Meat done with care

Central Missouri Meat & Sausage to celebrate restaurant opening

The Barnyard Smokehouse is the new restaurant opening next to Central Missouri Meat & Sausage.
The Barnyard Smokehouse is the new restaurant opening next to Central Missouri Meat & Sausage.

A local meat-processing company is opening a new restaurant to showcase its farm fresh food.

"Everything is hoof to table," said Ginger Hopkins-Hawkins, who works at Central Missouri Meat & Sausage in Fulton. "We bring the food in on the hoof, and it's completely processed on site."

Hopkins-Hawkins is a co-owner along with Kenny, Travis and Cody Brinker, Amanda Seute and their spouses. The company has been in full expansion mode for the last two years. The grand opening of their on-site restaurant, The Barnyard Smokehouse, is a cause for celebration, she said.

"It's a relief for sure," she added. "We're hoping it brings a lot of positive outlook."

The company, which has a focus on providing locally raised meats, was owned by a group of several local families that believe in the importance of eating fresh.

"You literally know where your food came from," she said. "The pork is raised in Auxvasse by our partner, the Brinkers, and all of our beef comes from Means Cattle Company in Callaway County."

Along with meat, customers can purchase other local products, Hopkins-Hawkins said.

"We also have all the condiments that go with the meats," she said. "Barbecue sauces, gravies and vegetables. Being local is our main focus. Obviously, there are things we can't obtain locally, but we still stay in the state of Missouri."

With the addition of a restaurant, the meat processing plant will be able to serve dishes featuring their fresh pork and beef. One of the most talked about dishes, Hopkins-Hawkins said, is a little piece of pork heaven.

"Our specialty is the sticky burger, a barbecue-seasoned pork patty," she said. "We also have the double down, which is a sticky burger topped with pulled pork. There's also the triple down, which is a double down with bacon on it."

Culture of care

Cory Hawkins, one of the owners of the company, has a passion for meats.

"I started as a retail meat cutter at 14 years old," he said. "I grew up on a farm and this is how we did it." Hawkins said he has done all he can to build a proper culture among his employees. The culture of caring, he said, is what results in happy animals and higher-quality meats.

"We test our animals for steroids and antibiotics," he said. "Everything is source verified. We know the farm, and they're all family-owned local farms here in Callaway County. We do humane slaughtering here. It's completely painless for the animal."

The process, Hawkins said, was created by a well-known advocate for the treatment of humane animals. "Temple Grandin was an autistic woman who invented the humane animal handling system that we currently use," he added.

When hiring staff, he ensures all employees have a deep level of respect for animals.

"We have a unique group of employees," he said. "If someone doesn't love animals, they have no place here. We pet the animals, we talk to them - I've caught employees feeding the animals cookies. If they don't want to go in (the slaughter bay), we let them take their time, and go in on their own terms."

The whole process is meant to keep the animal stress-free, he added.

"We never kill a stressed-out animal under any circumstance," he added. "Humane handling is so important for me. We have air conditioning just for them. They have food and water, rubber mats and non-slip rails."

The humane treatment and attention to details is a palatable difference, Hawkins said.

"It's a huge difference," he said. "The bigger slaughterhouses might kill 1,000 cattle an hour and inspect only 10 percent of their meat. We kill one an hour, and inspect 100 percent of our meat. We have a better set-up to control what we do."

The staff at the plant take pride in slowing down the process, he said.

"We take time to do it right," he said. "It's not about how many you can shove in the door, it's about how many we can do correctly."

Meeting demand

The expansions of the meat-processing plant are a result of a need for fresh meat untainted by chemicals or hormones, according to Hawkins.

"Everyone kept wanting fresh meat," he added. "You can come in right now and get fresh meats to order. We have a lot of unique flavor mixes with real ingredients. We don't use any kind of chemical on the product whatsoever."

The supply was so great, he added, it invoked a complete change from the original business model used for private meat processing.

"We're going to take a more commercial route now," he said. "We're going away from custom processing and moving toward commercial to supply restaurants and grocery stores."

The introduction of a restaurant is just an extension of the new business model.

"It was all of us sitting on the LLC," Hawkins said. "We came together and talked about what we want to do next. We try to give the customers what they want because without customers, you have no business."

Frequenting the restaurant, he said, is a way to ensure economic growth in the area.

"By buying this local product, we can turn around and buy from local farmers," he added. "I end up having to hire local employees, and allow more community dollars to circle. It all goes right back to Callaway County."

Teaching people about meat processing, Hawkins said, is something that gets him out of bed every day.

"It's great to make a difference in how the process is done," he said. "I enjoy what I do, and I enjoy doing it right and teaching others how to do it right."

This weekend, Central Missouri Meat & Sausage will celebrate the official grand opening of its new restaurant, The Barnyard Smokehouse. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 3 p.m. today, with Mix Country 96 on site and a live band.

On Saturday, festivities begin at 10 a.m. with special prices and continue with a community chili cook off for a cash prize. There will be a washer tournament at 2 p.m. and a bratwurst eating contest at 3 p.m., both with cash prizes.

The highlight will be a dunk tank from 1-5 p.m. "Clay Chism, Kurt Kliendienst, Roger Fischer and Larry Doyle will all be in the dunk tank," Cory Hawkins said. "All proceeds will go to charity."

The grand opening will be at 5009 Pendergrass Road in Fulton. For more information, call Central Missouri Meat & Sausage at 573-592-4886.

The celebration is a great opportunity for people to come out and try some meat, Cory Hawkins said.

"Come out and give us a try," he added. "We are a family business, and we value the opinion of the local community."