Making a Commitment to Safety

At Cordray's we strive to help you get the most from your deer. Over the last 16 years, we have continued to add safety features to ensure the proper handling of your meat. Because venison is harvested differently than beef and pork products, our safety and handling procedures must be more diligent than your standard butcher shop.

Our part of the commitment to your safety...

1. Our Number One priority is to provide for your safe and edible venison. Because of that, there are times we will refuse to process a deer that is diseased, in poor condition, or has been mishandled in the field. Since cooked products are batched (many orders put together), we allow only the very best meat to be added to smoked products. When you visit our facility, you will see that we stress cleanliness and safety in every phase of processing. We will not take chances with our name or your health.

2. We will skin, wash and chill your deer to 34°F to help protect the venison. Our coolers are monitored constantly for temperature control. No unskinned carcasses are hung in our coolers, so the risk of contamination from hair, fecal matter, ticks and lice ends in the skinning room.

3. All your ground meat is ground with a grinder equipped with bone extractors that catch lead shot and bone chips as the meat is ground. Our meat cutters are trained to check and recheck all cuts for possible bullet fragments. Please be sure to tell us if you know of a missing arrow or blades.

4. Equipment cleanup is handled with high pressure steam sprayers and anti- bacterial washing.

5. Our smoked products are electronically monitored to ensure adequate cooking time and temperature. All products reach an internal temperature of 165°F to reduce the danger of E. Coli, listeria and other pathogens.

6. Members of our staff have attended training in safe meat handling and safety through Clemson University and the American Association of Meat Processors.

Michael C.