Meet the meatman: D. Schulyz

April 20, 2008

D. “The Meatman” Schultz has been an entrepreneur since graduating from high school. He decided eight years ago that his “last entrepreneurial hurrah” would be to open an oldstyle butcher shop in Petoskey. The Meatman went off to school and in May of 2004 opened the Tannery Creek Meat Market in Petoskey (in the former Pizza Hut building next to the Side Door Saloon).
“I had been processing deer for 25 years and I had an operation where I would go to area farms and slaughter cattle onsite for them,” said Schultz. “So I started thinking about what I wanted to do next and thought to myself, people are always going to need to eat, so I became a butcher.”
Tannery Creek Meat Market has become legendary in the Petoskey region and beyond with some customers traveling more than 100 miles.
“Hands down, Tannery Creek has the best meat anywhere,” said regular customer Peter Fitzpatrick of Petoskey. “I like knowing that they know where the meat is coming from.”
Tannery Creek Meat Market is open seven days a week and carries a full line of products that are all processed on site. Schultz says they are also willing to “special order anything.” For more information or directions call them at
231-439-3663.

10 Questions About Beef for the Meatman:

NE: Why should one choose a specialty meat market?
Meatman: All of our meat is fresh and specialty cut. So a customer doesn’t have to settle for what is in the case and wonder how long something hasbeen in the case. Quality is another factor: we use all top grades, and because we do everything in-house, we are able to offer better pricing.

NE: Can you explain the “grades” of beef?
Meatman: There are essentially five, with one grade having three sub categories. Here at Tannery Creek we only
carry certified Angus beef, so we are getting the best either top choice or top prime. Why would anyone, with beef prices the way they are, want to have anything but the best?

NE: Speaking of that, why are beef prices so high?
Meatman: The cost of grain. Grain is being sold for fuel and the farmer gets a better return for fuel than for selling to the cattle farmer. So a lot of cattle farms have disappeared. The shortage of grain and the shortage of cattle have driven the price up.

NE: Headlines in recent years have many concerned over the safety of beef.
What precautions do you take?
Meatman: When you hear about those recalls, it is always the big chain. We grind our products in-house so we are not relying on anyone else to do that, so that puts us in control. We also have a very serious sanitation plan in place. Plus, I use local beef, so it is raised to my standards and my feed specifications. We have no meats with antibiotics in them.

NE: What are the hot trends with meat right now?
Meatman: Local is in. People want to know where their meat is coming from. They want it to be safe and affordable. Burgers are making a huge comeback because of affordability. Certainly, the antibiotic and hormonal free is also important. Niche products are out, and we focus on being a meat market that everyone can afford, whether you are living pay check to pay check or have more money then you know what to do with.

NE: What about when someone goes out to eat? Should they be asking questions?
Meatman: Absolutely. It is appropriate for you to ask your server if the chef knows where the beef is from and if it is chemical free. There is no excuse for restaurants to be serving meat that is not all natural.

NE: When grilling meats, should one use a thermometer to determine when something is done?
Meatman: They can be a guide, but I give classes on this sort of thing to customers, and we teach the touch method. Something we also do is to let everyone know how to prepare what they are buying. So they tell us how they are going to cook it (oven or grill) and we tell them the temperature and how long it will take.

NE: You hear about “aged beef”. What is that all about?
Meatman: Aged beef doesn’t mean something that has been sitting around in the meat cooler. We age meat in a controlled environment. The benefit of aged meat is the meat becomes more flavorful and tender.

NE: What is best: charcoal, gas or a wood grill?
Meatman: All of the above. In fact, we only carry meat that works on all types of grills. Really, it is a matter of personal preference.

NE: What sort of “exotic” meats are worth trying?
Meatman: I wouldn’t consider it exotic, but I would suggest buffalo. We use Jordan Valley bison and it is great and it is local. We have duck and rabbit and certainly could get anything in. Just call us. But I would recommend a big juicy buffalo steak on the grill.