North Fork Packing

North Fork Packing We are a family owned and operated WSDA licensed custom exempt beef, pork, sheep, and wild game processing facility located in Oso, WA.
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When unloading these little Houdinis this morning, these Olympic athletes hurdled the panel we use to unload and went on...
06/06/2026

When unloading these little Houdinis this morning, these Olympic athletes hurdled the panel we use to unload and went on an unexpected adventure / tour of our facilities.

Seriously though, we have never once not had sheep cooperate, and this was highly unexpected and statistically inconsistent with our 100% track record of unloading lambs directly into the pen.

However, the farmer had gone out of her way to handle her animals and train them to come with a grain bucket. She was cool like a cucumber and got her bucket and easily coaxed them into where they needed to be. 
That was significantly easier than the sheep safari that we were bracing ourselves for in that moment.

I don’t have enough positive and good things to say about farmers who handle their animals and train them. It makes the whole process so much smoother. 

Why can’t we tailor the fat content of custom ground beef?This image helps explain why.We process half a beef at a time ...
06/04/2026

Why can’t we tailor the fat content of custom ground beef?
This image helps explain why.

We process half a beef at a time that we did not raise or feed. These animals vary widely in age, breed, gender, and thus marbling. We then follow a customer-provided custom cut sheet and grind trim from that specific half carcass into a single batch of ground beef.

Because all trim from that half is combined, the resulting grind reflects the natural variation of that animal and selected cuts, not a controlled fat ratio. Even with disclaimers on the cut sheet that we cannot provide a specific lean-to-fat percentage, and we still receive frequent requests for precise fat content.

In the photo (not mine, but shared because it clearly illustrates the point), you can see the amount of intramuscular fat present. In cases like this, producing lean ground beef from that carcass simply isn’t feasible.

Custom ground beef is an elite product: dry-aged with no added moisture, no fillers, and no modified atmosphere packaging used to artificially maintain a pink color. It comes from a single, locally raised animal with known genetics and is not imported. The animal is handled and processed in a controlled, low-stress environment, and the grind is made from real whole-muscle trim rather than mixed or imported trim sources.
However, because it is derived from a single carcass, the fat content cannot be customized.

Me once a day to a consumer: it just is what it is.

I am excited to announce my appointment to the WSDA livestock identification advisory committee.It is my intention to le...
06/04/2026

I am excited to announce my appointment to the WSDA livestock identification advisory committee.

It is my intention to learn everything possible about the issues at hand and work collaboratively with our regulatory bodies and to always represent the best interests of local small scale producers.

Thank you so much to WSDA for supporting local food systems and fully funding a single phase, diesel generator for our f...
06/03/2026

Thank you so much to WSDA for supporting local food systems and fully funding a single phase, diesel generator for our facility!

This generator will be able to fully power the kill floor, the two refrigerated containers, the two drip coolers, the age cooler, the two sub zero freezers, and the cutting room at the same time.

Obviously food safety via continuous refrigeration is paramount, but also being able to continue operations even with a power loss will help us be able to stay on schedule.

Our four years in business, we have lost power a half a dozen times, so this is absolutely a necessity and huge relief for us.

Make sure to ask us to package your trim fat or suet or both if you are interested in rendering fat and making tallow a...
05/29/2026

Make sure to ask us to package your trim fat or suet or both if you are interested in rendering fat and making tallow at home.

I know tallow has leaped in popularity based on how many calls asking if we have fat for sale.

We only process custom exempt, nothing is federally inspected, and we do not have retail.
Therefore, everything we process is for the end user’s personal use only, and we don’t have anything off of those carcasses for sale.

We could buy bulk USDA inspected fat and resell it if we wanted but that is besides the point I feel.

Roundy family unanimously agrees that a french dip / roast beef sandwich is the highest and best use of a top round roas...
05/27/2026

Roundy family unanimously agrees that a french dip / roast beef sandwich is the highest and best use of a top round roast. 

When customers ask me how to prepare certain cuts I always tell them anything can be fantastic with enough effort put in to understanding how to prepare it, but I do believe the trick with any roast out of the round is to slice it as thin as possible.

If you’re looking to make sliced lunchmeat style cuts, the top and bottom round roast are excellent for this.

Sunday 9PM…. checking drip cooler, age cooler, and freezer #1 and #2 temperatures before going to bed. Everything look...
05/25/2026

Sunday 9PM…. checking drip cooler, age cooler, and freezer #1 and #2 temperatures before going to bed.

Everything looks optimal ✔️

I thought this was a pretty informative graphic.“Always match your breed to your purpose” is great advice.It is never fu...
05/24/2026

I thought this was a pretty informative graphic.

“Always match your breed to your purpose” is great advice.

It is never fun as a processor when somebody picks up their finished product and is disappointed with the yield. Unfortunately, we cannot make muscle (packaged cuts) out of fat. If the carcass was never especially meaty to begin with, the yield is probably going to be lower than expected.



Want your oxtail?Make sure to request it BEFORE the slaughter date, then we can cut it off, package it, and have it read...
05/23/2026

Want your oxtail?
Make sure to request it BEFORE the slaughter date, then we can cut it off, package it, and have it ready for pickup with your order.

Otherwise 15-18 days later it doesn’t make it through the dry aging process.

Name a more American Friday night, and start to a long weekend, dinner.God bless and long live the American rancher.This...
05/23/2026

Name a more American Friday night, and start to a long weekend, dinner.

God bless and long live the American rancher.

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

🇺🇸❤️💙🥩

Address

25575 Whitman Road
Arlington, WA
98223

Telephone

+13606311531

Website

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