as the summer turns to fall, daylight hours shorten which may make us feel like we have less time to accomplish everything we have to do.  Feeling rushed often affects when and what we cook.  Pondering seasonal changes really does make us realize how the seasons affect our life styles.  

In our business, we take a look at what products we buy and prepare for our customers.  The amount of hot dogs and hamburger patties we sell, for example, slows way down as well as other grilling items.  We increase the production of items that we believe will more likely be cooked indoors verses outdoors such as beef roasts, stuffed pork chops, and stew meat.  It all becomes a guessing game for us to try and determine what weather Mother Nature will send our way and how fast we need to adjust to these changes.  

We have heard it a lot lately “change is good,” so enjoy the seasons and adjust to the change each season brings.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Time has been flying by. I hope those of you who were hoping summer would get here are very happy.  Those of you who were wishing the rain would stop; I hope you are enjoying grilling and swimming weather.  Those of you who are complaining about the hot dry days, just be patient, and you will see a change soon.  Mother Nature has a way of always pleasing some and disappointing others.  For me, I just try and enjoy whatever she dishes out.  You may catch me murmuring a little, but overall, I love all the seasons.

We have been hearing a lot about the damage the drought may cause on food pricing.  I’m sure there will be an effect, but the question is… how soon and how much effect will we experience?  There are so many different things out there that change pricing at store level; it makes predicting the outcome of Mother Natures influences difficult. 

So what do we do when we have to deal with these uncertain times?  Just the best we can do day by day. I know it sounds silly, but it really is true.  It seems like when we try to plan, something comes along and changes the plan.  So here are some circumstances going on in the world of meat and seafood just to help you get a feel of the moment:

The fresh wild salmon season is beginning to wind down.  It has been an interesting year for salmon.  When we predicted good runs, we came up short on fish, and when we didn’t think it was going to be great, the fish came in hard and strong.  The Coho market is soft right now, but there are a lot of sockeye.  No matter what the catch is, it’s time to eat fresh wild salmon while it’s available.

Pork has been taking small price increases and decreases week after week not really making much change in retail prices either way.  I have eaten more pork this summer and have cooked it on the grill. I’ve really enjoyed the tenderness and flavor of grilled pork.  Try some pork steaks on the grill. I think you will be pleased, but remember, don’t overcook them.

Beef has taken some large price increases over the last several months.  When I look year to year, beef retail prices have increased at least 30 cents per pound on less expensive cuts and a dollar or more on the higher end cuts of beef.  However, because of the extreme heat in the mid-west, many cattle producers are processing more of their cattle to try and avoid future losses due to feed and other factors that increase the cost of raising cattle under these conditions. I believe we will see some softening of beef prices in the near future.

So as I said at the beginning, just do the best you can with the choices you have today and be happy.  There is always the good, the bad, and the ugly to face, but we just need to find our way to figure the good as we push forward.  Have a good week.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Hello,

I know it’s been a while since I sent out a new blog.  I have been really busy or maybe I’m getting a little lazy, but more likely a combination of the two.

We are definitely into summer now and grilling season is certainly upon us. It is so great to cook outside instead of in the house and just think, no pots or pans to wash at the end of meal.  And the taste of food off the grill is so good.

I have been experimenting with grilling pork instead of beef the last few times I‘ve grilled, and I have really enjoyed the flavor and tenderness of the pork.  It has been a pleasant surprise at how well the pork performed cooking on the grill. So I suggest everyone try grilling some pork steaks, ribs, or chops and check it out for yourself.

We took a trip to Alaska two weeks ago; wow, Alaska is a beautiful place.  Our purpose for the trip was to look at some seafood operations and to secure some business partnerships for our seafood departments.  It is an eye opener to see the wholesale and processing end of the seafood business.  I think most of us have seen the “Deadliest Catch” and to actually realize what they do on that show is truly real life, makes it amazing in and of itself.

We met a lot of great people who have a lot of pride in their work.  They were proud to take us through their plants and tell us about all of the safety precautions they have in place to keep the product fresh and clean.  They showed us the programs that assure sustainability of their natural resources.  It was fascinating to see fish count Stations set up to physically count how many salmon escape up the rivers to spawn.  They want to be assured that there is plenty of fish to harvest year after year.

At the end of our weeklong tour in Alaska, we arrived home with a new found gratitude for the seafood industry. We learned that Mother Nature still rules the business and that we should be grateful for the abundance of fish and wildlife we are able to bring into our stores to sell to our great guests.  We were grateful for the hard working men and women who give their all to bring us the freshest most beautiful salmon.

I would also like to thank Pacific Seafood, our largest supplier of fresh seafood, for being a great host and making it possible for us to see for ourselves this dynamic fascinating process.  Bob and Matt, thanks for everything.  You organized a great adventure for us.

Below is a picture of a beautiful spawning sockeye who made the long difficult trip from the ocean back to its original spawning grounds.

Have a great week

Kenny the Meat Guy

My friend Awilda from Puerto Rico was wondering if I had rib eye steak (my wife’s favorite) or T-bone steak (my favorite) for Father’s Day dinner; it was the T-bone steak that won out between the two.  The T-bones were so good, cooked to perfection by Kenny the Meat Guy himself.  We also had boneless pork steak on the grill, and that was excellent as well. I hadn’t grilled pork steaks before, but it was great; it will now fit into the cooking rotation in our home.

One of the greatest features about pork steak is the price. You can find pork steak on sale for less than 2.50 per pound; what a deal!  They are easy to cook, tender and juicy. 

Now, the problem with cooking pork comes from the “ole wives tale” where people cooked pork until it called out “uncle”.  There was some truth to that old tale in years gone by.  The need to cook pork well done was the result of the parasitic disease Trichinosis which was found in pork and other wild game, and those varieties of undercooked meat caused problems for humans.  So pork was cooked very well done to assure there was no chance to contract the disease from eating the undercooked pork.  Currently, the USDA approves pork cooked to 165 degrees, since the risk of contracting trichinosis has now been virtually removed.  The trick now is to reeducate consumers with this information so they will quit over cooking pork.

The Copper River sockeye salmon story has been good this year.  All in all, we had a pretty good run on the Copper River salmon and the price was lower than we have seen over the last few years. The runs on Copper River sockeye are almost finished.  There will be more sockeye salmon from other areas and the Copper River Coho will be coming along in a while. 

Remember, take advantage of the wild salmon season while we have the availability to buy them fresh. It is also a good time to buy extra and properly prepare them for the freezer.  If frozen fresh and stored properly, salmon will have great texture and will retain wonderful flavor when thawed.

Now is the time to be grilling outdoors and enjoying the unique flavor of outdoor cooking.  Maybe we will review proper freezing and storing information in my next blog.

Until then, have fun with food, one of life’s great pleasures; happy cooking!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Copper River Salmon jumped out to a big start.  The 1^st opener on May 17^th, landed tons of fish and so did the 2^nd opener on May 21^st. That means you and I have a great opportunity to buy some of the richest tasting wild salmon the Pacific Ocean produces at a very low price (comparatively speaking to most years).  You will see costs under $10.00 per pound.  Last year’s opening price was between $15 & $17 per pound.  Take advantage of this great start as soon as possible.  It looks like the price will even drop more, but you never can tell what Mother Nature has in store for us.  It may continue to be a hot market or it may shut down as fast as it started.

I was listening to a talk radio show last week and the guy commented that there was no difference between Copper River Salmon and any other wild Salmon caught in the Pacific. I’m going to state my opinion as loud and knowingly as he did, and I will tell you from my own experience and according to the experts; there is not only a difference but a huge difference!  So there you have it; the only way for you to know who to believe is to try it yourself.  Marketing can certainly play a part in the success of a product, but over the years, if marketing statements are false, the product will soon loose popularity.  Just look at the fillets alone, and you will see a difference. 

Scientifically explained, the Cooper River salmon has a tough trip going back to its spawning grounds.  So between the extra hard workout and the very, very cold water the fish swim in, the fish become richer in omega 3 oils and the meat becomes firmer. There are other Salmon that go through similar treks and conditions, and they may be as good as the Copper River Salmon, but they too bring a little higher price on the market.

So between the nutritional values, lower prices, and the excellent flavor, don’t miss the opportunity on this wonderful tasting salmon. 

Next, I just wanted to mention Memorial Day and the reason for it.  The purpose of this holiday was to show reverence and honor our fallen military soldier.  Awhile later, it was expanded as a day for us to remember all of our loved ones who passed on before us.  I hope we will all take a moment out of our three day weekend and remember those who have led the way for each of us. I also hope the sun will shine a little on us all.  There is nothing like the feeling of warm sunlight hitting us, and I guess we absorb some vitamin D as a bonus.  Isn’t life a wonderful thing?

Have a Nice Memorial Day

Kenny the Meat Guy

Well it has been a while since I have checked in with you all.  Time seems to be going by so fast these days.  Maybe it’s because the longer daylight hours are keeping me outside later which limits my time inside working on my computer.

I love the springtime as the grass turns green and all the trees and shrubs bloom.  What a beautiful time of year.  Mother Nature sure has a way of creating beauty, and we just need to take the time to enjoy it.  Other beautiful things that come with spring are all the new born creatures.  We are seeing some baby birds, and of course, lots of baby geese.  How is it that all of these little ones are so cute?  I love watching their awkwardness as they learn to walk, eat, and fly?  Yeah, I know, they don’t stay little forever.

Other marvelous adventures that takes place this time of year are the salmon runs in the northwest.  It is hard to phantom all of these magnificent fish fighting their way up streams and rivers to continue the cycle of life.  Millions of fish fight against the rushing water, rocks, and other obstacles to return to where their lives began to replenish their species.  We should be grateful for this abundant cycle of life that gives us the opportunity to enjoy the harvest of wild salmon with their great rich flavor and nutritional value.  They are truly a delightful, healthy, and nutritious food.

So the famous Copper River Salmon are on their way, one of the most famous of the salmon we see each spring.  The Copper River is beginning to shed its winter cover and will soon provide the harvest of these beautiful fish.  The first season opener is scheduled for the 17^th of May, and remember, the supply of fish is totally dependent on Mother Nature.  We’re waiting in anticipation for the first delivery of the Copper River Sockeye.  We ask ourselves, how many will there be, how long will they be available, and what will the going price be?  The answers to all of these questions will be determined in the fast pace race to market.

One thing for sure, you don’t want to miss out on this great tasting fish.  They are so good when cooked outdoors on the grill.  Remember to use some aluminum foil to aid in easy cooking and clean up as you cook on your grill.  They are quick and easy to fix.  You can cook the whole fish or buy steaks or fillets. Anyway you cook it will provide a delicious healthy meal for you, your family, and friends.  Look for Copper River salmon to show up at Yoke’s Fresh Markets very soon after the 17^th of May.

ENJOY!  

Kenny the Meat Guy

 After many years of living on our timbered land, we have discovered a new pesky pest that needs to be dealt with.  I have only seen one porcupine in the 12 years we’ve lived here, but a month ago, I discovered a tree with almost all of the bark chewed off. (See picture below) As I looked around, I soon found this was one of many trees missing large sections of bark.  I contacted a forester, and he confirmed that the damage was caused by a porcupine, and the best solution was to try and trap the little varmint.

We also have a pair of geese that have decided to build their nest on top of our wood pile. That will be fun to watch over the next few weeks as the pair take care of their eggs until that magical day when the eggs hatch and there will be several little ones discovering their new found life.

Along with the joy wildlife brings to me and the fun of living in a place where we see deer, moose, coyotes, ducks, geese, birds, squirrels, beavers, raccoons, bears, and now porcupines, there is also a downside we must tolerate and that is the nuisance some of those same creatures bring with them. Yeah, I know they were here first, but still, I need to tolerate and deal with certain things.

The porcupines and beavers kill the trees; the geese, well if you have geese you know what they do.  The deer eat our garden plants; the squirrels eat the seed I put out for the birds, and they chew up my hammock and use that material to make a nest.  The raccoons get into everything; well you get my point.

Now as you usually say when you read this blog “what does this have to do with your meat and seafood program?” and here is the tie in…

Spring is here and with it comes several wonderful opportunities for some really fine dining like Copper River salmon, fresh halibut, fresh Oregon shrimp, and so on.  Spring brings easier conditions for the cattle to graze and not be so cold.  Transportation is easier, not having to deal with the bad roads.  But we also have new problems that come along like living with new restrictive quotas on seafood that limit the catch of several products, warmer temperatures cause refrigeration problems, and so on.  I call this the opposition in all things theory.

So we take the good with the bad and focus all the good stuff and not let the bad get to us.  As we see problems with supply, new products coming in, some products going away, or prices going higher, be patient, and look for the good; it will be there too.  Enjoy the seasons and what comes with them.  Now get out those grills, and put on a steak, chicken hindquarter, pork chops, hot dogs, or burgers and enjoy. Spring is here!

April 2-2012

As I typed in April 2^nd, I realized that it was my birthday, wahoo another year older.

So what is the magic number where you go from hating to admit how old you are, to bragging about how old you are?  Just wondering, I don’t want to miss the change.  It seems funny to me that when we are old enough to start understanding about birthdays and age, we brag about how old we are.  You have all seen the little kids trying to hold up their fingers to show you how old they are, and they are so proud of it too.  Next, is when we hit that magic age of 18 and then 21; oh yeah we are adults now.

Then the next stage is when you see tears of sadness in one’s eyes, and they must admit they turned 40 or 50 (50 was my painful number).  Then at some point, we hit that magic number when we start to brag and find pride in the fact that we have made it for so many years.  If we can, we will tell a little secret that comes along with the age.  For example, you may hear (in an older voice) “Yep, I just turned 77 today, and I got dressed all by myself.”  Oops, I guess that’s back to the three year old stage.  It’s more likely; “I turned 80 today, got up, and walked 3 miles without even stopping.”  I’m just hoping to make it that long.

Ok, Ok back to the subject of meat and seafood.  As I have mentioned earlier, spring brings the wild fishery season. Halibut is jumping out of the gates with a steady start.  The catch quotas are down again this year, so we started with a big price on halibut.  As the season opened, the first couple of days brought a lot of fish, so the price dropped a couple bucks a pound pretty fast.  

Now I wish I could get out a crystal ball and tell you how the halibut season will continue, but I can’t.  I think the next couple of weeks would be an excellent time to enjoy some fresh halibut and maybe even buy a little extra to freeze for later.  Remember, if you buy it fresh and wrap it up really well, the halibut will still have great texture and flavor for up to six months. Just make sure it’s placed in a freezer that’s not going to allow it to soften and refreeze a bunch of times. 

The next opener that excites me is the Columbia River King Salmon.  We should be seeing fish in April. Then starting in May more and more rivers famous for their high quality salmon will open. For example, the Copper River Salmon, Stikine River, and the Taku River all open in May.

So the bottom line for wild fresh salmon and halibut lovers is to be ready to take advantage of all this great fish heading your way.  Make a little extra room in your freezer to stock up, so you can enjoy wild fish even when the seasons close. 

One thing for sure is that it doesn’t get any better than fresh from the rivers and onto your table. Enjoy.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Oh yeah, and Happy birthday to me.

Greeting from Boston! I have been attending the grand ole Boston Seafood Show.  WOW, it is an incredible sight to sea (oops I mean see).

The very night we arrived in Boston there was a story on the news about (pink Slime) being added to ground beef?  I knew the questions would come flying in and they did.  I can’t blame any of you for being concerned about your ground beef if you saw or even heard about that story.  We quickly answered the concerns we received and posted a response on our face book page, but I felt I should send out a response on this blog as well.

The good news is…No, there is no pink slime added to our ground beef.  As I have stated many times in the past, we are pleased and proud to be involved in our Certified Herford Beef program.  Certified Hereford uses only whole muscle meat in their ground beef and nothing else.  That not only gives us a great wholesome product, but also a more flavorful ground meat.  We know when and where the beef came from and how it is handled.  When the mad cow scare was raised, we addressed the issue with confidence and were able to tell our customers that our product is safe and wholesome.

Well that made my week a lot better than it might have been.  So instead of being worried sick, I’m sitting at this beautiful restaurant in Boston having a piece of Boston cream pie.  Bet you wish you were here.  Oh yeah, the sun is shining too.

Have a good week

Kenny the Meat Guy 

Our cruise was so great; we were able to go to the Western Caribbean.  The weather was beautiful with lots of sun and amazing warm water.  It’s all about the water for me.  As a young boy, I remember checking out many books about scuba diving and watching TV shows about underwater adventures.

Later in my life, I got my open water dive certification but living in North Idaho, I didn’t get many opportunities to see the beauty I read about or the scenes I saw on TV.  It wasn’t until many years later when Paula and I went to Hawaii for our 25^th wedding anniversary that I experience tropical water.  What a thrill it was to stick my head underwater and see that beautiful sight I had read about and seen on TV for those many years.  I couldn’t believe it was as stunning as I had imagined.

Now I’m off again, but this time it’s off to Boston to visit one of the largest seafood shows available.  I go to these shows to look for new opportunities for great products to offer our guests and to learn about new technologies.   It’s really important I get the chance see for myself the processing plants we partner with and that I become familiar with their products.  Yoke’s Foods is really supportive in giving associates opportunities to learn and grow.  In April, I will be flying to Kansas to see one of the newest pork processing plants in the United States. 

I look forward to seeing and visiting all these great places.  For me, it’s like the tropical water, I could read about it, and I could see pictures, but neither compare to seeing it all for myself.  Seeing these companies and checking out their products for myself gives me confidence that I have made the right decisions in choosing our meat programs.  I’m proud of my company and what we are able bring to you (our guests).  Thanks for shopping at Yoke’s.

Kenny the Meat Guy (scuba man) 

This was a response I wrote to gentlemen who asked about beef grades and why so many retailers don’t state the grade of their beef.  I thought you all might be interested as well…

I appreciate your question on grades of Beef.  I understand your concern and the confusion that surrounds your question.  I’ll try not to make my response too long.  There is a lot of information that I could go into to help you better understand why we (Yoke’s Foods) have moved in particular direction over the last 12 years.  I will give you my explanation, and if you want to discuss it further, please feel respond by e-mail. 

Over the years, the focus on determining good beef was on grading which was based solely on marbling found between the chuck and the rib eye.   Over the last fifty years, there have been many changes in beef production.   In the 1950’s, there was a desire to try and breed a larger animal which in turn would produce larger cuts of beef, more tonnage to be sold, and increase money for the beef industry. 

They were successful in creating these larger breeds by crossbreeding larger work cattle with beef cattle for consumption.  Two of the best breeds for beef consumption were Angus and Herefords, and there were a few others too.   So they cross bred these breeds with the larger working cattle like Brahmas.  What they weren’t expecting was the eating quality to change with these new cross breeds.

In the late 50’s through the early 80s’, the beef industry experienced a large decline in beef consumption which of course alarmed the industry and forced the beef producer to once again examine their cattle producing standards.

Realizing that they had created a less desirable product that didn’t satisfy the needs of those who loved beef, they began research to resolve this new problem.   As the research continued, they now realized that not only did the marbling establish what made good eating beef, but also the breed.  In-fact, there were studies and testing done, which established the breed itself was more prominent in determining good beef flavor than the marbling.

Over the next few years, we saw the creation of many new beef programs where different criteria were established to try and create a better eating beef product.  The new beef programs created huge changes in the selecting process as the beef was processed in plants.  Additional money was offered to ranchers who produced beef that would pass the criteria and would allow the product to be selected for the newly defined programs.  So at the end of the day, the beef that wasn’t selected or didn’t meet the standards of the new programs was tagged commodity choice (if the marbling was there).  

So retailers started jumping on these newly offered programs trying to find a way to define the product they were selling to their customers.  If the retailer didn’t choose a new program, they were stuck with the cattle that didn’t make it into these new programs.  So even though it may have graded “choice”, it was still the poorest cattle of the herd.  So now you see all of these retailers advertising the name of their program and less emphasis placed on grade only.

I can’t speak to every program out there, but I can speak to our program.  After much research, we chose Certified Hereford Beef.  There were many reasons for this choice, and I will list a few of them.  Certified Hereford beef can only be crossed with pure bred Angus or Short Horn (two well known beef eating breeds) and it has to be 51% or higher pure bred Hereford.  Our program assures all product is born and raised in the USA.  It is fed a 100% vegetarian corn based diet, and is on a withdrawal program to assure the product is free of any added hormones or antibiotics.  There are several more requirements, and if you want more information, please let me know.

All of our beef is graded at the time of process by USDA inspectors as Certified Hereford Beef.  There are other Hereford programs out there that differ from ours.  Our Certified Herford Beef grades upper 2/3 select to lower 1/3 choice.  One of the qualities of the Hereford breed is fine marbling placed throughout the meat and not as concentrated in singles areas. 

I believe with all my heart Yoke’s offers the best beef program we could find and you can taste the difference between our product and others.  I would invite you to try our beef and hopefully you will find the same satisfaction in our product as we have found.  I know this was a lengthy answer, but I hope it answers your question.  If not, feel free to contact me for more information

Thanks

Kenny the Meat Guy

Before I get into the meat of this blog (pardon the Pun) I want to share with you that Paula and I are going on vacation this very day.  So if I seem even more scattered than normal, it’s because I’m bursting with excitement knowing we are about to jump on a plane to Florida and then hop on a boat for a cruise whoowho.

Now, back to the state of the meat address.  As the new year progresses, I promise you we will see more price increases as a result of higher fuel prices, feed cost increases, and increases in meat product exports.

I also promise, you will see more aggressive sales as retailers try to convince you to shop their respective stores to get the best price around, but since we will all be about the same price, I promise you Yoke’s will deliver great product, more variety, cleaner brighter stores, and great guest service.  That’s where you will find the extra value when you shop with us.

This year we have the addition of nutritional labeling to help you determine the health value of meat products.  This new regulation kicks in March 1^st.

We are also coming closer to the beginning of the Alaskan wild fish season beginning with wild halibut in March followed by the salmon season openers in May.  In fact, I have heard there will be some wild Yukon Keta salmon coming our way soon.  This isn’t your ordinary chum salmon; this will be much richer and more firm because of the very cold water they are harvested from.

Spring and summer also promises to present the unstoppable urge to fire up that grill and throw on some great tasting tender Certified Hereford steaks.  Make no mistake about it; you can taste the difference between our Certified Hereford Beef and our competitors beef.  If you can’t take my word for it, try it out for yourself; you will taste a difference.

Last but maybe most importantly, I would like to thank you for allowing me to be in your lives, even if it is in a very small way.  I enjoy sharing with you my thoughts and tidbits of knowledge throughout the year.  If you will give me another year of reading this blog, I promise you will learn something new and maybe catch a laugh or two in the process.  Thanks for shopping with us too, we appreciate your patronage.

Now it is off to the boat, I’ll catch up with you in a couple of weeks.  Have a good week, and don’t forget that smiles are contagious... J see!

Kenny the Meat Guy 

When I ran track in school years ago, I was ready to run the 220yd dash and was disqualified for jumping the gun 2 times in a row.  Walking across the center field was a shameful embarrassing walk.  Trying to be careful not to jump out too fast on my New Year’s resolution, being healthy, wealthy, and wise, I haven’t yet started my new year’s quest.  But remember, we never fail until we quit, and I have yet to quit.

Now that January has come and gone, it’s time to move on to February.  I say we should celebrate right out of the gate.  It’s leap year, that once every 4 year event.  Just think… you get one extra day this year to help offset your complaint of never having enough time.  I would be interested to know what you did with your extra 24 hours.

Now for the second event of February: Valentine’s Day.  This is that special day set aside to show your appreciation for someone special who has blessed your life.  It’s really important not to blunder this one.  As you know by now, my celebration will be based around food.  My favorite dinner (if I have to pick just one) would be T-bone steak, prawns, green salad, and of course ice cream for dessert.  If you were to ask my wife, Paula, about the dinner menu, she would change the T-bone for a rib eye steak and trade ice cream for chocolate.  To make this a truly special day, you must also give of yourself unselfishly, so I guess it will be rib eye and chocolate.  But then, shouldn’t she give unselfishly too.  You can see how quickly things can get complicated.  Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

To accommodate your Valentine’s meal, Yoke’s brings you exceptional values throughout the store.   We define value by providing you with amazing food choices, great prices, beautifully clean stores, and exceptional guest service.  This isn’t just talk, we walk the talk.  Let me describe what our meat department will do to help you make your Valentine’s Day a great success:

We provide you with the best beef program we have found during our search for quality, Certified Hereford Beef.  We purchased rib eyes to age them for over 5 weeks which enhances tenderness and flavor; then we reduced the price.  We also located some beautiful snow crab sections to go with those steaks and reduced the price on those as well.  We also have lobster tails, prawns, and many other great items.  With this variety, you have several choices for your special meal, and we guarantee your satisfaction on all of our products.

I just touched on our special products in our meat department.  You will find the same value, quality and service throughout our store, including flowers, chocolates, cards, and specialty gift items.  We provide one stop shopping for all of your Valentine’s needs.  Try us, you will love us.

Happy days to all of you,

Kenny the Meat Guy

Yoke’s Meat Department Specialist

So how are we all doing on those New Year goals and resolutions?  I’ve heard that most people fall off track before the first month is finished.  Well, I pulled a fast one this year, and I still haven’t even started mine, so I feel I haven’t failed.  I’m beginning to build up my strength for when I get going on them though.  You have to love the challenge of the New Year’s desire to make things as good as they can be.  What I try to keep in mind are the following two principles:

1. You haven’t failed as long as you keep trying.
2. Even the smallest improvement is better than no improvement at all.

So don’t get discouraged or downhearted; just keep working at it, and keep the hope of a great year alive!

I want to touch base on the seafood market. It has been an interesting year.  Once again as the Dungeness crab season started, it quickly tumbled downhill to a very poor harvest and higher prices.  Two major events affected the market:  First, the fill rate (which is how much meat is inside the body of the crab) was not up to par at the beginning of the harvest, and they delayed the seasons’ opening.  The second was supply and demand (low supply and high demand) on the product which drove the prices higher.  A really big part of the demand is coming from the export market where other countries (because of the financial markets) can now afford to buy and ship fresh Dungeness crab to their countries.

Even though it seems like a mild winter to us in the Northwest, there have been several storms making rough seas and delaying many boats from fishing.  As a result of this weather, we have seen a short supply of fresh fish, especially affecting the bottom fish category, such as true cod, rock fish, and sole, for example.  Also adding to the problem is that most fresh wild salmon and halibut seasons are closed.  So the question arises: what do we do with the dilemma of a short fresh fish supply?  

There are several frozen seafood options available to supply a nice variety of seafood for our menus.  There are several good quality frozen wild salmon fillets and halibut steaks.  There are also pretty good options for frozen cod or rock fish.  And keep in mind, we still have fresh clams and oysters available.

So the best option for you is to ask our seafood associates for their best suggestions.  Our well trained associates have studied the seafood market, and they know what’s available and how to determine quality; they will be honored to help you.

The good news is…spring is on its way, and we should see some better fishing opportunities in a couple of months.  So just like our New Year’s resolutions, be patient and wait for the good thing to come.

Have a great week!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Hello and Happy New Year to all of you out there in blog land.  I love the coming of the New Year.  I can draw the curtain down on the old year and begin a brand new year.  Of course, the next step is making and setting new resolutions and goals, and if achieved, it will make this a wonderful year.

Yeah,  I know that there are some things that get carried over from one year to the next, but we can face those things with a new hope and maybe muster-up a little more gratitude for the many good things life has brought us.

So here is wishing all of you a successful and happy new year.

So what does the New Year bring to us in the world of meat? 

We are seeing more and better meals in minutes.  Meals in minutes are items we prepare for you to take home and cook yourself in a short period of time, and make it look like you slaved for hours creating a beautiful meal.  They’re really a pretty economical way to cook for yourself or your family because you don’t have to buy all the spices or ingredients for one meal.  Meals like beef pin wheel, chicken cordon bleu, meat loaf, stuffed pork chops, pot pies, and many more delicious choices.

Other items you will find at Yoke’s are more healthy choices such as gluten free or no MSG products.  We are finding a greater demand for healthier food choices and are supplying the demand with a more selections.

We have developed a no MSG and gluten free dinner sausage and fryer breasts, and several gluten free fish and meat items.  If you haven’t checked out the Natures Corners section of Yoke’s, you are missing a wide variety of natural and organic foods.

One more bragging point, all of our fresh beef, pork, and chicken are products of the USA.  We offer our guests top of the line meat products that will that are healthy and safe

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time reading my thoughts and opinions, and I hope they bring a smile to your face and satisfaction to your table.

Happy New Year,

Kenny the Meat Guy 

It was a week before Christmas and all through the house, we were all hustling and bustling and running about.

Preparing mightily, for that special day, when all the good things come flying our way.

With family and friends, and great food on its way, I can’t wait for the time, I call Christmas Day.

I love the laughter and joy I feel, and wish the good tidings with all of its thrills

To be upon you in this same way, as we all stop and enjoy Christmas Day.

By Kenny the Poet and Meat Guy

Happy Holidays

Oh yeah, you didn’t know that along with my powerful writing skills, I had this poetic streak in me too.  I really just want to wish you all the best and hope that we can all find some joy to share with others through this holiday season.

I guess for dinner it’s all about hams, turkeys, geese, ducks, and for me Divine rib eye roast.  There are so many good things to choose from.  But here at Yoke’s, we work extra hard to bring you the best Rib Eye roast possible.  We age it for over five weeks to bring out tenderness and flavor, and we’ll even season it for you on request.  We trim it to be ready for the oven, cut the rib bones from the meat then tie them back on.  This makes it be easy for you to carve but retains the flavors from the bones.  We never freeze our ribs to save money, and we use Certified Hereford beef which I believe is one of the best beef products available to us.  Enjoy Your Holidays!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Now that we are closing in on Thanksgiving, I thought we might talk Turkey.  Most of us focus on the meat entrée for Thanksgiving, and most of the time turkey or ham is the entrée of choice.   Some folks serve lamb, game hens (that’s a real fun choice), Rib Roasts, Lasagna, and other dishes, but today, let’s talk turkey.

There are so many choices out there; it can become a chore selecting a Turkey.  Let me define a few of those choices to make it a little easier for you to decide the bird best suited for your holiday dinner.  Remember, most my comments are based on my experiences from working in this industry for 41 years.  Since new technologies are continually changing and may have changed how turkeys are raised, stored, and processed, your experiences vary, so please place my thoughts in the “for what it’s worth” category.

Frozen turkeys are processed and frozen almost immediately after processing so they should be really fresh (not old) just frozen.  I believe that freezing any proteins changes the texture and taste some but very little.  If handled properly, this product is great.

Fresh turkeys, now properly call Refrigerated turkeys, are never frozen.  They do, however, allow the processor to drop the temperature of the turkey to 28 degrees which form a hard crust on the surface of the turkey.  They do this to maintain quality by slowing the ability of bacteria to form on the outside of the turkey during shipping and storage, but the whole turkey never freezes solid.

Brands: As in all products, there are many brands available, and those brands can produce different quality based on how they are handled during processing and storage.  Only research and experience can help you make a decision here.

Grades or quality are a factor in the differences of turkeys.  The grades mostly speak to the visual appearance of the bird.  For example, wing tips missing, skin tears or even gouges in the meat.  Many times this does not change the flavor but only speaks to the appearance of the bird.

Other differences are self-explanatory but still offer more choices.  Some of these choices include basted verses non-basted, with or without pop-up timers, organic, smoked, and even boneless.  Then you have whole turkeys, turkey breasts, hindquarters, thighs, legs, wings, and of course giblets. 

There are definitely more choices and discussions that could be made, but this is enough Turkey Talk for one blog.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Welcome to the happy month of November as the ghost and goblins go back to rest until next Halloween.  I wonder how many of us still have candy stashes stocked away in our own private crooks and crannies.  I know my sweet wife will have a few morsels tucked away for safe keeping.  She stashes those little chocolate candies away because she knows if she leaves them out in the open, I will be sneaking them for myself.   I guess I can’t really blame her for her private reserves.  I have tried to stash some away for myself, but since I know where I put them, I can’t stay out of them.  Oh well, I’m not beyond begging. 

I was talking to a chef the other day, and he was sharing with me how important it is in his business to offer really good soup.  Apparently, he uses the end pieces of meal preparation, such as small pieces of onion, celery stalks, or trimmed pieces of meat.  That really surprised me but made perfect sense.  As we cut steaks, vegetables, and other items while preparing meals, we always have those parts and pieces left over, most of the time I chuck those little hunks in the compost bin or into my mouth.  This guy collects all that good stuff and uses it in his soup.  What a great idea; it saves wasting all that good food and helps create a great tasting dish.  I didn’t ask him how he saved the pieces until he got enough to add to the soup, but I’m guessing you could place them in a freezer bag and keep them frozen until you gathered enough to make the soup.

We’ve discussed how quick and easy soup is to make, and it’s easy to store.  Zip lock bags or other containers can be used to freeze or store in the refrigerator.  The many flavors of soup seem to meld together and improve with time, so I like to eat it one or two days after I make it.

As we approach this wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I might mention two opportunities to use this “save the soup stuff” program.  The leftover turkey carcass is first to come to mind.  There is so much meat left on the turkey carcass; it’s a shame to throw it all away.  I always try and give my turkey carcass to my sister and let her make the soup.  It really is quite an easy process.   Just get a pan big enough for the turkey carcass; add just enough water to cover the carcass, and let it simmer for a couple of hours.  The meat will begin to fall off the bones and the water will turn into the most luscious broth.  It’s perfect for turkey noodle soup!  Just remove the bones and add some noodles, vegetables, and seasonings and you will have a beautiful pot of soup.

The second item that comes to mind is that left over ham bone.  It works the same way as the turkey carcass.  Just go through the same steps and add some great Northern beans and you will have created a wonderful tasting pot of bean soup. 

It’s your choice to decide what items you like in either the bean or turkey soup.  I like adding potatoes, along with other vegetables to my soups.  You can also decide if you want to thicken the broth with a little corn starch or flour.  But it any case, this comfort food is economical, healthy, easy, and delicious.  So keep those ideas in mind and watch for opportunities to collect end pieces to make your soup stock and enjoy! 

Kenny the Meat Guy

The weather is certainly changing and that creates changes in our meat departments and maybe in your own kitchens.   Ok I’ll explain.  As the weather cools down and gets a little bit more unpleasant, we tend to move from wanting to cook outdoors to wanting to cook indoors.  We also have a tendency to cook different items, such as roasts instead of steaks, and soups in place of burgers. 

As we change our cooking strategies, changes occur in the products we buy.   Changes in buying habits create changes in supply and demand of certain items, which changes the cost of those items.  Wow, all this just because the weather is changing. 

So here is the bottom line to all the above confusion.  You will find lower prices of beef steaks (especially on ads) and higher prices on roasts.  This is all caused by the demand and ability to sell the whole animal.  We must sell all parts of the animal so prices are adjusted on different cuts to encourage or discourage the movement of those cuts.

What does that mean to you?  Simply this…if you buy the items that are of less demand, you will get better pricing on those items, and you will save money.  The good part of this situation is that steaks tastes good weather it is cold out or not.  So now is the time to stock up on the beef steaks and other summer cooking treats. 

By the way, since I cook on the grill all year around, I enjoy great steaks regardless of the season, and as a bonus, I save a little money on steaks through the winter months.  So enjoy the savings and the steaks.

Uumm, I guess I should say I cook on the grill all year around except when the weather looks like this.  Notice my grill almost buried in the snow?

Happy cooking!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Well, here comes fall; it has been a beautiful Indian summer.  There is something special about the beginning of fall especially when we have those spectacular sunny days.  Have you ever noticed how you can actually feel a difference in the air?  It seems crisp, clear, and clean, and there is also a difference in the smell in the air.  I don’t know what causes that, and it may just happen in the great Northwest, but it is definitely a real deal. 

Paula and I just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary, and we had decided our gift to one another for this grand occasion would be kayaks.  Don’t worry, I also took her out for Chinese food (at least I didn’t buy her a wheel barrel or some kind of cooking ware).    We’ve been on the water in our new kayaks three times now.  They are so quiet and easy to get around in and nature is so stunning this time of year.  As I have mentioned many times in the past, life’s joy is finding those precious moments that touch us in a simple peaceful way.  I hope we can all find those moments as we go through these crazy, busy, and uncertain times.

As I was writing the first couple of paragraphs of this blog, Paula read what I had written and asked “what does this have to do with meat?”  No, I didn’t have an answer, but here is how my thought pattern works.  I like to share the nice side of life with others because I think we all need to remember that good side, and when I’m thinking of the good side of things, food always pops into my mind.  So here is my food thought for this blog

One of the comments I hear from our guests when I’m in our stores is “I need to come up with something new”.  It is really easy to get in a cooking rut, and we have a tendency to fix the same meals over and over.  It’s similar to when we go out to dinner; if we find a restaurant we really like, we go there over and over, and more than likely, we order the same meal we’ve had before because we liked it a lot. 

So my suggestion to all is to experiment with food a little more.  Try different cuts of meat, and use a different cooking method.  My daughter, Tricia, has been encouraging Paula and me to do just that.  She sends us different ideas and recipes to try.  New seasoning or sauces will bring a whole new experience to sensitive taste buds and may even make you shout when you taste your new creation.  It’s fun and it might just make meal planning and cooking more exciting.  Look on the internet to for recipes to experiment with, and enjoy these new ideas. 

Eating the right food is certainly a focus of meal planning these days.  From cooking shows to news articles, we hear about the need to eat healthier, and I think that is good advice.  So keep health & wellness as a part of the equation when you experiment with your new cooking ideas.  Until next time, have fun with your food preparation, and enjoy some new tasty treats.

Kenny the Meat Guy

I heard someone saying that fall is in the air, and I agree, but this weekend we’re going to see the temperatures into the high eighties.  So what are we going to do with that information?  How about another great “on the grill meal”?  We need to enjoy this beautiful late summer weather while we have it.

So here is a suggestion to help make the baked potato a great part of “the grill meal deal”…  Get your potatoes all cleaned up and ready to bake (no foil wrap though) just wash them, take a fork, and poke the potato about six times all around its circumference.  Now light your grill to start your pre-heat.  It’s now time to stick those potatoes in your microwave and cook them on high for 4 minutes. Then turn them over and cook them for 4 more minutes on the opposite side.  Now place the potatoes on your grill just the way they are.  The best place to set them is on the upper rack if your grill has two shelves.  If it’s only one level, then place them on the coolest area of your grill (usually near the back or sides).  Now it’s time to season those beautiful steaks on both sides and get ready to put them on the grill too. 

I’ll share my little grilling secret on when to turn those steaks over; I leave them on the first side until a little liquid purges to the top side of the steak.  That is the time to turn them over.  Now you have to guess when to pull them off.  It will be a lot less time than it took to cook the first side.  I usually guess ½ the time, but there are so many variables it really is a guess. 

Now for the summary!  By pre-cooking your potatoes in the microwave, the cook time is cut way down, and they’re just finished on the grill.  The grill will crisp the skin and will give the potato a nice finish.  They’ll be ready to pull when your steaks are done so everything is ready at the same time.  You can prepare a green salad or here’s one more option, try corn on the cob in the microwave.  It is so quick and easy, and it’s delicious.  Wrap the ears of corn individually with waxed paper and place them in the microwave.  Cook on high for about 5 minutes for two or three ears.  Start them just as you flip the steaks over, and they will be ready when your steaks and potatoes come off the grill.  You can also cook the corn on the grill if you have room, just leave it in the husk and set it on the grill, turning it over when you turn your steaks.  The corn should be ready when the steaks are done.  Don’t forget the butter for the corn and the baked potato.  If you are grilling a Yoke’s Certified Hereford Steak you won’t need any sauce.

I get so hungry when I describe cooking the great grill meal.  I just may have to follow my own suggestion.  Enjoy the sunshine!

Kenny the Meat Guy

What a Beautiful Labor Day weekend we just enjoyed.  It’s rare to have the weather cooperating the entire three-day weekend.  We have had a long standing tradition of family reunions on Labor Day, and I can’t tell you how many of those weekends were cold and wet.  This year after having several weeks in a row of our children and grandkids visiting us (which was wonderful) Paula and I stayed home for the holiday. (No, I’m not complaining).  We had a great Labor Day weekend.

Paula and I went fishing several times, and I think she crushed me on the total fish catch every time.  We also went hiking, bike riding, and took a few walks. 

We also enjoyed eating (of course).  With fresh watermelons, cantaloupes, and mangos available, we enjoyed fresh fruits and salads each day.  We also enjoyed wild sockeye salmon, turkey, Nacho’s, Wood’s smoked sausages (made right in Sandpoint), and smores.

What was fun about the meals was using the techniques I had blogged about during the last year.  You just can’t beat sitting around the campfire, roasting a Wood’s smoked sausage, and finishing the evening with the perfect smore while gazing at the beautiful starry night.  We had a great time!

Now back to a short report on our meat departments.  As we all know, prices are moving higher.  What you might not realize is that the retail stores are not passing along the entire price increases we're experiencing.  A cost change of product to the stores occurs every week, and we don’t usually adjust prices that often.   As I see prices move up, I’m always hoping it will be short term, and we can absorb the increase for a while.  The retail markets move up slowly because no one wants to be the first to move up on prices.  All of the retail markets know how important it is to stay competitive.  We have seen price increases on all meat, poultry and seafood, and no one knows where it’s going to stop.  We all hope it’ll stop soon.  I just wanted you to know that we too feel the pain!!

What can we the consumer do?  Shop conservatively, watch for great buys, and take advantage of the opportunities you find to stock up on those good deals.  Remember, only buy the amount you can use while the product keeps its integrity.  If you buy extra and can’t use it before it goes bad, you have just thrown good money down the drain.  Freezing is a great way to keep meat products safe and good so take advantage of that process to save dollars.

We will all endure this financially difficult time together.  In the meantime, keep smiling and always find the bright side.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Boiling an egg in a paper cup is very easy.  When your fire has died down to just red coals, fill a paper cup full of water, and drop a raw egg in it.  Soon it will begin to boil and cook just like on your stove.

Frying bacon and eggs on a paper plate is a little trickier but it can be done.  The trick is to make sure your coals have cooled down and are beginning to turn a little grey.  If the coals are too hot, your plate will simply burst into flames.  Get your paper plate warm by placing it near the fire’s heat or holding it above the coals.  It needs to be warm enough to melt butter or bacon grease to coat the plate.  Once the plate is coated, place the bacon flat on the plate and set the plate in the coals.  Your bacon will begin to fry. When your bacon is just about done, break the egg on the plate and it will fry it as crispy as you like.  If you just want to fry the egg, just coat your plate with butter or oil, crack the egg onto the plate, set the plate in the coals, and fry away.

Baking Biscuits in a paper bag takes patience.  You need to coat the inside bottom of your paper bag with oil or butter, and place the biscuit dough in the bag. Tie the bag closed with a thin rope, and tie the other end of the rope to a wood pole.  Dangle the bag over the fire high enough to keep it out of the flames and adjust the height of the bag to keep it the right distance to the fire.  There is really no set time on how long to bake before turning the biscuit over (it just depends on the heat).  Once the biscuit is brown on the bottom, turn it over and brown the other side; now it’s ready to eat.  Don’t forget the butter.

Bread on a stick is fun and easy and the kids love to make their own bread.  Find a stick about an inch in diameter (a dry stick works the best).  Clean off any bark or dirt on the cooking end of the stick.  Preheat the stick by placing it in the heat of the fire like you would while roasting a hot dog. (Don’t put the stick into the flames or coals of the fire).  Once the stick is pretty warm, wrap your bread dough around the stick, and roast it over the fire until it turns brown.  The heat from pre-warming the stick will help cook the inside dough.  Teach patience, and don’t try to cook the dough too fast or it will quickly brown the outside while the inside remains raw.  Don’t forget the butter.  Enjoy. 

Cooking an omelet in a freezer bag is fun and easy. (Make sure you use a freezer bag and not a sandwich bag.) Bring water to a boil in a pot big enough to hold the number of bags you will place in the pot.  Place your omelet ingredients in the bag (including bacon or sausage if you desire) add a table spoon of milk and season. Mix the ingredients up by pinching with your fingers. Seal the bag and throw it in the boiling water.  It will cook in about 7 minutes, and the meat will cook as well.  Make sure you use small pieces of meat, peppers, etc. 

These methods aren’t the easiest ways to cook, but they sure are fun!

Kenny the meat Guy

I thought I’d share one more round of outdoor cooking methods with you.  I have been camping and cooking outdoors for as long as I can remember.  I started working with the scouts when I was 24 years old, and we camped out often.  I loved watching them cook over a campfire using unconventional methods.  We’ve made pancakes on flat rocks, fried bacon and eggs on a paper plate, boiled an egg in a paper cup, steamed omelets in a freezer bag, cooked pizza in a reflector oven heated with hot rocks, baked biscuits in a paper bag over the camp fire, roasted kabobs on a stick, and my favorite, was roasting a chicken in my sleeping bag.

I’d roll the chicken in my bag letting it cook while I back-packed in to a beautiful mountain lake.  When I got to my destination and set up my tent, I would unroll my sleeping bag and pull out this very-well done roasted chicken.  The boys were so envious as I ate my chicken, and they opened their ramen noodles sprinkling on the seasoning and eating it uncooked.

It was a load of fun showing them those unusual cooking methods, and it also introduced the boys to cooking.  It taught them to enjoy cooking and to experiment with different types of foods and cooking methods.  I’m sure many of those scouts still share that knowledge with their families and friends today.

One of my goals for this blog is to make cooking and eating fun and not such a burden.  I want to help everyone understand the differences in all the meat-food choices available as you shop in our stores. 

A common remarks I hear from our guests, is they want to try something new, and they are concerned with health and food safety.  The internet is a great source for recipes and ideas to liven-up your meal preparation experience and it has health information as well.  You just have to be brave and exercise a little ambition to open a new window of incredible foods.

We live in a world where we can prepare meals in minutes with the use of microwaves.  You can come into Yoke’s and buy oven ready meals that are as good as homemade yet quick and easy to prepare which for the most part is great.  However, my concern is with all of this convenience, we have lost or failed to pass along our cooking skills to the next generation.  It seems I’ve had more young guests asking what you do with a pot roast, round steak, and several other cuts of meat than in the past. 

Ok, I got side tracked from the cooking methods listed above, so in my next blog, I’ll share with you how to use those methods…

To be continued 

Kenny the meat Guy

The Sunshine feels so good, and July is over pushing summer out in the open.  It’s now time to get those grills and Dutch ovens fired up. We have discussed in the past some detailed information on how to prepare and cook on the grill and in the Dutch oven.

Remember, almost anything you can cook in your oven, you can cook on the grill or in a Dutch oven.   The cool thing is its more fun cooking outdoors and for some reason, food cooked outdoors just taste better (I don’t why).  Take an old fashion hog casing all beef hotdog, for example; bake it in your oven and then grill one outdoors; you will taste what I mean.

Aside from the magical grill and Dutch oven, there is certainly no reason you can’t roast a hotdog or marshmallows on a stick over the open campfire. 

Try out this little well-kept secret next time you have a campfire.  Start by roasting your hotdog on a stick over the fire, and when it starts to get nice and warm, wrap some bread dough around the dog until it’s snug and warm in a thin blanket of dough.  Then roast the bread wrapped dog over the fire. You need to be patient and just brown the dough.  Keep the pig in the blanket high enough away from the fire to just bake the dough and prevent burning.  It is crazy delicious! 

Ok, one more.  Replace the hotdog with a stick of string cheese wrapping the cheese with bread dough and slowly roasting it over the fire.

Here is a little tip on how to prepare the dough for wrapping… I make a snake (just like all kids playing with play-dough) then I flatten it out fairly thin.  Start wrapping the dog or cheese at the top and work your way down.  You must pinch the dough together at the bottom; if you don’t, the dough will unravel as you roast it.  I use the pre-made bread dough you can buy in the tubes at Yokes Fresh Market. 

I will wrap-up this blog (get it - wrap-up) with one note about the quality of today’s hotdogs.  They got a bad rap years ago about being junk.  Regulations have really helped these little pigs be a better cut of meat with a wide range of choices, from turkey to all beef.  You can eat hot dogs today and feel good about what you are eating.  They are more expensive than they used to be because they are simply made with higher quality products.

So take your family on an adventure to cook and eat outdoors, and treat them to some fun food cooked over an open fire, in a Dutch oven, or on the grill.  It will be fun and memorable for all!

Kenny the Meat Guy

I’m back from a nice long vacation, and I’m sure I was missed by someone.  Paula and I went to the East Coast with one of my daughter and her husband.  We had a great time.  It wasn’t what you would call a relaxing vacation. We started out early and got back late every night, but what an education this old redneck got.  To be able to see and read about all the things our teachers tried to teach us in American history, 40 years ago, was really neat. 

New York City was amazing to me. The city that never sleeps, really earns its reputation.  Washington DC was a mix of the past and the present, from the Statue of Liberty to the White House. Everywhere we turned was a new experience touching either things from our past education or our current experiences. It was marvelous. There is one thing I always remember though, and that is…there is no place like home.

I told you we would explore some of the meat programs I have chosen to use at Yoke’s and the reason why I have chosen them. So let’s take a look at our main chicken program.

We use Draper Valley Northwest grown fryers at Yoke’s Fresh Markets for several reasons. 

Ø  First, Draper Valley is a northwest company based out of Mount Vernon Washington.  We are involved in a program with Draper Valley we call the “Cross Dock” program.  This program enables us to order our chicken one day and receive it into our stores the very next day.  Now that is really fresh chicken.

Ø  Second, they are truly a natural product, which means they are never given antibiotics or hormones. Their claim is written right on the package.

Ø  Third, they are fed an all vegetation diet, no meat by products ever.

Ø  Fourth, they are a fully integrated company controlling their product from the egg to the market.  That gives us confidence that they produce great chicken.

So to summarize, fresh, healthy, truly natural, local chicken is a great choice for us to provide for you.

That’s pretty good reasoning as far as I can tell.

Chicken is great on the grill, and summer is here, so enjoy!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Well, it is officially summer time, and we are finally able to turn the heat down in our house.  I love the sunshine; it has a way of penetrating right down deep into the core of your soul.  I like to refer to it as “the cat in the window effect”.  Now, like most things in life, the sun can be good for you, and the sun can be bad for you.

It has always driven me a little crazy when we are told this is good for us or bad for us depending on what report or study we hear or see.  It is confusing for many of us when we try to make decisions based on data released from so many studies, especially when the studies conflict with each other.

I deal with the same problem in the meat world when trying to decide on what is the best program for our company and our guests.  I guess it’s like shopping for anything important to us.  Paula and I have been shopping for Baby bear’s bed, you know the one that is “just right”.   We visited several stores, talk to numerous sales people, laid on scores of beds, and searched the web for comments on particular products.

You may ask, did you find any big differences from bed to bed?   And the answer is, yes.  It really paid off for us to do the research.  Now the other factor to the whole puzzle: even after all our research, Paula and I had different opinions on just what baby bear’s bed should be.  I liked a softer bed than she did, but we did find a great compromise, and we will sleep happily ever after.

Now back to subject of the meat world.  Like the bed search, there are many different choices in meat products as well.  And we will all have a different opinion as to what we desire from those meat products.

Some of us want organic meat, others Choice grade, some Angus, and for me Certified Hereford Beef. There is natural, true natural, withdrawal, and enhanced beef and pork.  The list goes on and on.  You can see that this can be a very confusing issue.

So what can we do to decide what is the baby bear’s meat program?  The answer is, to study, experiment, and to go in knowing there are a lot of different opinions out there. 

So for the next couple of blogs, I will tell you what programs I have chosen and give you some reasons why I made those choices. I think this will be an interesting subject for all. Oh, and until then, just shop at our Yoke’s meat departments, and you will find great choices for your meal planning adventures.

Welcome to summer, and check out this view from my deck. It’s beautiful!

Kenny the Meat Guy

 This meat and seafood business is really a crazy business. There are several factors that create an ever changing, always guessing and hoping, and never knowing atmosphere for us do deal with.   Some of the factors that affect this business are exporting meat and seafood to other countries, changing prices in needed commodities (fuel and corn)that make our business run, supply and demand of our products, and weather, just to name a few.  I thought I might share a few examples of these ever changing factors and show how they affect our market and how it can be frustrating to all.

The Copper River Salmon market would be a good place to show you how fast and how extreme some of these markets can change. The Copper River season began in mid-May.  The first fish to market are usually higher priced than fish caught and sold after the opener.  We were quoted $15.99 per pound for first run whole sockeyes. The first run fish were extremely successful with many fish being caught.  So within two days of the opener, the cost of Copper River dropped from 15.99 to 10.99 per pound.  

Now, we retailers wanted to have first of the season fish, so we all bought product at 15.99 per lb.  Then all of a sudden, the fish we bought for 15.99/lb. are only worth 10.99/lb.  That’s a big loss to absorb.  The second catch was as good as or better than the opener, and that made the price drop again.  Within a week and a half, the price dropped over six dollars per pound, and that’s why you saw so many different prices in the stores from one day to the next. 

I guess it’s pretty obvious to see how the cost of fuel affects the cost of goods across the board.  Add the increased cost of grains, spurred on by bio-fuel programs, which affects pricing of feed for most animals, and we see large fluctuations in costs of goods. The tortilla business saw a huge cost increase as a result of the increased cost of corn and flour.  So prices inflate temporarily, and then product backs up in the system and prices drop again, and thus the cause of fluctuating prices from one shopping experience to another.

The bottom line message of this blog is like they say about the weather.  “If you don’t like what you see right now, wait a bit”.  The meat world has major swings in pricing right now, so watch the ads and buy when the opportunity presents its self.  There are still great buys out there.

Happy shopping

Kenny the meat Guy

Memorial Day weekend was great!  We got together with 4 out of 5 of my brothers and sisters and we met in Asotin (where my mom lives) along the Snake River.  The Snake River is overflowing its banks, just a little, like many of the rivers in our area.  Seeing the beautiful green hillsides rising above the majestic Snake River framed by the bright blue sky surrounding it all, was amazing.  And it was so nice to be in the sunshine.  Sunshine just has a way of generating a feeling of wellness. 

Of course, when we get together as a family, food becomes an essential part of the program.  We have talked a lot about food in this blog and have shared many recipes and meal ideas.  Today, I would like to remind everyone that there are some great, quick, easy, and inexpensive meals.  Here are a few ideas…

Hot dogs, grilled or roasted over a campfire are a wonderful treat.  Some of you may be wrinkling up your nose saying “hot dogs are junk” but that’s not the case anymore.  You can buy many high quality hot dogs that are all beef and have a high standard in processing.  There are the less expensive dogs containing pork, chicken and beef, so you can choose to buy the quality you desire.   In addition to these, there are reduced fat, kosher, beef, turkey, bun length, smoked, and meat & cheese, and these are just a few example of what’s available.

Good ol’ hamburgers are another example of a great meal choice that are easy and quick to prepare. Like the hot dog, there are many choices of ground meat available to fit your needs.   Some have ground beef with filler which makes them less expensive.  But there is also a wonderful all beef patty of very high quality.  Yoke’s offers a Certified Hereford beef patty that is hard to match for flavor and/or quality.  It is a 100% all beef, 85% lean, whole mussel meat, no filler, ground beef patty.  These patties are available in a ½ pound chopped patty or the normal ¼ pound patty.  Try our Certified Hereford patties; they make a great burger.  I like the ½ pounder chopped patty the best; it reminds me of a hand pressed patty but it’s huge.  They require a little extra cooking time, but they are worth it.

Burgers and dogs, quick and easy, and most of us really likes them.  It’s a great menu idea when you have a larger group of people in an informal setting.

Now, here is one last picture of our Mallard Duck family.  I see her and the ducklings often swimming in the lake just like in this picture.  It has been fun watching her raise her family, from sitting on her eggs, to teach them how to survive in this big world in which we live.

Have a good week, and look for the brighter side of life; it’s all around us.

Kenny the meat Guy

Either time is moving faster, or I’m moving slower, or some combination of the two.  The first item on my agenda is to wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day.  I know some of you are thinking of those who have gone before us, and to you, I wish sweet thoughts and memories.  It’s always good to take a few minutes out of our busy schedule to reflect on our experiences.  I hope we can find the good in them.

Second thing is to report on Mom Mallard and her 11 eggs.  Well it’s good news, she hatched all eleven chicks, and they all made it down to the lake.  She hatched them a week ago Thursday, and I saw all 11 chicks on Saturday morning.  Not that I’m counting, but Paula and I have 15 grand kids and 11 grand ducks.  How can life get any better than that!  Check out the picture at the end of this blog.  This was Thursday afternoon, and I had checked on them, on Wednesday, and they were all still covered up.  Yes it’s another one of those great moments.

Copper River Salmon has begun its season. These great tasting Alaska salmon have hit the market with the first two openers being very successful and the fish being plentiful.  What that does for us is allows the price to drop to a lower than normal retail.  Take advantage of these great prices and enjoy fresh Alaskan Copper River Salmon while the season is open and the price is below normal retail. 

The Copper River Salmon has a great reputation for its wonderful taste and high levels of Omega 3 oils.  They are a very healthy, rich tasting salmon.  The bright red flesh and rich oil level develops as these fish fight their way to the Copper River through the ice cold Alaskan waters to spawn.  The Copper River Fishery is well managed for a sustainable bright future for these famous salmon. 

This is an exciting time for the Alaskan fishing business as the wild salmon fisheries open up.  For the next 4 months, there will be lots of opportunities to treat yourself to some of these beautiful wild fish.  Copper River is just one of the many rivers that will produce high quality salmon for the market.

Remember,   you can grill these fish easily by leaving the skin on the fillet,  placing the fillet on a piece of aluminum foil skin side down, place it on the grill, season the top side of the fillet with your favorite seasoning, close the lid on the grill cooking the salmon on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.  Don’t turn the fillet over it will cook through easily. The skin will stick to the foil which will allow you to serve a skinless fillet and clean up is a breeze.

Happy days, from Kenny the Meat Guy!

I’m sitting in the San Jose airport waiting to catch my plane back to Spokane, and I just thought to myself, this would be a good time to share some thoughts with my friends.  Notice I’m assuming those who read this blog are my friends.  That is positive thinking. 

I just finished a meeting with eight other meat directors from all over the United States, from Boston to Spokane, and we even have a guy from Kansas.  We try to meet together twice a year, but we communicate back and forth at least weekly. We enjoy sharing thoughts, ideas, and concerns we deal with in our jobs, and what is amazing is how many of our concerns and ideas are  similar even though we are from different regions in the country. 

As this share group discussed a variety of subjects, many great ideas were developed to help each other.  I guess that’s what I’m hoping this blog can do as well.  I try to discuss things that will be of interest to each of you, but more than that, I hope some of those subjects will help everyone in some positive way, even if it just brings a smile to your face.  That’s what friends do.

Now I’m not trying to bore you, but here are some of things we discussed in our meetings, see if you can relate to them too.

1. The cost of fuel that is driving the freight charges up significantly which in-turn is driving up the price of our products?

2. As prices increase on products, and we must raise prices, will our customers still realize these prices are fair and competitive?

3.  Nutritional labeling on fresh meat to help our customers make informed choices as they buy meat.

4.  What will the cost be to implement this nutritional labeling requirement, and will it be useful to our customers?

5. What are some of the best business practices and programs we can use to help our businesses provide better experiences and satisfaction to our guests?

I guess the bottom line for me is that we should always be trying to improve our lives and  the lives of others too.  So here is how I’m going to end this blog

Remember the Mallard hen that Paula and I spooked off her nest, and she had 11 eggs she was sitting on. This is an update on them.   (Scroll down for the previous mention and picture of her nest). This is a picture of her nest when she leaves it to get food, water, and what ever else she needs to do when she is away from home. She covered up her eggs with feathers and leaves to keep them warm and hidden while she was away.  We are wishing her the best, and I will try to keep you informed.  Yes, this is one of those beautiful things we find when we look for them.  ENJOY YOUR DAY!

Have a good week!

Kenny the Meat Guy

I hope everyone enjoyed our beautiful Easter weekend. The weather was nicer than predicted; we had two beautiful days in a row, and that was almost more than we could take.  As I mentioned in my last blog, sometimes we just have to pause and take a moment to look for the beautiful things in our lives.  It is so easy to get bogged down in misery and stress that we forget how to look on the bright side.

This is one of those moments that I love.  Paula and I went for a walk around our place, and we spooked a mallard duck off of her nest. Since I had already irritated her (not Paula but the duck) I decided we better look and see what she was sitting on. We wish her the best of luck (Wow 11 eggs, see the picture below) she will be one busy duck in a few weeks. It was a fun moment, and it really brightened our day.  I hope it brightens your day a little as well.

Ok, now back to work.  I wanted to explain a fairly new term that you may begin to see more often in our seafood ads.  This is the term “refreshed” describing the state of the fish.  We are familiar with “fresh” and “frozen” so I will explain what “refresh” refers to.

Refresh is a method of taking a frozen whole fish letting in thaw out slowly under a controlled climate then taking the whole fish and cutting it into fillets. You may not fully understand the difference but with my expert writing skills and knowledge, I will impress upon your minds why Refreshed is different and better.

Instead of filleting the fish and then freezing the fillets for later use, they freeze the whole fish at sea with the skin on which protect the fillets from freezer burn.  This gives the refreshed fillet a much fresher look and feel.  I’m sure that clears it all up.  The beauty is the fish is ready for the pan when you buy it from the store, not frozen.

Thanks

Another fresh or refreshed learning experience for the day

Kenny the Meat Guy

This is such crazy weather, even the cows are complaining.  I went back to Kansas to go through the National Beef processing plant again.  I took two of our Meat Department Managers with me so they could also see first hand why we say our beef program is one of the best programs out there.

 Every time I visit the feed lots, meet the ranchers, and look at the continuing efforts to enhance food safety, I am convinced our decision to offer only Certified Hereford Beef was right for our  fresh meat program.  It has been tested and challenged time after time and has always come through with flying colors. 

To finish the story about the cows complaining, they didn’t say much, they just kinda moaned and groaned and look at us as we drove by.  It was raining cats and dogs (which is really weird when you’re visiting a beef ranch).  The wind was blowing 50-60 miles an hour to add to the nagging rain, and no body looked happy.

I just wanted to wish every one a Happy Easter and hope that we all pause for a minute and look at the good side of life even if it’s just for a minute.  I know we would love to have a little sunshine here in the Northwest and that would certainly brighten our day.  The sun will come sooner or later so for now fire up the grill, throw on your favorite beef steak (mine is the infamous T-bone) and enjoy the great taste of our certified Hereford beef.  It really is a cut above the rest.

Happy days to all of you from...

Kenny the Meat Guy

I just wanted to let you know a little bit more about the great quality of meat products we carry in our stores.  We are unwilling to cut corners and sacrifice quality just to offer lower prices. We give you the best in quality at a very fair price.

Because of the volatile market right now, I have spent a fair amount of time in other stores checking prices to see what the market is doing.  While doing so, I have become aware of an issue we should talk about.  The issue is…we need to compare apples to apples (I guess as a meat man I should say, steak to steak, or Beef to Beef).

What I noticed was one store labeling 22% fat beef content as lean ground, and another store labeling19% fat beef content as lean ground.  (By the way ours is the 19 % fat and 3% difference is a lot when you’re talking fat content for ground beef).

Another difference was bread.  A loaf of bread selling for 88 cents and another loaf for 98 cents but there is a 3 oz. difference in the size of the loaf.  I guess I’m encouraging our guests to notice the differences.

I’m hoping as everyone shops for price, we are also aware of the size and quality of the product.  There are some big differences in quality and quantity in the market whether we are talking food, clothes, cars, and such.  Hopefully this blog will remind everyone to pay a bit more attention to more than just the price.

Part of my job responsibility as meat director for Yoke’s Fresh Markets is to acquire and establish high quality meat programs.  I have stated before and will state it again; we have some of the finest meat programs available.  All of our fresh beef, pork, lamb, and chicken are products of the USA.

Our poultry program is local from a company in Mount Vernon Washington only 5 hours from our locations.  Draper Valley Poultry is a “never ever” program; they never use antibiotics or hormones in their products.

Our Certified Hereford beef program is controlled from the breed to the feed (that even rhymes). There are only 3 breeds of cows our Herefords can be crossed with, Angus, Short Horn, and Long Horn all which are known for their eating quality.

Seaboard pork is one of the finest pork programs I have ever seen. They are fully integrated which means they own the whole program from one end to the other.  Strict genetics, feed, and care are what Seaboard stands for.

I guess I could go on and on and I might get more specific in the near future.  Stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Kenny the Meat Guy  

Prices are going up; there is no doubt about it or way around it.  It’s a simple domino effect, as corn and gas prices increase and our dollar decreases; we are simply going to have to weather the storm.  For this discussion, we are talking about beef, pork, chicken, and lamb.

I heard on the news that prices have been skyrocketing for the last several months.  Skyrocketing is a bit exaggerated, but they are definitely moving up.  I’ve been holding back price increases for a while, but it has come to a point where I must increase prices to survive.  It’s not a fun thing for me to do, and I really worry about the reaction our guests will have to higher prices.  This brings a couple of questions to my mind:

The first question is how long and how much are these prices going to increase?  And the answer is...who knows!  The second question is what can we do to control our cost as we buy food for our families?  To this question, I would like to share a few of thoughts:

1.     One of the best ways to control a food budget is to examine meal menus, and adjust the type of meals we prepare.  Meals such as beef stews or soups use far less meat per serving than portions of steak, for example, since one pound of stew meat will serve several people. 

2.      Choose less expensive cuts of meat like beef roasts, ground beef, chicken, or certain cuts of pork.  All of these proteins have increased in price, but there are still some good values out there. And remember, if prepared properly, these less expensive cuts can be incredibly delicious.

3.      Shop for the advertised specials.  Yoke’s always has great buys each week to help you stretch your food dollar a bit further.  Buy a little extra when the item is on sale, and freeze it for  later use.  This can make a huge difference in what it will cost to feed your family. 

There are many ideas to help save money and still eat really well.  So don’t get discouraged, make it a challenge to figure out creative options.  Most of us are pretty good at adjusting and surviving.  Be happy and enjoy eating; it’s one of life’s joys.

Kenny the Meat Guy  

3-05-11

It’s time for another recipe. This is delicious, pretty easy to make, and it looks amazing.  Depending on your family’s appetite, you might want to make two because it went really fast in my household.

 Sunday Brunch Braid

12 oz bulk pork sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese

2 tbsp chopped green onion tops

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley (1 Tbs if using dried)

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg lightly beaten

In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender; drain.  Add cream cheese, green onion and parsley. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted; set aside

Unroll crescent dough on a greased baking sheet; press perforations together. Roll into a 12-in x 10-in rectangle. Spoon the sausage mixture down the middle of the dough within 3 inches of long sides and 1 inch from the ends.  On each long side, cut ¾ inch wide strips 3 inches into center.  Starting at one end, fold alternating strips toward the center over the sausage at an angle forming a braid.

Brush the dough with egg.  Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

It is so good!

Kenny the meat Guy

Continuing on the subject of sustainability, I just wanted to throw out a couple more things to help you as you make efforts to support programs dealing with sustainability.

As you look at a list showing seafood products which are considered endangered, make sure you understand  what specific product are on the list.  For example, I have seen wild Atlantic salmon on an endangered list, and though “wild” may be a real concern, the Atlantic salmon we carry in our seafood departments are farm raised.  They may have their own set of problems, but they are not endangered.  Columbia River Steelhead is another species on the endangered list.  Again, the steelhead fillets we carry most often are farm raised though occasionally you may see wild steelhead on the market.  Chilean Sea Bass is another example where wild and farm raised are available, and we choose to use the more sustainable resource.

The Alaskan, Oregon, and Washington fisheries are the areas with which I have been most involved, and it actually amazes me when I see the effort put into controlling the sustainability of these products.   Many of our rivers where salmon run to lay eggs actually have sophisticated counting stations to assure plenty of fish are returning before harvesting is permitted.  Often, several harvest openings are allowed which last only 8-24 hours, then the fishery is closed, and a count is made to verify the harvest doesn’t exceed sustainable ratios.  The same process of control is in place with Halibut, King and Dungeness crab and on and on.  They manage these fisheries by areas to assure each area has plenty of fish left to repopulate future generations. 

This subject would not be complete without mentioning the caring people I have met along the way.  They love this business and love the natural beauty they work in.  To be working and being part of a program that helps protect these and many more of our natural resources is a satisfying feeling.  We know we are not perfect in controlling all of these needs, but many people are investing time and money to help. 

We have made large strides in identifying and finding solutions to some of the concerns that sustainability addresses.  I hope as you become more aware of what is being done on this front, you will give credit to those who are making a real effort to find ways to protect our environment.  Take time to recognize their efforts by giving them a pat on the back and saying "thanks for a job well done!"

Have a great week

Something fishy is going on here.  It is getting so hard to know what to believe when you here different reports on what or how much of a particular food to eat.  I just received this article from Intrafish Media. This was published February 01, 2011.  I’m just going to quote a few of the remarks that I thought were interesting.

USDA: Americans Should Eat More Fish

Released Jan. 31, the guidelines suggest that U.S. consumers should eat at least eat 8-12 ounces –220 grams to 340 grams, the equivalent of two to three servings—more seafood per week.

“An intake of 8 or more ounces per week (less for young children), about 20 percent of total recommended intake of protein foods of a variety of seafood is recommended,” the guidelines say.

Consuming a “variety of seafood,” the USDA says, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

“Moderate evidence shows that consumption of about 8 ounces per week of a variety of seafood, which provide an average consumption of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA, is associated with reduced cardiac deaths among individuals with and without pre-existing cardiovascular disease.”

The guidelines also specify that pregnant and breastfeeding women should eat at least 8 and up to 12 ounces of seafood each week to “improve (babies) eye and brain development.”

According to the USDA, pregnant and breastfeeding women currently eat less than two ounces of seafood per week.

I just thought this article gave some good recommendations for all of us to ponder.  I here about the health benefits of eating fish often.  So as you make your weekly menus out don’t forget the fish and certainly remember we here at Yokes Foods work hard to bring to you the freshest seafood possible. 

So I guess I’ll sign off with this
“Catch” you later

Kenny the Meat and Fish Guy

 It’s a brand New Year and I thought I might just remind all of you about a great way to buy your meat and save some money…

Every week our stores (Yoke’s Foods in case you forgot) run ads in the newspaper, on the radio, and through in-store promotions.  We as a company go to our suppliers and ask for good buys on products to feature in our ads.  We pass these saving directly onto you, plus we pass on additional saving from our end of the business.  What this means is a great deal on specific products.  For example, if we run ground beef in the ad at a great price, buy whatever quantity you want and freeze some extra so you will have it for the future.  Make a list of items you would like to put in the freezer for later use then watch our ads.  Week after week you will find great deals on a wide variety of items.  Just buy extra and freeze it and you will have more for later.  By using this method, you can buy exactly what and how much you want.  I think you will see a big savings in your monthly food budget.

We know exactly how our beef is raised, fed, and cared for.  The highest quality is guaranteed as well as good pricing.  Beef when wrapped correctly, can stay in the freezer for 12 months and still be of the highest quality. Pork and Chicken can stay frozen for at least 6 months.

So take advantage of our ads and other opportunities we offer to help stretch your dollar a little further.

Thanks for shopping with us. 

Kenny the Meat Guy

I had to look back to see when I wrote my first blog. The date was February 12, 2009 which means I’ve been writing a blog about meat every week for almost 2 years. So I’m guessing I have written about 100 blogs so far.  As I reflect on these blogs, I realize I drift off the subject of meat from time to time and have also included some of my personal life thoughts and feelings over these past two years.  I hope those of you who have been steady readers have enjoyed hearing my point of view on meat and other subjects and have gleaned some useful information as well.

One of the most challenging considerations in writing my blog is to assure I’m not insulting or offending anyone or damaging the image of my great company.  So as I begin my third year of writing, I will strive to rise to the challenge.  I also hope I can bring each of you helpful and fun information.  I have received several comments on my blog site and would like to invite any of you to comment or ask questions.  Your questions will give me subject matter on which to write and it will help me when I struggle with writer’s block.  It’s hard to come up with ideas every week even though I really enjoy writing this blog.

So here is my comment for the week.

The frozen food category within the meat department is increasing in variety and achieving better quality.  There are several products on the market today that rival fresh home cooked taste and texture.  They provide us with choices that can make meal preparation much faster to prepare and that look and taste like home style cooking.  You may wish to experiment with these great products and see for yourself how good they are.

As always, there are some trade offs, and for the frozen food arena, it is usually cost.  I guess if you’re having someone else do the work, you have to pay a little more for that service and for many of our guests it is well worth it.  However, the value benefit I see with these frozen products is they reduce the cost of seasonings, sauces, and other supplies you may use only once to prepare your meal.  Everything is in the box and ready to go.  I think this is especially relevant when preparing a meal for one or two people. 

I guess each of us needs to weigh expense and time.  If your budget allows for the additional expense and your time is short, then these frozen meals are a perfect match.  For me, making a meal from scratch and having my family and friends rave about it is so fun the extra time is worth it.  I suppose we could do both; cook from scratch when time allows, and use these quick and easy meal solutions when we’re in a hurry or just don’t feel like cooking. Yes, we can have the best of both worlds.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Hello to all; it is a brand new year.  I hope all of you are full of hope and excitement that this year will be even better than last.  I’m sure there are many new goals and resolutions to be accomplished.  I’ll be pulling for you, and I hope you will be pulling for me too.

I’m sure one of the biggest goals is to eat healthier and to get our bodies and minds in better shape.  As you choose your wellness method, please look seriously at some of the nutritional values in the meat category.  There are many healthy choices in meat-proteins, and they are easy to include in your meal plan.

American cattle farmers and ranchers know the nutrients found in meat are an important part of a healthy diet and believe consumers will be surprised to learn beef is a good source of 10 essential nutrients.  You will be hearing more about this subject as this year progresses.

There are new requirements just passed into law for labeling meat products.  The new laws go into effect January, 2012.  It will create an additional expense for our industry and may be a complicated program to implement, but quite frankly, I think it will surprise most people.  In regard to wellness programs, meat often receives a bad rap.  These labeling requirements will provide consumers with information about the nutritional value contained in meat, and that should prove to be beneficial to our industry in the long run.      

Have a great week and a healthy one too!

Good luck this year. 

Kenny the Meat Guy 

I really enjoy the holiday season.  Christmas time was a wonderful time for our family.  Now here comes New Year's Eve right on its tail.  What I like about New Year's is it brings an opportunity for a fresh start.  No matter what or how things are going, I seem to be able to draw a line in the sand and say “alright, here is a new year.”  I can move forward with great hope that the new year will bring with it great blessings.  It’s also a time to set new goals and shed bad memories or habits. 

Like many of you, I’m setting some of the same goals I set every year. You know, like “I will loose weight and exercise more.”   I do have some success in that area each year, but it will probably always be a struggle to eat right and to exercise enough.  They say you don’t loose the race until you stop running.

Paula and I have set other goals as well.  Some goals we set and work on together, and some are individual goals.  It is a time to re-motivate ourselves in a positive manner.  My number one goal is to be happy and kind to others (which makes me happy).  It’s funny how that works.

As for goals for Kenny the Meat Guy, I hope to write at least some things that are fun, helpful or entertaining in my blog.  I hope I can be more inventive in developing new and better programs in our meat department and bring our guests opportunities for cooking and enjoying great tasting meat and healthy meals.  Of course, I hope we all keep sharing needs, thoughts, and ideas with each other.  That’s what makes my job fun.

OK, here is one last easy recipe for you to try at your New Year's party.  Take eggnog and orange pop (soda) and mix them together 50-50 (no nothing else to mix with it).  I think if you even like eggnog a tiny little bit, you will really like this drink, try it.

Remember, there is certainly a place for meat in your new healthy meal planning.  Meat provides some great nutrients and health benefits.  Besides that, meat really, really tastes good.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Kenny the Meat Guy

I really do love the Christmas spirit.  I watch as the magic of giving and sharing creeps into many of our lives.  Hearts often soften, families and friends get together, and a lot of food appears from nowhere.  I really believe the colder temperatures and snow on the ground helps the spirit come alive.  Perhaps, it’s the feeling of cold air on our faces and the slight chill we get when we’re outside.  Then when we walk into a nice warm house, we get that “cat in the window” feeling. You know, where we just want to curl up, close your eyes, and relax.  I hope I’ve painted the picture of peace, joy, and tranquility for you.

Now this portion of the blog is pointed at those who get the feeling of stress and panic when thinking about getting everything ready for the family gatherings, the big dinners, and all the presents that need to be bought and wrapped before the big day.  So please let me share my point of view to avoid getting all stressed out…and you thought I only cut meat and cooked.

So how do I cope with the planning and stress of the holidays?  I just tell myself “don’t sweat the little things.”  Really, why do we get so worked up and worried about cooking food and having fun?  It always works out to be a great time.  The first thing we have to realize is no one else is worried about the spot on your carpet or even that your bed isn’t made.  I mean really, have you ever heard anyone whisper, “Did you notice their bed wasn’t made, or look at the dust on their end tables?”  The truth is they’re glad everyone isn’t meeting at their house.  So relax and the important stuff will get done.  I remember one year when it was about time to eat our beautiful turkey dinner, we checked the turkey only to realize we had forgotten to turn on the oven.  We still had a great time.  We simply ate a little later than normal (like 3 hours).  Boy was everyone thankful for the food when we finally got to eat.  Now that has become one of our favorite memories.  Life is too precious and short to sweat the little stuff.  Enjoy the holidays whatever the situation brings.

So now I expect everyone to look in the mirror and say, this is going to be the best holiday season ever.  And don’t forget to pick-up your Divine Ribeye Roast…(you thought I was going to forget to talk about meat).

From all of us at Yoke’s, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  I love new fallen snow.  It’s so pure and white and makes everything look bright and fresh.  Of course there is opposition in all things and that would be the difficulty of driving on slick roads and shoveling driveway and sidewalks.  It’s also hard to sit outside on the deck.

Speaking of snow, we are pushing snow crab in our seafood department this season.  The reason for this change is because the price of king crab has increased drastically.  We will still have king crab available, but it will be more expensive than in years past.  Now back to the subject of snow crab.  We have found some larger snow crab legs.  They seem to be of a very high quality, and the bigger size gives a much better presentation.  Plus there is obviously more meat in the legs.  Give these snow crab a try; I think they will be a pleasant surprise.

Continuing with the crab news…we are in the beginning of the Dungeness crab season.  In my opinion, Dungeness crab is the best flavor and a great value while the season is in full swing.  So take a moment out of your busy holiday prep time and savor the flavor of some of the best crab of the year.

Oh yeah, here is a picture of my back deck.  Paula (my wife) kept telling me to put the deck furniture away.  I guess you can see I didn’t get to it and everyday I get the pleasure of seeing that it still needs to be put away. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Have a good week

Kenny the Meat Guy

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day or weekend.  The weather was a little tough if you were traveling…wow, lots of snow.  Paula and I actually spent Thanksgiving Day by ourselves for the first time in 30 years.  We have had several traditions come and go as our family circumstances have changed.  This time it was the weather that changed our plans.  We were going to travel to Lewiston, but we chickened out when we found out my mom wasn’t feeling well, and the roads were closed due to snow.  So, we stayed home and had a wonderful weekend.  I guess the joy of the day is being around those you love.

Now onto the Divine Idea

For most of us, Christmas is a wonderful time of year shared with family and friends.  Hearts are softened, and we seem to become a more loving and giving people.  I know that’s true because I have watched our guests prepare for this special holiday for years. 

This is one of those times when we don’t cut corners on quality when choosing our holiday meals.  So I’m just suggesting you try our Divine rib eye roast for your special dinner.  If you have tried this great roast, you already know how good it is, but if you haven’t, it’s time to try it.  What‘s so special about this fabulous cut of meat?  Let me describe how we make our roast “divine”!...

We buy our Certified Hereford beef ribs five to six weeks before we need them for the event.  This enables us to offer a beef rib eye roast aged for at least five weeks.  Then we trim the rib so that it will be ready to go in the oven.  We even cut the rib bones off and tie them back on which allows the roast to be cooked with the bones attached for extra flavor and juiciness.  Once the roast is cooked, you simply remove the string and pull the rib bones away.  We even had a spice rub developed by a local spice shop and offer the choice of having your Divine rib seasoned or plain.  We sell about 80% of our ribs seasoned.

We have been offering this special roast now for five years and have had great success with it. Our guests have been very pleased over the years. As the old saying goes “try it, you will like it” Happy Holidays!

Kenny the Meat Guy.

Continuing on with the subject of finding great value in less expensive ways, I guess it is like generic names verses brand names.  Sometimes the generics are every bit as good as the brand name items.  However, there are also those occasions when you can’t substitute anything for the real deal.  T-Bone steaks come to mind.  They are my very favorite steaks.  There are some steaks that are really good, but they are no substitutes for T-bones.

So here is an idea to try a less expensive item in exchange for a more expensive cut.  The ground beef steak may be one to surprise you.  This is going to replace the cube steak that is normally used for chicken fried beef steaks.  I like to use ground chuck or ground round.  You can find these two items on sale often in our meat cases.

I take a large amount of ground meat and make a thinner patty than normally used for a ground beef patty.  Then I bread the patty with the same breading used for breading chicken or cube steak.   Next, season the breaded patty with your favorite seasonings (you all know by now mine is salt, pepper and garlic).  If you can cook two or three of these steaks in your frying pan, it will create enough broth for you to make the gravy for your chicken fried steaks and potatoes.

Preparing the pan for cooking is an important step for success with this recipe.  Use a generous amount of oil to fry the steaks in.  Remember, the breading will absorb part of the oil and there should be enough left in the pan to cook both sides of the steak.  The extra oil will create a crispy outside crunch to the steak, and it also helps to create the gravy mixture needed for the gravy.  Preheat the pan and oil to the point that the meat will immediately be sizzling when it hits the pan.  This will keep too much oil from absorbing in to the steak.  The steaks at this heat will cook quickly.  As soon as they are crispy on the bottom, turn them over, and as soon as they crisp on the other side, pull them out of the pan. 

Now to make great gravy…Retaining the heat at medium, take some flour and sprinkle it over the juice left in the pan.  Use just enough flour to absorb the juice; there should be a wet flour mixture in the pan.  Add milk (start with a ½ cup or so, stirring constantly.  As the mixture begins to smooth out, keep adding milk until you get the desired texture (but make sure the gravy comes to a low boil). Now taste the gravy and add seasoning according to your taste.  There will already be some seasoning left from the juice, but it usually takes a little more.  And there you have it. I hope you like it.  I know I do.

Have a great week

Kenny the Meat Guy

Last blog we talked about how to choose something perceived to be of lesser value which actually may be of greater value.  The story about the creation of Woody Woodpecker came to my mind.  (You can refer to the blog just before this one if you missed it.)  We had an experience yesterday that again shows the possibility of what we perceive to be of lesser value but turned out to be of greater value.

We spent the day in Chicago seeing the unbelievable sights.  The aquarium, museum and other city sights were amazing.  It was a great day, but we were really hungry by the end of our tour, and so we decided to eat dinner in Chinatown.  As we walked down the street of Chinatown, we saw several restaurants to choose from.  We looked at a few menus to help decide which restaurant to choose.  (I admit, I gasped when I saw the prices…I knew I was buying.)  There were several nice looking places, but as we looked inside there weren’t many people eating. 

As we continued our journey down the street, we noticed a place that said Tasty Place Bakery and Diner.  It wasn’t fancy at all.  In fact, it was really quite plain with linoleum floors, white walls, and tables with no decorations.  There were several people eating; so we decided to try it.  It was wonderful!  And the prices were way more reasonable (thank goodness).   The service was really good, and our waitress very personable.  The food was authentic Chinese and delicious.  We ate family style, and each of us chose an entrée.  We had a great experience and left satisfied and happy.

There are ways to have great experiences in food and fun on a budget.  Sometimes what seems to be less may end up being more.  We will continue to explore some possibilities.  Saying bye from Chicago

Kenny the Meat Guy

It is hard to believe November 1^st is here.  Time goes by so fast looking back but can sometimes last forever looking forward.  How does that work anyway?

I guess we all know winter is just around the corner.  Some say it’s going to be wet and mild and others say it’s going to be cold with lots of snow.  I say be prepared for which ever may come our way.  That comment comes from all the years of working with the scouts (be prepared).

I’m actually good with either side of the winter possibilities. Wet and mild lets me have good roads as I drive from Sandpoint to Spokane, and the cold and snowy side gives me more opportunity for snow skiing.  So I say, just be prepared and take the good part of either situation.

Isn’t that how most thing work?  There is an upside and a downside to most choices, like purchasing meat products.  You can buy a higher quality cut of beef like T-bone steaks and grill them for the perfect steak dinner (but that costs more money) or you can purchase ground beef and settle for burgers and save some money.  So how do we make the right choice?  I don’t know.  So for the next couple of blogs, maybe we will take a look at how to win with either choice we make.  We can call it “thinking outside of the box.”

Thinking outside the box reminds me of a great story…long ago, a family suffered from the noise and destruction of their home of a huge woodpecker. This went on for quite a long period of time until finally the home owners had to make a decision on how to resolve the problem.  (By the way this was a Pileated woodpecker, the largest woodpecker in the world, and we have them in our area.  You may have even seen one; they are black and white with a big bright red and white head).  The obvious choices were to just put up with the crazy bird or eliminate it.  But this couple thought out side the box, and they started to draw the bird and use it in a comic script. The comic caught on and the couple made a lot of money using this big woodpecker in their comic strip.  You may know the pesky old bird as Woody the Woodpecker (true story).

So let’s discuss some ways to make great meals from less expensive cuts of meat.  Can we have our cake and eat it too?  Stay tuned.

Kenny the Meat Guy

We have been trying to develop two new products to offer our guests for about two years.  I have always wanted to offer fully cooked pork and beef pot roasts.  We teamed up with Ameristar a local company in Spokane to help with the development of this product.

The reason I thought it was important to offer fully cooked roasts was because of the lengthy amount of time it takes to cook them.  In many modern day families, both parents work which drastically limits meal preparation time and makes cooking beef or pork roasts nearly impossible (unless, of course, you use a crock pot).

So here is how we do it… 

 We pre-cut the roasts, season, and seal them in a bag that we actually cook them in.  The roasts are then cooked very slowly.  The awesome thing is that all of the juice released from the meat stays in the bag, and all you have to do is thicken the juice for great gravy.  The other cool thing is by cooking them in a sealed bag all bacteria is destroyed so the roasts have a great shelf life and food safety is fantastic.  Oh, one more benefit, you can actually heat the product up in the microwave right in that bag, it is so easy!  The roasts are lean, tender, and delicious.  The only downside is the end product directly from the bag is not real pretty looking, but once it is heated and put on a plate or in a bowl, it’s beautiful.

The Test…

 We have taste tested this product over and over again with great results, people love it.  But the real test happened when we had dinner guests over to our place.  It took 20 minuets to complete and have the whole meal ready to serve.  That was the roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a green garden salad.  It was wonderful.

Please try these new boneless fully cooked roasts; I know you will be delighted.  The price is more than reasonable; in fact, the price is outstanding.  The picture is what the product looks like in our meat cases.

Kenny (we make it easy) the Meat Guy

Fall is definitely in the air.  You can just feel the difference as the sun goes down.  The cooler, fresh air quickly setting in and the morning seems to have a cool dampness about it as well.  We also see those daylight hours beginning to fade. 

As fall comes rushing in, it creates several changes within our households.  If you have children, the morning routine changes completely as the rush to school goes into effect.  For me, I start driving to work in the dark.  Daylight is so much better!

Some other changes we experience centers around meal planning and cooking methods.  Now we switch to more indoor cooking and less outdoor grilling, and meal selections change as well.

One method of cooking I would like to talk about is roasting in the oven or on the stovetop.  I believe with our busy lifestyles, and with both parents working in many households, roasting is a diminishing method of cooking.  The sad part about it is that roasting can create some awesome meals and is really not difficult to do.  The down side is the time it takes to cook the meal.  There are a few solutions to those concerns.

One solution is the use of a crock pot.  You can throw all the ingredients into the pot in the morning and have a delicious meal waiting for you when you get home. Another thought is you can cook your roasts on the weekends or on those days your schedule allows you more time for meal preparation.

There are basically two types of roasting methods, slow roasting and dry oven roasting.  Those two methods are determined by what type of meat you are cooking. 

We will look at some of the different choices of meat and discuss what cooking method will work well for them in the next couple of blogs. 

Until then, just keep grilling those steaks and fish fillets and enjoy your Labor Day weekend.

Kenny the Meat Guy

Can you believe that school is starting within the next couple of weeks?  Summer is coming to a quick end, and it seems like we just got a good start on the nice warm weather.  Maybe because we had such a long cold spring, it took a bit for us to thaw out and realize summer had started. 

As we listen to the news and hear the many conflicting reports on the economy, it can be a bit confusing and can leave us wondering what the future holds.  Housing, stock markets, gas prices, health insurance, employment and so forth, have us spinning in circles trying to figure out how to play the game.  Our meat and seafood market is no different this year.  We have had a ton of fluctuation in pricing and availability of product all spring and summer.  Starting with the halibut and salmon market and now continuing with the poultry, beef, and seafood products.  It makes it difficult to forecast and predict the future market.  It feels like the producers are trying to push market prices up but the consumer isn’t buying those price increases. Then product begins to back up and the price drops dramatically.  We are experiencing those fluctuations on a weekly basis. 

Because we write our ads 4-6 weeks ahead of time, we find ourselves facing constant changes with availability of products or huge price swings.  What does that mean to you and me as consumers?  Just this, it’s hard to know when a product is at a good price and when it isn’t.  For example, boneless, skinless fryer breast have jumped as much as 35 cents in one week’s time, so you will see an ad 35 cents less from week to week, and depending on when you made your purchase, you are happy or disappointed.

I guess the bottom line is this: we just need to get through this unstable time in our history and hope that we can get back to a more stable market on all fronts.  Meanwhile, find the good things in life and focus on enjoying them.  You know like smores, grilled steaks, and of course ice cream, fishing, playing with the grandkids, swimming, and on and on.

Have a Happy Week

Kenny the Meat Guy

Have you noticed I haven’t blogged for a while?  I decided to go on a fishing trip in Canada.  It was a lot of fun.  There I was sitting in a 17 foot boat, just me, a friend, and Mother Nature.  We were continuously surrounded by these huge whales that would come out of the water, showing off their magnificence.  When they blew out their air as they came to the surface, it echoed across the water.  What a great experience witnessing the whales working together to gather food.  I think they are much better at fishing than we were.

Anyway, on to the subject I would like to share with you today.  I was fortunate to catch enough fish to give a few to friends and still bring home a sizeable catch.   Now that we have these fish in our freezer, the trick is how to prepare them so one might enjoy their rich flavor.  Remember, fish are one of the greatest sources of protein and a healthy choice as well. 

Cooking fish presents two problems, however.  The first is the odor that lingers in your house when the fish dinner is finished, and the second is the fact that many of us over cook our fish and it becomes very dry and chewy.  Several people I’ve talked to thought they didn’t care for fish, but when they tried it cooked properly, they were delighted.

Problem one: The fish odor.  Simply cook your fish on the grill outside.  I had discussed this earlier in a blog (refer to my March 30^th 2009 blog).  It gives detailed steps on how to grill your fish (yes, that was a long time ago but it is still there and hopefully worth your time to read it again).

Problem two: Don’t over cook your fish.  Whether you grill, sauté, or bake it, over done fish is simply not good.  Watch for that translucent color of the fish to turn opaque.  As the flesh of the fish cooks, it turns color.  As soon as you see the color change, it’s time to take the fish away from the heat.  Use your fork to separate the layers of fish, it will flake away and the color in the middle will just barely go from translucent to opaque.  Your fish is now ready to eat.  You will be surprised at how moist and succulent that fish is compared to that dry almost chewy over cooked fish.  Trust me; it will make all the difference in the world.  I hope you will delight yourself and those who dine with you with a marvelous fish dinner.  Fish is really easy to prepare and when cooked properly, it is delicious!

Happy fishing from

Kenny the Fish Guy

After sharing with all of you my very secret Smore making technique, I thought it might be fun to share a couple of other things I cook around the campfire. Campfires just have a magic charm that surrounds them.  People enjoy sitting around the fire watching the flames.  It’s a great place to share stories, sing songs, and eat campfire goodies like banana boats, or smores.  I find that children are especially excited to be around the fire and that it is a great place to teach them important principles. I have been in Scouting for years and the campfire has always been a special place to teach and have fun.  That’s why I have 4 different fire rings around my place. We build a lot of fires.

So back to the subject of cooking fun...

Bread on a stick is one of my favorites. I just buy that prepared bread dough (or you can make your own).  Roll it into strips (like we did when we made snakes out of play dough).   Find a stick that’s about an inch in diameter.  Peel the bark away from the stick and pre-heat the stick in the fire (just so it gets a little warm). Flatten the bread dough; wrap it around the stick, and roast it in the fire until it’s golden brown. (Treat it like the marshmallow; roast it slowly.)  Then just melt some butter on the outside and WOW is it delicious!  One important hint to remember - pinch the bread dough together on each end so it doesn’t unravel as it roasts.

Now use the same technique but put a hotdog or sausage on the stick.  Roast the hot dog just like always, then wrap the hotdog in the bread dough and roast it on the fire again, slowly.  I call it pig in a blanket.

How about putting a cheese stick on a stick, wrapping it in the bread dough, and roasting it slow?  Now you have a braided cheese stick.

Cooking on the open fire is great fun. You can cook all kinds of stuff on the coals of your fire, so have some family fun and enjoy cooking out doors.

Kenny the Meat guy

Well I hope some of you took advantage of my smore advice and gave the smore rock a chance. If not, there is still plenty of time before campfire season is over.

As the grilling season is definitely in full swing, I thought this would be a good time to review the beef steak list so you will know which steak you want to grill next time.  Remember, grilling is a quick and delicious way to cook, and the clean up is so simple, enjoy!

 The T-bone steak is my very favorite.  It consists of two distinctly different steaks held together by the bone (those two steaks will be on the list as well). They are the fillet and the New York. The T-bone steak has it all for me.  

The New York is an excellent steak, but I like the bone-in cuts because I believe the bone adds flavor to the meat when cooked.  Boneless is a real plus for some people and certainly is easier to eat.   I still like the bone to chew on, as long as the company I am with doesn’t mind that I’m gnawing on a bone.  There is a Bone-in New York which is the same as the T-bone minus the fillet and that almost works for me.

The fillet is a very tender cut of meat but not as flavorful as some of the other cuts.  Usually it’s a leaner cut of beef without as much marbling, hence not as much flavor.  The size and tenderness attracts the attention for this steak.  It is also the most expensive of the group.

Rib Steak can be boneless or bone-in, your choice (my bone theory still applies for this steak).  Many meat eaters claim this is the most flavorful cut of steak because of the vast amount of marbling.  I can’t debate that fact, but there is too much waste for me.  It is usually a little less expensive than other cuts of steak we have discussed so far.  It’s my wife’s very favorite steak though, so we have them more often than the T-bone.

Tri- tips, top sirloins, petit fillets (ball tips), London broils, and even chuck steaks can be delicious on the grill but may need a little special attention to get them ready to cook.    Most of these cuts are also more economical and may be a worthwhile trade off.  There are several great marinades that will tenderize the meat if that is an issue for you.

The most effective way to decide what you like best is to sample them all.  Remember, we carry certified Hereford Beef, and I think you will find there is a difference in the quality and flavor of our beef.

Happy grilling

Kenny the Meat Guy

Very Important:

We have talked about a lot of thing over the past 14 months, but this next subject is really important, and one that can make or break a marriage.  This subject is basically geared toward the husband or boyfriend but can be used by woman in some circumstances

The following is the proper instructions on “How to Prepare a Smore”.

Items needed

·         1 flat rock (big enough to hold 3-4 graham cracker)

·         1 bag fresh marshmallows

·         1 package graham crackers

·         Lots of Hershey chocolate bars (having too little chocolate can be devastating)

·         1 roasting stick

·         1 campfire with beautiful red coals and very little flame

1. Start by building your fire. Make sure you start the fire early enough to produce a nice bed of coals with some but not many flames (both coals and flames are good).

2. Place the flat rock near the edge of the fire. Make sure all bugs, worms, and dirt have been removed from the top of the rock, and it is clean enough to set your graham crackers on.

3. Place the graham crackers on the flat rock near the fire.  Place three sections of Hershey‘s chocolate on each cracker.  This process will preheat the chocolate while you are roasting your marshmallows.  “This step is very important.”  The chocolate should start melting by the time you have completed roasting the marshmallows.

4. Place two marshmallows on your roasting stick.  A good smore takes two marshmallows.  It is very important to roast the marshmallow slowly which ensures it is gooey all the way through the center and golden brown on the outside. (This may take practice).

5. Now it’s time to put it all together.  Place the perfectly roasted marshmallows on top of the partially melted chocolate using the top graham cracker to slide the marshmallow off the roasting stick. Squeeze the sandwiched mallow or chocolate lightly and let it sit for two minutes.

6. Always,… let me repeat this… “always serve the ladies first”!

If you follow these instructions carefully, you will serve the perfect smore and you will be a hero!

Kenny the Happy Meat Guy

      I guess I’ve been slacking a bit on the blog, but it’s been really busy and crazy these last few weeks.  Just a short description of my July, remember I live in Sandpoint (one of the most beautiful places in the world).

     July 1^st we had a new baby Granddaughter in Utah; July 3^rd we had another baby Grandson, we have a Wedding on July 31 in Utah, and then we have another wedding in Sandpoint on August 7^th, and I still need to get my work done.  Life is good!!

     I told you I would give you a little information about Prince William Sound.  It is a beautiful place.  Right now we are getting a lot of Salmon from this area.  This is the time to really enjoy Alaskan wild Salmon.  The season will only be a little while longer.

     There are 3000 miles of coast in Prince William Sound alone.  The sound’s many fiords and islands were carved by glaciers.  It’s a very deep body of water compared to the relatively shallow Gulf of Alaska. 

     The cold arctic air cools the water surface.  The cool water drops to the bottom and (in convection current) the warmer, nutrient-laden bottom waters rise to the surface.  The result is Alaska’s huge plankton bloom which supports many types of marine mammals, sea birds and fish.  It also attracts the whales from warm southern seas where they over-winter.

      I know I have been stuck on the fishing subject lately, it’s just been an unpredictable year for fishing, and I though you might enjoy following the season.  We will have a new subject next week.

Happy Fishing to All!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Northwest Salmon

     Wow, the sun has been shinning and it finally feels like summer may be upon us.  It is hard to believe that July is just a couple of days away.  I have talked about this crazy halibut and salmon season several times and it continues to be unpredictable but it is what it is.  So I thought it might be fun to talk about the different species of salmon we have from our Northwest Waters. I hope you enjoy these facts:

      King Salmon: For sports fishermen, one of the most sought after fish is the King salmon also known as a Chinook or Black mouth (you guessed it, their mouths are black).  Most identification documents will describe Kings as having teeth emerging from the gum line on the lower jaw and circular black spots on the tail.

     King salmon are our regions ultimate trophy fish weighing in at around 20 to 30 pounds.  Washington’s state record is 70+ pounds.  Wild Kings spend from three to seven years in the sea before returning to their native river to spawn.  Hatchery fish weigh between five and fifteen pounds.  Whether wild or hatchery raised, Kings grace the table of many Northwest backyard BBQs and are rich in flavor.  

     Coho Salmon:  Coho or Silver salmon are normally smaller than Kings, and their teeth emerge from a white gum line on the lower jaw.  Spots are usually missing on the tail, but it may be lightly spotted on the upper portion.  They usually spend about three years in the sea before returning to spawn but grow exceptionally fast during that time. 

     These fish are characterized by creating quite an excitement among sports fishermen often putting up a great fight leaping clear out of the water a number of times before being brought to the boat.  Kings on the other hand, dive deep trying to use the girth of their bodies to wear out the angler’s arms.  The meat of Coho salmon is bright pink and is delicious prepared in a number of different ways.

     Sockeye Salmon:  Sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, are colored blue-tinged silver while living in the ocean.  But just prior to spawning, they turn red with green heads and sport a dark stripe on their sides.  Males develop a hump on their back and the jaws and teeth become hooked during their move from salt to fresh water.  Sockeye spawn mostly in streams that have lakes in their watershed. The young fish will spend up to three years in the freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean.  Some stay in the lakes and do not migrate.

     Sockeyes are very full-flavored, almost strong, and faintly crab-like.   Sockeye’s meat is the firmest of salmon, possibly because they have the longest migration patterns and range.  Very little seasoning is needed for this fish; they are excellent cooked any way, but be careful, they are easily overcooked.

     Pink Salmon:  Pink salmon or humpies (named after the huge hump the males develop in late spawning season) return to Washington waters every other year on odd years.  The average Humpy weighs between three and five pounds, but some have been caught up to 14 pounds.  While Humpies are the smallest of the Northwest’s salmon, they are tenacious fighters.  The fish is characterized by a white mouth with black gums, no teeth on the tongue, large oval-shaped black spots on the back, and an anal fin with 13-17 soft rays.

     Though many anglers refuse to admit pinks are good eating, if handled properly immediately after catching, they are excellent especially smoked.  The trick is to cut the gills immediately so the fish can bleed out, and clean the fish as soon as possible after that.   Humpies that are handled improperly quickly become soft and lose their flavor.  Most salmon commercially canned are pinks.      

     So those are some of the fun facts about some of our Northwest Salmon.  We are just starting to get Salmon from the Alaskan Prince William Sound.  I will tell you a little about this region in my next blog.  Enjoy these fresh wild Alaskan salmon while they are available.

Kenny the meat Guy

That’s how I feel about the wild halibut and salmon catches this year.  I don’t remember a time when the halibut stayed this high in price or when Copper River Salmon runs were so poor for so long.  It has been very frustrating for everyone.  They keep thinking the runs are going to get better but they haven’t.  Some experts think the salmon runs are just late because of the weather, but everyone is beginning to wonder if there will be a good run at all.

Then we have to face our guests and try to explain to them why we have Copper River Salmon in our ads but no fish in the market. I guess that’s just one of those things.  We have had to try really hard to get any wild fish into our stores at all lately.  We do have Wild Keta salmon fillets, but they are simply not as rich or flavorful as the Copper River Salmon.  I guess we just wait patiently and see what develops.

I’ll mention a couple of other questions I have been asked lately.  Farm raised Atlantic Salmon are in short supply at this time and will be for a while. This issue has driven the price higher and the wild salmon market isn’t helping that situation either.  Yes, the oil spill is affecting the wild shrimp market already and everyone’s concerned about the future of Gulf shrimp.

Wow, this blog feels a little negative, so I guess I’ll tell you one more fish story.  I took my wife fishing Saturday evening.  The lake was beautiful and it was just the two of us with a fishing pole in each of our hands.  We were slowly trolling for a bass with nothing happening for a long time.  Suddenly, my wife yells “I think I’m caught on the bottom.”  I said, “I don’t think so” as I watched her pole jerk around wildly. I yelled, “Come on, reel it in” and she finally brought this beautiful 17 inch cut throat up to the side of the boat.  I quickly remarked, “oh sweetie that fish is going to be great on the grill”!  She replied, “but it is so pretty”.  I knew what was coming next.  “Well, what would you like to do with your fish” (the only one caught the entire evening) I asked. She replied “what would happen if we let it go.”  I said with a quieter voice, “it will just swim away.”  She smiled a big smile and said, “let’s do that” and we did and it did.

Kenny the Fishless Guy

P.S. I had popcorn for dinner when we got home.  There wasn’t even any ice cream!

Have a great week and happy fishin’.

It’s time for another recipe from my unusual list of nonconventional cooking!  I usually call it slop gourmet, but to make it more palatable, I’ll call it “Frito Chip Casserole”.  Try this one; it may surprise you. 

 You can make this in a casserole dish, 9x13 cake pan, or a Dutch oven.  It makes 4-6 generous servings.

1. Mix one large can of chili and the same amount of cream of mushroom soup.  Add no water; combine both cans in a sauce pan; heat to simmer.

2. Use one medium size bag of Frito corn chips, and 1 ½ -2 cups of shredded Cheese.  

3. Layer Frito corn chips on the bottom of the pan follwed by a layer of the soup chili mix, and then a layer of shredded cheese.  Repeat, you should have enough for three layers ending with cheese on top.  Place the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes long enough to melt and crisp the cheese on top

4. The last step is to build a 2-3 inch layer of green salad mix on the top and serve.

5. Some people add salsa to the salad mix before eating. I actually add salsa mixed with Thousand Island dressing. That adds a lot to the dish for me.

Of course it’s good, especially if you serve ice cream for dessert!

Now, if you noticed this recipe is a meatless dish (well, unless you add burger to the chili)…that just happens sometimes.  You can make up for it by having a big steak, burger, chicken, or pork chop the next night, just to make sure you keep your diet well balanced.

Have a great week!

Kenny the Meat Guy

That’s the question I asked myself as I sat down to share some thoughts with you today. Of course, the answer has to be yes or there would be very few blogs written this spring.

So let’s just take a minute and look at the bright side of things this morning. First, as we look outside it’s still a beautiful place to live, everything is so fresh and green, flowers blooming, and all that new life budding, showing promise for a bright future.  Second, no drought here, I haven’t even had to get the hoses out to water the lawn yet.  Third, I still believe we live in the greatest country in the world, and I’m so thankful for all those who have sacrificed a lot and in some cases everything so we can have what we have today.  I’m thankful for those who continue to serve our country today and that will guarantee our freedom for our bright future.  So look around and see all the good things we have to be thankful for, including the rain that brings forth life for the future.  A bright smile can bring a lot of brightness to those around you.  So help brighten someone else’s day and you will notice it will brighten your day as well.

On to some fish & meat news

Copper River salmon are not showing up in very large numbers, and the cost is going to remain high for the near future.  I’m grateful that they manage the catch so there will be a bright future for the Cooper River Salmon too.

Pork and beef prices are still on the rise but retail prices are holding steady for now.  Meat proteins are still affordable, and there are some great ad prices to take advantage of every week.

Plan your menu’s around good buys and that will stretch your grocery dollars a lot.  However, there are those special times that you want a particular item for your meal.  In that case, just buy it and enjoy every bite.

There is so much great food around us that you should always be able to find a great deal on a great meal.  Roasts, casseroles, and fresh baked cookies sound good to me during this cooler weather.  Take advantage of cooking in the oven while it’s cooler out.  It will help warm your house while you cook.

Have a great week and remember be happy. It just feels better!

Kenny the Meat Guy

Copper River salmon is the “frontline fisheries talk” these days, and we continue to watch the pricing with each opening. Currently, we are on opening number four and the price keeps slowly dropping.   I’m sure it will continue to drop as more waters open and more fish are caught.  We will see some of the other rivers and fisheries come alive soon as well, and that will take some of the pressure off Copper River salmon.

One more thing I want you all to know is that there are three different salmon from the Copper River.  At this time, we see mostly Sockeye salmon and some King’s. Later this summer, we will have the opportunity to bring the Coho salmon on board.  They too are a beautiful bright red color which signifies the rich flavor and oil rich meat.

The other great news about the Alaskan fisheries is how well they are managed.  All of the entities involved with these fish work hand in hand to make sure the fish remain plentiful.  They work hard at maintaining a sustainable environment that will produce this product for years in the future.  These entitities carefully monitor the number of fish that make it to spawning areas and ensure the next year’s runs will be successful.

There are many good rich salmon harvested each year other than Copper River.  It’s funny how this river became the big name for salmon.  We will be featuring other fisheries as they open for fishing.  These salmon will be great just like Copper River salmon, so take advantage of this wonderful time of year as the fresh wild salmon and halibut make their way to market. Look in our ads as we feature these fish often at this time of year.

There are many articles that boast about the goodness of these fish especially about the health benefits.  It just seems like a win win situation all the way around, great taste and great health benefits!  Remember, these fish are excellent grilled, and it’s quick and easy, and there is no fishy odor in the house.  Also, clean up is a breeze when you place foil down before you grill the fish.

Have a great week!

     Copper River Salmon season is always an exciting time of year.  It is traditionally one of the first fresh salmon openers we’ll see as the Alaskan fisheries begin to open.  I blogged last year about how we had to guess at Copper River salmon prices when we began to market these beautiful fish each year.  We have to guess because our ads are written and set for print before the fish are even processed.  We try to use the information we gather, and then we just hope we are in the right marketing range.  I thought I would share a sample of the information we get plus a picture.  The season is upon us, enjoy.

Here’s the latest news from Copper River:

      As of yesterday, a strong weather system has moved into the Gulf of Alaska, bringing high winds, rain and snow. In Cordova yesterday, it was blowing 50 knots. Today, winds are expected blow 25-50 knots, with gusts from 70-90 knots. Winds are supposed to abate by Thursday, but some of the fleet has voiced concerns about taking to the grounds if the weather and seas don’t lie down.

     The projected catch for round #1 (from ADF&G data):  Kings: 785 fish. This equates to 17,270# round wt = 12,952# dressed weight, industry-wide, all packers combined Sockeye: 8,986 fish. This equates to 59,187# round wt = 44,390# dressed weight, Industry-wide, all packers combined

     The river continues to “break up”. Open water is visible at many points from the Million Dollar Bridged downriver, but water levels overall remain low. There are many sea lions at the mouth of the river (on the many sandbars), but none have gone upriver at this point. This is a sign that salmon are not yet in the river, and instead are “outside”. The sonar counters have not yet been deployed at the Miles Lake site.

     Copper River round #2 will be Monday, and a 12-hour fishery is the most likely scenario. ADF&G won’t give the fleet a 24-hour period until they see enough fish being caught and/or going upriver. The Monday fishery will commence without inside-water closures. Round #3 (on May 20) will have inside-water closures in effect.

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