Took a class on whole-animal butchering last month and it changed how I break down hogs

I signed up for a two day class at a shop up in Portland about three weeks ago. We went through a whole hog from start to finish, about 280 pounds. The instructor showed us how to find the natural seams between muscles instead of just cutting straight through. I had been doing it the same way for years, just following the bones. But after that class I tried it on my own hog last Saturday and ended up with way cleaner cuts and less waste. It took me a little longer but the meat looked better and my regular customers noticed the difference. Has anyone else taken a class like this or learned a new technique that changed their routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

adamgreen14h ago

My buddy Dave took a similar class a few years back, not on hogs but on breaking down lamb. He told me the instructor made them feel for the "natural seams" too, just like you said. Before that, Dave said he always just hacked through the meat and ended up with a lot of scrap and uneven cuts. After that class, he said his lamb stew meat and chops looked way more professional. He still does it that way, and I can tell the difference when he brings some over to grill. So I think those classes really do open your eyes to a better way of working with an animal.

alicecooper10h ago

That "hacked through it" line hit home, @adamgreen because I did the exact same thing with my first hog and ended up with a pile of wasted meat. Once you learn to follow those seams everything comes out cleaner and you get way more chops out of it, you ever think about giving it a shot yourself?