Background:
Old Major Market is an Indianapolis-based producer of artisanal meats and provisions. They specialize in sausages, bacon, and other value-add proteins. They proudly work with Indiana farmers that implement sustainable farming practices and raise their animals without antibiotics or hormones. They care about their product and needed equipment that would keep them delivering the high-quality, affordable, and delicious meals that their customers have come to expect.
No Brick-and-Mortar
In 2016 Mark Lafay (Owner) began his venture of providing the highest quality, locally sourced, artisanal meats possible, and Old Major Market was born. A unique aspect of Old Major Market is that they do not have a physical brick-and-mortar location. They are a virtual butcher shop and operate mostly online, through farmer markets, or by special appointment at their private kitchen. Mr. Lafay expressed that they decided to go this route to reduce overhead costs and other high-risk issues that tend to come with a brick-and-mortar. While he hasn’t ruled out establishing a physical location in the future, for now, you will only be able to purchase their delicious products at their online shop, which ships across the continental U.S.
Top Left – LCH-SK-6-G2 | Top Right – Owner Mark Lafay | Bottom Left – Mark in the Kitchen | Bottom Right – LCH-SK-6-G2
FWE Equipment
Whether you have a brick-and-mortar location or not, it’s critical operators utilize equipment that will not only get the job done but perform consistently and at the highest quality. For an operation such as Old Major Market whose focus is on high-quality artisanal meats, having the wrong equipment can be costly.
These meats tend to be expensive, delicate, and time-consuming, something Mr. Lafay was well aware of. He began looking for the right equipment that could help him solve these issues and found his solution with FWE’s Low-Temperature Cook and Hold Ovens (LCH Series). Specifically, the LCH-6-SK-G2 which includes smoker capabilities.
“Once we saw that we could get a quality product consistent with the product that we’ve been making, we thought, well, let’s pull the trigger and let’s do this.” – Mark Lafay
FWE’s LCH Series is any operator’s dream who is serving large quantities of proteins. These ovens are specifically designed to cook products low and slow to maximize yields and reduce shrinkage. Below are some of the main features of the LCH Series:
- Natural Browning & Reduced Shrinkage – R85/F15 low volume air circulation, 85% radiant / 15% forced air convection – combining radiant and convection heat allows meats to brown naturally and greatly reduces product shrinkage.
- User-friendly Controls – The user-friendly controls enable users to program up to 8 different settings that can be activated with a simple press of a button. Combining this with the internal product probe allows operators to “set and forget” and removes the need for constant monitoring.
- No Hood Required – Save space and money NO costly hood space required or the expensive cost of operating an exhaust or fire extinguisher system. FWE surpasses EPA 202 & ANSI NFPA96 standards. (Local codes prevail)
- Multi-Purpose – When not used for cooking, these ovens can be used for holding prepared foods. When used for reheating or holding prepared foods, these ovens reduce drying, shrinkage, and flavor loss
Additionally, the LCH series can be equipped with Moisture Temperature and Smoker capabilities that can even further enhance the equipment. For example, our LCH-6-MT includes 3 levels of controlled moisture allowing food service operators to heat foods faster than traditional Cook & Hold Ovens while maintaining better food quality and product texture. Meanwhile, our LCH-6-SK-G2 possesses up to 4 hours of smoking capability in the “smoke drawer” using wood chips. The flush-mounted smoke drawer is easily accessible for safety and cleanliness and allows for chip refills without removing the product.
FWE manufactures over 20 different models of LCH ovens with customizable options to fit every operator’s unique needs. We also provide a free Cook and Hold Yield Calculator that shows how much money operators could save and how much bigger their yields could be while utilizing an LCH oven.
Customization
The Issue – Mr. Lafay was utilizing outdoor smokers to produce high volumes of smoked meat but didn’t have precise control over the temperatures, therefore it required constant monitoring. Mr. Lafay loved the idea of being able to smoke his products inside with our LCH-6-SK-G2 but was concerned that they would not be able to replicate the same smoke flavor that their “stick burner” smoker was able to provide.
The Solution – Our engineers immediately took on the challenge and got right to work. During the buying process, we had much back-and-forth testing and tinkering with Mr. Lafay to ensure we meet the exact specifications that were needed. The air intake, exhaust, and other processes needed to be precise in order to replicate the flavor their customers have come to know, and we were able to come up with a solution that met Old Major Market’s needs. Our engineers were able to design a completely customized door specifically for these units that were able to accomplish their needs and produce an even better final product than before.
“One of the things that FWE was cool about was bringing up a unit in for us to tinker with and do some testing. We did quite a bit of testing, just trying to figure out how we could get the appropriate amount of air intake, the right amount of exhaust, and all that good stuff. And we were able to come up with a solution that met our needs, and we gave the feedback back to FWE. Their engineers rocked out a new door design for us, brought it up, tested it out, worked perfectly, and we haven’t gone back.” – Mark Lafay (Owner)
