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Specialties that raise your pay

• Whole-animal butchery

  Breaking a side of beef or a whole hog instead of opening boxes. Rare, respected, and what independent shops hire for.

• Charcuterie and sausage making

  Curing, smoking and grinding. Turns cheap cuts into high-margin products.

• Dry aging

  A controlled room, weeks of waiting and a much higher price per pound.

• Halal or kosher certification

  Trained and certified slaughter and handling, with steady demand in many cities.

• Seafood cutting

  A separate skill in the same department, often short-staffed.