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.

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3 Comments

hugog436mo ago

Cutting your time in half? Guess you'll have to find something else to do with all those extra seven minutes.

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smith.anna6mo ago

My buddy who works at a meat counter mentioned something similar. He said breaking down by muscle groups first is a game changer for pork, but beef clods have a different grain and connective tissue. It might still save time, but you have to be more careful not to tear the meat. I'd be curious to hear if anyone's tried it on a brisket flat too.

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thompson.finley3mo ago

Read a butcher's blog saying brisket flat is dicey with that method, easy to shred.

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