Nice to MEAT You, Whitefeather

As we mature and string together our daily experiences into a chain called life, every once-in-a-while, one of these experiences leaves you with a warm, enriched feeling…

You know the feeling… it was great while you were experiencing it… but it kept getting better after you left it… and it was a high point in your life - not only for that day, but maybe the week.

I had one of these experiences a couple weeks ago and, after talking to my brother-in-law and nephew, they also had a similar experience (but for a different reason) at the same place.

I’d heard of this place, but never took the time to go there; and when I finally did, wow. The staff was so kind and helpful. The manager gave me the data for this blog. And this place’s whole philosophy is to help and educate with a smile.

So with Father’s Day being less than two weeks away, if you still don’t know what to get Dear-ole Dad and would like a relaxed, meaningful experience in shopping, follow me down Route 3, just 5 miles south of Seville to Creston…

Started over 25 years ago by a culinary and agricultural visionary in Creston, Ohio, Fred Perkins decided to get away from the mainstream farming of cattle and moved into bison ranching! Thus became the groundbreaking foundation and origin of Whitefeather Meats. Today, Whitefeather Meats has branched out into the raising and processing of various sources of healthy protein. It provides not only all of the necessary equipment and preparations, but also the expertise and knowledge for preparing and enjoying protein (both in-person at their store and in over a dozen YouTube videos).

Fred’s visionary plans have been continued and expanded, as Whitefeather Meats is now a full-fledged family-run operation by his three sons, Shawn, Seth, and Scott. Through the health-conscious raising of bison, cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens (all while utilizing sustainable farming practices), the brothers have produced the foundation of a culinary experience that is not only good tasting… but good for you. Let’s take a closer look to see how this is achieved…

We are what we eat and so is the quality and composition of the protein that we consume.

One of the driving questions that Whitefeather has built into its philosophy is being able to answer the age-old question, “Where did my meat come from and how is it processed?”

In today’s society of tainted meats and mass recalls - with force-fed, genetically-altered animals processed in monster processing plants - this question needs to be answered now more than ever. Whitefeather’s bison come from the herd just behind their parking lot. And all the other animals come from family-run farms in Apple Creek and Wooster.

The brothers are all trained butchers. Their titles lend themselves to their brand identity - they are the Bearded Butchers. And yes, they all have beards. Every piece of bison, cattle, lamb, pig, and chicken that they sell has been skillfully cut by one of them. The bison and cattle carcasses go through a special dry aging process at 35 degrees for 21 days before the meat is ready to be cut. This process tenderizes the meat and reduces the water content (which increases the flavor and kills any possible bacteria). As a side note, it is not cost-effective for most meat producers to dry-age for 21 days before going to market! But these guys believe in high-quality meats. Once each piece of meat is cut, it is then vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen at 17 degrees to capture and retain the flavor. Then, it is ready for the store’s freezer case.

Whitefeather’s philosophy of total transparency has lead them to much success.

In 2019, they completed their new 3,000-square-foot showroom, which has allowed them to expand their product lines to include their own family brand of spices and rubs, along with a canine freezer of custom, organic dog food. The dog food line is aptly titled, Woof.

Whitefeather, not being content with just providing a superior product, wanted to help the consumer take one more critically important and often-overlooked step with any protein - the proper preparation to seal in the flavor and enhance the culinary experience!

Whether you are Chef Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, or a weekend grill warrior, how you cook your meat will greatly affect its acceptance at the table.

The Bearded Butchers have YouTube videos to show various techniques and styles on how to use the Green Egg or Traeger grill, both of which they sell in their showroom. I currently have a Weber that I love. No matter the brand, proper temperature control is a must. My nephew, mentioned in the beginning of the blog, just bought a Traeger grill from them and the lessons and training were very helpful. Believe it or not, my nephew’s Traeger grill can be turned on and the temperature regulated by his smart phone, all while he attends his daughter’s soccer game. The inner temperature of his meat is also continuously being monitored!

I was born in another generation. I just stand and poke my protein until I feel it’s done. Medium-rare all around. It is well-known in all grilling and cooking schools that well-done toughens the meat and, with the excess carbon build up, really isn’t good for you.

The Green Egg uses charcoal and the Traeger uses flavored wood pellets. Both are supposed to be superior in temperature control, but neither are fast, so the Weber wins in reduced time from grill to plate. In my need for speed, I know I am giving up some flavor. That is where Whitefeather excels again with their own complete line of sugar-free, no-MSG line of rubs, marinades, and spices. My wife caught me eating their prime rib rub out of the jar. It’s that good.

The Bearded Butchers also boast several lines of cutlery, from small paring knives to meat cleavers (honestly, I thought it was a machete!). Plenty of ideas here for dad… along with smoker boxes, fish racks, and chicken rotisseries. Several lines of special-edition cookbooks for grilling and impressing can even be found there.

Outdoor cooking has been an inner-male competition for dads, I feel, since we lived in caves and tenderized our meat with clubs.

Anything you can get for dad to keep his grilling expertise on the cutting edge (pun intended), I’m sure he’ll appreciate and reciprocate with a scrumptious protein production!

Hopefully, my warm fuzzy experience that I had at Whitefeather will urge you to check them out and possibly give you some ideas on how to help dad have a warm, enriching experience as he shares another well-earned Father’s Day with the family.

Bon Appétit!

(And happy grilling.)

- Dr. Pfister