c/butchers

I always thought the saw was the only way to split a hog, but a guy in Omaha changed my mind

For years, I'd use a bandsaw on every carcass, thinking it was the fastest and cleanest method. Then at a shop in Nebraska, an older butcher watched me for a minute and just said, 'You're working too hard, kid.' He showed me how to use a cleaver and a mallet to follow the natural seams, and it's way faster on the primal cuts. I've saved about 15 minutes per animal since I switched. Anyone else use this old-school method for breaking down larger hogs?

I was reading an old meat science journal from the 80s and found a surprising number about fat trim.

It was a slow Tuesday, so I was flipping through some old trade stuff my boss left in the back office. I found a study from 1983 that said the average consumer at the time would accept a full inch of fat trim on a ribeye. A full inch. I've been cutting for 15 years, and we aim for a quarter inch at my shop in Tacoma. It just blew my mind how much the standard has changed. The article said it was because of taste preferences and cooking methods back then. Now everyone wants it leaner. I wonder if that old-school fat cap actually made for a better eating experience with older, slower cooking gear. Has anyone else come across old specs that are just wild compared to today's work?

Tried a new way to break down a pork shoulder and saved a ton of time

I was working on a whole hog order for a local barbecue joint and had to get through eight shoulders fast. Instead of my usual method, I tried separating the whole muscle groups before cutting through the bone, which I saw in an old video. It cut my breakdown time from about 15 minutes per shoulder down to maybe 7 or 8. Has anyone else tried this approach on pork? I'm curious if it works as well on beef clods.

I was at the new meat market in Portland and saw a butcher using a scimitar for breaking down a side of beef. Never seen that tool used outside of a textbook before.

I finally tried that Japanese whetstone my buddy in Denver kept pushing, after thinking it was just hype.

It took me a full hour to get the angle right on my boning knife, but the edge held through a whole 8-hour shift. Anyone else make the switch from a steel to stones for certain blades?

I switched from a standard boning knife to a curved one for breaking down pork shoulders.

For the past six months, I was using my old straight blade and it was fine, but I always felt a bit slow. Last week I picked up a 6-inch curved boning knife on a friend's advice. The difference in just a few days is crazy, the curve follows the bone shape so much better and I'm getting cleaner pulls. Has anyone else made a simple tool switch that really sped up a common job?

Saw a butcher in Portland using a different way to break down a hog

They were taking the shoulder off in one piece before splitting the spine, which kept the belly whole for better bacon. I'd always done spine first, but this looked way cleaner. Anyone tried this method before?

A talk with my kid's teacher about my hands made me think.

My daughter's school had a career day thing last week, and I went in to talk about being a butcher. After, her teacher pulled me aside and said, 'Your hands tell a whole story, you know.' She wasn't being rude, just noticing all the little scars and calluses. I've had these hands for 22 years in the trade, but I never really saw them as anything but tools. She said it was a sign of real skill and patience, which hit different. I'm so used to people just seeing the blood or the meat, not the craft behind it. It made me realize I downplay my own job a lot when I'm outside the shop. Has anyone else had a moment where someone outside the trade made you see your work in a new light?

TIL most shops in my city are still trimming brisket fat way too thin before smoking.

I've done side-by-side tests for a year now, and leaving a solid quarter inch of fat cap on top gives you way more protection and flavor without making it greasy, so has anyone else tried this thicker trim method?

I used a new kind of saw blade on a side of beef last week and it left a rough, torn surface.

It was a 10-inch blade with a special 'anti-stick' coating I bought online. I was cutting through the ribs and it just seemed to drag and tear the meat instead of slicing clean. The bone dust was worse too. It ruined the presentation on a prime cut for a customer order. I had to go back over everything with my old blade to clean it up. Has anyone else had a bad experience with coated blades for breaking? What's your go-to for clean bone cuts?

My boning knife slipped during a busy Saturday shift

I was breaking down a side of beef at the counter and my hand was slick. The blade went into the cutting board about an inch from my thumb. I just stopped, cleaned everything, and switched to a new knife with a grippier handle. What's your go-to move when a tool feels off during a rush?

My band saw decided to retire mid-pork loin on Friday

The blade snapped and the motor started making a sound like a dying goose, so I had to finish the whole 15-pound cut by hand with a boning knife. Anyone have a good source for a reliable replacement motor, or is it time to just upgrade the whole unit?

Back in 2010, I had to pick between a band saw and a new walk-in cooler

The shop was tight on cash, so it was one or the other. I went with the band saw, thinking I could just keep renting cooler space from the guy down the street. It worked for a while, but that rental fee added up to about $200 a month. Looking back, I wonder if I should have just taken a loan for the cooler. Anyone else ever make a call like that that saved money short term but cost more later?

Hot take: I was sharpening my boning knives wrong for a solid decade

I was working on a big pork shoulder order last week and my blade kept slipping off the bone instead of gliding, which was driving me nuts. My buddy Mike from the shop next door watched for two minutes and said, 'Cora, you're holding the steel at the wrong angle, it's like 10 degrees off.' I switched it up and the next cut was smooth as butter. How many of you learned a basic skill wrong for years before someone caught it?

Had to decide between a new band saw blade or a new boning knife for the shop budget last month.

I went with the knife and spent the next week cutting through a 40-pound pork shoulder like it was butter, but man, trying to break down a side of beef with a dull band saw was a real comedy of errors.

Found a better way to break down a pork shoulder

For years, I just hacked through the seams with a cleaver. Messy. Saw a video from a shop in Kansas City last month. They use a boning knife to find the natural separations first. Took me three tries to get it clean. Now my cuts are way more even. Anyone else switch up their breakdown method recently?

My new boning knife from that shop in Kansas City started chipping after just two weeks on a standard lamb breakdown.

I learned the hard way that a bargain 'professional' steel can't handle the daily grind, so what's your go-to brand for a knife that actually lasts?

I was cutting a pork shoulder at the shop and a customer asked for a specific muscle

A guy came into the shop on Tuesday and asked if I could separate the coppa from the rest of the shoulder for him. I'd always just broken them down into the standard primal cuts. I looked it up, found the seam, and pulled it out clean. It's a much better roast on its own. Now I offer it as an option. Do you guys find many people asking for that specific cut?

Remember when we all bought those fancy digital portion scales?

I dropped about $150 on one of those touchscreen models a few years back, thinking it would speed things up. It lasted maybe six months before the display went out, right in the middle of a big holiday order. Had to scramble with my old manual scale. Anyone else have a good, simple scale they swear by now?

Had a customer ask for a specific cut I'd never heard of before

This older guy came into the shop in Omaha last Tuesday and asked if I could do a 'Denver steak' from a chuck roll. I had to admit I didn't know it. He explained it's a newer cut from the shoulder, super tender if you get the seam right. He was super nice about it and even drew a quick diagram on a paper towel. Has anyone here actually broken one down before? I'm curious about the yield.

Tried a new way to break down a hog shoulder after talking to a guy at the Des Moines meat show.

He said to leave the skin on during the initial split, said it keeps the meat tighter. I tried it on six shoulders last week. The yield was better, but the clean up took longer. Anyone else try this method?

Heard a customer at the shop say they'd never buy a blade roast

I was wrapping up a shoulder cut yesterday when a guy at the counter told his friend, 'I don't get the point of a blade roast, it's just a tough piece.' My boss, without missing a beat, said, 'Slow cook that with some onions for six hours and tell me it's tough.' It made me realize how much we assume customers know about the cuts we sell. How do you all explain the best uses for the less obvious cuts?

The difference in my pork shoulder yield after switching to a new boning knife

For the past month, I've been using that Victorinox 6-inch curved boning knife everyone talks about. My yield on Boston butts went from about 72% usable meat to a solid 78% in just that short time. I was using a cheap, straight blade from a supply house before, and I didn't think it mattered that much. The curve and flexibility of the new knife lets me get right against the bone and scapula so much cleaner. I'm leaving way less good meat behind. Has anyone else seen a jump like that just from a blade change?

Rant: Dropped $450 on a new vacuum tumbler and it's already leaking after 3 weeks

Am I the only one who had a whole hog shoulder that just would not break down right?

I had this Berkshire hog shoulder yesterday that was supposed to be a simple break for sausage. The seam fat was like glue, man. I spent a solid 45 minutes just trying to get a clean separation of the picnic from the butt, when it normally takes me maybe 15. My knife kept catching in this weird, gristly connective tissue. I finally got it done, but my whole prep schedule was shot. Has anyone else run into a cut that just fights you for no clear reason?