A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market

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Perkinston, MS
A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market

A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market is a new, family-owned 6,000 sq. ft. livestock processing facil

08/28/2026

Friday reminder: Our retail store will be OPEN tomorrow, Saturday, August 29, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Stop by A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market and shop our rotating selection of beef, pork, sausages and more for the weekend and the week ahead.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

08/27/2026

How much control does a processor have over the tenderness of your beef?

Proper carcass handling, chilling, aging and cutting all help protect the quality of the meat. At A Cut Above, our standard beef aging period is 14 days, giving natural enzymes time to begin breaking down muscle fibers before the beef is cut and packaged.

However, a processor cannot control everything. The animal’s age, genetics, marbling and how much work a particular muscle performed are already established before it reaches the processing plant. Aging can improve tenderness, but it cannot turn every muscle into a tenderloin.

Preparation matters after the meat leaves the plant, too. Thawing, cooking method, final temperature and even the direction in which the meat is sliced can all affect the finished bite.

Tenderness is the result of the animal, the cut, the processing and the cooking. Each part of that process matters.

08/26/2026

Why can’t we simply cut more of a beef into steaks?

The steaks most people picture for the grill—such as ribeyes, strips, filets and sirloins—come from specific muscles. Many of those muscles do less work during the animal’s life, which contributes to their tenderness.

Muscles from the shoulder, legs and other hard-working areas naturally contain more connective tissue. They can be very flavorful, but they are usually better suited for roasts, stew meat, slow cooking or ground beef. Some muscles are also too small or irregularly shaped to produce consistent steaks.

Cutting a piece of meat into a steak shape does not give it the same qualities as a ribeye or filet.

A beef contains a limited amount of each cut. We do our best to use every section in the way that best suits its natural structure and gives the customer the most useful finished product.

08/24/2026

What value do receive from having your meat vacuum-sealed?

Two common causes of quality loss during frozen storage are exposure to air and moisture loss. Vacuum sealing removes most of the air from the package and creates a tight barrier around the meat.

Reducing oxygen exposure slows oxidation, helping protect the meat’s flavor, color and overall quality. The tight seal also limits moisture loss, which helps prevent freezer burn and the dry, discolored areas that can develop when meat is exposed to cold freezer air.

Vacuum-sealed packages are also compact, clearly labeled and easier to organize in the freezer. However, vacuum packaging does not replace proper frozen storage. Packages should be frozen promptly, kept consistently frozen and checked occasionally for punctures or a lost seal.

Good packaging cannot change the quality of the meat placed inside it—but it can help protect that quality until you are ready to enjoy it.

08/21/2026

A quick reminder as you make your weekend plans: Our retail store will be OPEN tomorrow, Saturday, August 22, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Stop by A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market and shop our rotating selection of beef, pork, sausages and more.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

08/20/2026

Have you ever opened a package of ground beef and noticed that the meat inside was darker than the meat near the surface?

The difference is usually caused by oxygen.

Myoglobin, a protein found in meat, changes color depending on how much oxygen it is exposed to. Ground beef near the surface may appear bright red because it has had more contact with oxygen, while the meat inside may remain darker red or purplish because less oxygen has reached it. Vacuum-sealed beef will also appear darker until the package is opened and the meat is exposed to air.

This normal color variation does not mean the meat has spoiled. Color alone cannot determine whether meat is safe. Proper refrigeration, handling and storage time all matter.

Just a little meat chemistry for your Thursday.

08/19/2026

Fresh ham and cured ham come from the hind leg of the pig—but the finished products are very different.

A fresh ham has not been cured or smoked. It is raw pork and will taste more like a pork roast when cooked, rather than the traditional ham most people picture for a holiday meal.

A cured ham has been treated with salt and curing ingredients. This creates the familiar pink color, flavor and texture associated with ham. It may also be smoked for additional flavor, although curing and smoking are two separate steps.

At A Cut Above, we make the curing mixture used for our hams and bacon in-house from individual ingredients according to our own proprietary formula. We do not buy a premixed commercial blend that is simply added to water. Every batch is carefully measured and mixed from scratch, giving our cured products a flavor that is distinctly our own.

When choosing between fresh and cured ham on a cut sheet, think about the finished product you want. Choose fresh ham if you want an uncured pork roast. Choose cured and smoked ham if you want that familiar traditional ham flavor.

08/17/2026

Let's talk about chuck roasts this morning. You've probably noticed that two chuck roasts don't necessarily look exactly alike.

The chuck is a large section of the beef shoulder made up of several different muscles. As that section is divided into roasts, one may be wider and flatter while another is more compact. The amount and placement of marbling, seam fat and connective tissue can also differ—even between two chuck roasts from the same animal.

The roast size requested on the cut sheet can affect its shape as well. Since meat does not grow in perfectly uniform blocks, dividing the chuck into three- or four-pound roasts will not produce pieces that are identical in appearance.

The label tells you which section of the animal the roast came from, but it does not mean every roast carrying that name will look exactly the same. Those natural differences are completely normal.

08/14/2026

Before the weekend begins, here is your reminder that our retail store will be OPEN tomorrow, Saturday, August 15, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Stop by A Cut Above Processing & Meat Market and shop our rotating selection of beef, pork, sausages and more.

We’ll be here from 8:00–1:00 and would love to see you!

08/13/2026

Why can’t an animal simply be slaughtered and immediately cut into finished packages?

Before cutting begins, the carcass must first be thoroughly chilled. This brings the internal temperature down, slows bacterial growth and allows the muscle and fat to become firm enough for clean, precise cutting.

Warm meat and fat are soft. They are more difficult to cut evenly, trim properly and grind cleanly. Once chilled, the carcass is easier to handle and the processor can produce more consistent steaks, roasts and ground meat.

This initial chilling period is necessary whether the meat will be cut shortly afterward or held longer for aging.

Processing involves more than moving directly from one step to the next. Temperature and timing both play an important role in food safety and in the quality of the finished product.

Address

6295 Caesar Necaise Road
Perkinston, MS

Telephone

+12283659291

Website

http://cutaboveprocessing.com/

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