Watching a master break down a steer at the Stockyards show changed my whole approach

I was at the Fort Worth Stockyards last fall, just watching the demonstrations. This old timer, must have been 70 years old, took a whole steer apart in under 30 minutes with maybe 4 knife strokes. I timed him. He used almost no sawing motion, just long precise cuts following the natural seams. It made me realize I was fighting the meat instead of working with it. Has anyone else picked up a technique from just watching someone work that totally changed how you break down a carcass?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenniferw821mo ago

Wait, did he really only use four strokes on the whole steer? That's insane, sounds like pure magic.

riveradams1mo ago

Honestly, pure magic would be if he did it in one stroke.