Any body know of any Butchering classes/ workshops

kwagner21 · #1 10/04/12, 09:19 AM

We have been butchering our own deer for a few years now, and also raise cows and are starting on pigs for meat, but we send those to the butcher. Although we can butcher, our cuts are not exactly what you would call standand. We kind of make it up as we go, I guess, so I started thinking I need some kind of butchering class or workshop. But I can't seen to find any. Anyone have any idea where to look? I looked at cornell cooperative, but couldn't find it, at least in our local one. I will try sending out an email to them, maybe they know of some place, but I also thought I would ask here. any ideas?? Oh and I am in Central NY.

unregistered168043 · #2 10/04/12, 09:23 AM

There are some pretty detailed videos around, do a google search there is one that uses every scrap of deer meat...probably useful for domestic critters too.

FarmboyBill · #3 10/04/12, 10:26 AM

A year ago I put on a post here stateing id pay whatever was right for anybody who would make a DVD of butchering a cow, hog, goAT AND RABBIT. nEVER GOT A TAKER.

ninny · #4 10/04/12, 10:53 AM

Check out this website, it may help...

Meat Cutting- DVD's. Video Clips of All DVD's!

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coup · #5 10/04/12, 04:51 PM

youtube or ask to watch a local butcher..........

Whisperwindkat · #6 10/04/12, 05:10 PM

I agree...youtube. There is a very detailed series on how to butcher a hog. I watched that series over and over. By hog number 3 my cuts were pretty darn good and would have looked just fine in any butcher case.

**highlands** · #7 10/04/12, 05:24 PM

In preparation for opening our own butcher shop my wife, our son and I apprenticed for 18 months with Cole Ward, a master butcher of 45 years. He is a most excellent teacher. Recently he brought out a DVD series that covers beef, lamb and pigs. Other animals are similar. It is not very expensive and very well worth getting.

Cole Ward DVD | Sugar Mountain Farm

greg_n_ga · #8 10/04/12, 06:12 PM

One of our local grocery stores is needing a meat cutter/manager now. Has for a few weeks. Was wondering myself......where does one learn this trade ?? Everybody has got to start somewhere. I can do all for myself....but being able to cut for somebody commercially, I would probly make a fool of myself !!But to stay on topic......I would say your local butcher. Maybe go help him fer nothing...to learn !! I know I would if it fit my schedule !!

julieq · #9 10/04/12, 08:13 PM

Some friends are due to be delivering a couple of deer to us early next week. DH has never butchered one and it's been about 35 years since I helped butcher one.

We googled it of course, but basically we're going to wing it. I figure it'll be like riding a bike and I'll remember back to helping my parents butcher deer every year to fill the freezer and canning jars. At the price of beef right now, how can we go wrong?!

If a friend were kind enough to send us a steer right now, I'd butcher that too!

FarmboyBill · #10 10/04/12, 08:23 PM

highlands, it says there temporly unavailable

gone-a-milkin · #11 10/04/12, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greg_n_ga

One of our local grocery stores is needing a meat cutter/manager now. Has for a few weeks. Was wondering myself......where does one learn this trade ?? Everybody has got to start somewhere. I can do all for myself....but being able to cut for somebody commercially, I would probly make a fool of myself !!But to stay on topic......I would say your local butcher. Maybe go help him fer nothing...to learn !! I know I would if it fit my schedule !!

My DH is a grocery store meat market manager, and also my step-dad was a Union meat cutter in a packing plant.
I have been in and around the meat shop all my life.

The way it usually works is you start at the bottom.
You get hired as a 'cleaner'.
You get good at cleaning the saws and taking apart the grinder, sterilizing it, and putting it back together.
You get to use bleach and do mopping and fun stuff like that.
Oh, and you get to lump boxes, unload pallets.

Then, if you will actually pay attention to sanitation and show yourself to be intelligent enough not to get the store sued,
they let you wrap.
Do the scales and tray stuff and put stickers on.
Push the carts around and pull stuff that is close to its date.

Then you get to use the grinder.
You would be surprised how many people are scared of that big machine.
But once you have taken it apart and put it back together a few times, that changes.

If you are still tracking the program you get to start making some cuts.
By then you have seen and lumped and wrapped and stacked all the cuts.
You have seen the other folks make those cuts before and that helps a lot.

If you are mostly awake and a self-motivated learner at all, you can move up pretty quick.
Every butcher I have known has their preferred tasks.
They will do *only* that and leave everything else to lesser mortals., if they can get away with it.

It is something you really can only learn from experience, and it does help tremendously if you have a twisted sense of humor.

big rockpile · #12 10/04/12, 09:19 PM

Interesting I was raised cutting all our Meat never thought it was something learned,this being said I taught my wife and several neighbors.

There is Basic Cuts but all can be varied and depends what equipment you have and use you have for the Animal.Like when I was growing up Whole Hogs were Cured.

Anymore Cut most into Roast because it is easier to Cook up in Slow Cooker but we can Cut Steaks later if wanted.Grind alot for Burger or Suasage.

big rockpile

FarmboyBill · #13 10/04/12, 09:35 PM

First ya say you didnt know it was something you learned, than you say you taught 1/2 the county lol.

TnAndy · #14 10/04/12, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whisperwindkat

I agree...youtube. There is a very detailed series on how to butcher a hog. I watched that series over and over. By hog number 3 my cuts were pretty darn good and would have looked just fine in any butcher case.

Yep...me too. Plus any mistakes in cutting are called "sausage"

Seriously, it ain't rocket science.....watch YouTube, or buy a couple of DVD's and study them. (FarmBoyBill: DVD's are all over the internet.....)

The biggest obstacle most folks will face is having a decent place to work, and a cooler to chill the meat down quick so you are not dependent on the weather ( which can be real fickle here ). That's WHY the wife came home one day to find a hole sawed in the back wall of our garage and me adding a "meat room" on the back.........imagine the look on her face when she rolled the garage door up and found:

Any body know of any Butchering classes/ workshops - Homesteading Questions

But she was feeling better by the time I got it looking like this:

Any body know of any Butchering classes/ workshops - Homesteading Questions

NickyBlade · #15 10/05/12, 06:10 AM

TnAndy... THAT is awesome!

TnAndy · #16 10/05/12, 06:21 AM

Nicky,

You can thank a guy up your way for the inspiration. Guy in NY makes the COOLBOT controller that lets you use a window AC for the refrigeration in home built walk in coolers. ( I found a 2nd hand commercial door, a 2nd hand 10,000 BTU window AC, and the rest is home built ).

Store It Cold with CoolBot!

kwagner21 · #17 10/05/12, 08:15 AM

that is very impressive. I wouldnt' complain at all if my husband built that!! I was thinking of asking our custom butchering to help for free here and there, even to to watch. I'm thinking that might be the best bet. I figured there had to be other people out there wondering which is why I asked. I've read a lot of books on the subject and watched some of the stuff online, but I think I just learn from doing more.

FarmboyBill · #18 10/05/12, 11:20 AM

ANDY U say there are DVDs all over the place. U talking about on U tubes. I cant watch for hardly anytime before the magic circle comes on and the picture shuts off.

Silvercreek Farmer · #19 10/05/12, 01:44 PM

Looking good Andy! To the OP, my cuts started looking at lot nicer when I used a sawzall to split the animal I was butchering down the spine. Usually though, just as I am starting to get good, butchering season is over, and I have to relearn the next year! The steer was probably the hardest because you have to separate muscle groups to get your different cuts. Sheep are probably the easiest as a leg is just a leg. Hogs aren't too bad either.

CesumPec · #20 10/05/12, 02:39 PM

last Saturday U of Florida held a wild game butchering class. they have a meat processing curriculum so they have amphitheater style classrooms with ceiling mounted racks to roll out hanging animals ready to be processed. The guts just fall on the floor and after the class is over, they have a steam and water hose to wash down everything. Very cool set up.

They sure made it "look" easy and the instructor got a couple of wild hogs down to hanging carcass in an hour or so while still taking the time to show and explain every step along the way. I can't wait to give it a go.

I also learned something totally unrelated and incredibly useful during this class. While on a break, I and another guy, unknown to me, were standing in the bathroom taking care of business and trying not to notice each other...ordinary proper bathroom etiquette. When behind us a woman comes out of one of the stalls, covering her face, obviously horror struck, apologizing over and over. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize this was the men's room, I'm sorry! I"M SORRY!" And she ran out of the bathroom without washing her hands.

What did I learn? That it is very difficult to maintain proper aim when standing at the urinal laughing.