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Rant: The day a customer showed me how to break down a hog and I changed my whole approach
I used to just hack through bone with a cleaver no matter what part I was cutting. Then last fall a retired farmer came into my shop in Des Moines and watched me struggle with a shoulder. He said "son, you're fighting the animal instead of working with it" and showed me how to find the natural seams with just a boning knife. Took me maybe 20 minutes longer than my usual way but the meat came out way cleaner with less waste. Now I teach all my new guys to look for those seams first. Anyone else have a customer who taught you something you still use every day?
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fionafoster4mo ago
Honestly that bit about "fighting the animal instead of working with it" really hit me. I think a lot of people in this trade get so focused on speed and just getting through the job that they forget the animal's anatomy is literally designed to come apart if you know where to look. The shoulder seam thing is huge, that's where most beginners waste the most meat just hacking away. It's the same with ribs too, if you take the time to feel for the cartilage connections instead of sawing through bone you get way nicer racks. A few extra minutes upfront saves you like an hour of cleaning up ragged cuts and gristly bits later.
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nancy_wood4mo ago
You ever had to break down a whole hog on a hot day with flies buzzing around you? Because that's where that “work with it” advice really sinks in, you know? I remember this one time I was helping a buddy with a pig he'd raised himself, and we were both sweating and rushing, and I just started yanking on a hind leg like an idiot. He stopped me and showed me how the ball joint in the hip pops out if you twist it just right, and I swear it felt like the pig was helping us after that. It's like the carcass has its own secrets, and if you're too bull-headed to listen, you're just making more work for yourself (and a messier end product). Makes you wonder how many good cuts we've mangled just 'cause we were in a hurry to get to the beer.
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