Butchery and Sausage-Making For Dummies

Tia Harrison is co-founder of The Butcher's Guild, executive chef and co-owner of Sociale Restaurant, and co-owner of Avedano's Meats, a neighborhood butcher shop that focuses on whole animal butchery. Tia is passionate about food, education, and reviving the dying art of butchering by hand in addition to supporting small farms and sustainable food systems.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Conventions Used in This Book 2What You’re Not to Read 2Foolish Assumptions 3How This Book is Organized 3Part I: Time to Meet Your Meat! 3Part II: Poultry, Rabbit, and Lamb Butchery 4Part III: Pork Butchery 4Part IV: Beef Butchery 4Part V: Sausage-Making and Using the Whole Animal 4Part VI: The Part of Tens 5Icons Used in This Book 5Where to Go from Here 5Part I: Time to Meet Your Meat! 7Chapter 1: The Butchery Room 9Understanding the Importance of Ye Ol’ Butcher Shoppe 10Identifying what butchers do 11Patronizing your local shop 14Assuming the Role of Butcher in Your Own Home 14Knowledge and equipment you need 15The benefits of butchering your own meat 15Preserving Traditions: Sausage-Making and Other Preservation Methods 17Making sausage 17Other preservation techniques 19Promoting Healthy Food Systems 19Chapter 2: Meat is Meat, Right? Wrong! 21Knowing What You’re Getting 21You say “tomato”; I say “porcupine” — Playing the name game 22Think cooking instead of cutting 22Deciphering labels 24Focusing on Flavor 26The amount and kind of fat 26The age of the animal 28The meat’s grade 28Whether the meat is dry or wet aged 29Ensuring you get the best flavor 30Broadening Your Definition of “Good” 31Chapter 3: Cuts and Terminology: The Basics of Butchery 33Breaking It Down the Easy Way: Meat Maps 34Making Heads or Tails of Butchery Terminology 36Keeping track of body parts and positions 36Understanding cut terminology 38Breaking news: Bench (or table) or hanging 38Sourcing the Freshest Cuts from the Supplier or Meat Counter 39Finding a reputable supplier 39Judging freshness at the meat counter 40Identifying standard and specialty cuts 41Substituting Cuts in Recipe Planning 41Braising, slow cooking cuts 41Grilling or quick-searing cuts 42Roasting cuts 43Chapter 4: Basic Knife Skills, Tools, and Techniques 45Knives, Mallets, and More: Gathering Your Butchery Tools 46The essential cutting implements 46Other necessary items 48Useful but nonessential items 49Making Confident and Fluid Cuts: Basic Grips and Posture 49Get a grip! Holding your knife properly 50Maintaining good posture 52Special Techniques Every Butcher Should Know 53Denuding 53Cutting steaks 54Frenching 55Butterflying 56Cubing meats for braising 58Being Safe While Using Sharp Pointy Metal Tools 58Part II: Poultry, Rabbit, and Lamb Butchery 61Chapter 5: Duck, Duck, Goose, Chickens: Starting with Poultry 63A Word about Cutting Up Birds 64Getting familiar with poultry musculature 65Basic chicken-butchering tools and techniques 66Pieces of Eight: Cutting Up a Fryer 67Removing the head and feet 67Removing the wings 68Removing the legs 69Cutting out the spine 70Splitting the breast 72Dividing the legs into two pieces 73Finishing up 73Cutting the Chicken into Five Equal Portions 74Freeing the oysters 74Removing the legs and spine 75Sectioning the wing portions 76Making Boneless, Skinless Chicken Pieces 77Removing the skin 77Cutting up the skinned chicken 78Deboning the breast 78Deboning the thigh and drumsticks 79Impressing Your Neighbors: Boneless Chicken Halves 81Chapter 6: What’s Up, Doc? Rascally Rabbits! 85Cutting Up Fryers and Roasters 85Removing the offal and silver skin 86Removing the back legs 87Removing the front legs 88Cutting through the ribs 88Removing the pelvis 90Sectioning the saddle 90Portioning the loin 91Finishing up the rack 92Deboning the Rabbit 93Removing the rib cage 94Cutting out the skeleton 95Removing the leg bones 96Removing the arm bones 97Chapter 7: Baaaaack to Basics: Lamb and Goat Butchery 99Getting to Know Your Little Bovids 99The lowdown on lamb 100Getting (to know) your goat 100Covering Lamb and Goat Butchery Basics 101On the bench or on the hook? 101The cuts 101Dealing with the Neck/Shoulder 104Slicing the Skirt Free 105Removing the Flank 106Two Tasks in One: Removing the Breast and Foreshank 107Removing the foreshank 107Removing the breast 108Removing the Hindshanks 109Using a saw to remove the hindshank 109Using a boning knife to remove the hindshank 110Removing the Shoulder 111The Leg 112Removing the legs from the loin 112Sawing the legs in two 114Working with the Rib 115Separating the rib from the loin 115Chining the rib 116Cutting Denver ribs 118Portioning the rib chops 118The Loin 119Part III: Pork Butchery 121Chapter 8: Porky Pig: Understanding the Beast 123Pork and Pigs: Getting to Know the Beast 124Pork production 125Weighty matters: Making sense of pork poundage 125Pork’s USDA identification categories 125Fundamentals of Pork Butchery 126Inspecting the carcass 126Paying attention to safety issues 127Getting Familiar with Pig Primals, Subprimals, and Retail Cuts 127First and second cuts: Primals and subprimals 127The retail cuts 129Chapter 9: Pork: Cutting It Up 133A Bit of Advice before You Begin 133Removing the Head 134Removing the Front Trotters (Feet) 136Removing the trotters with your boning knife 136Removing the trotters by sawing 137Removing the Foreshanks 138Splitting the Breast-plate 139Dealing with the Shoulders 140Removing the shoulders 140Splitting the shoulders in two 142Trim work: Cleaning up the shoulder 143Removing the Hind Trotters 143Sectioning the Legs from the Loin 144Freeing the legs from the belly 144Separating the loin from the legs 145Sawing the legs in two 146Removing the Pork Skirt Steaks 147Cutting the Belly from the Loin 148Chapter 10: Moving into Pork Subprimals 151From the Shoulder: The Boston Butt and Pork Shoulder (Picnic) 152Separating the Boston butt from the picnic 152Making retails cuts from the picnic 156Producing Retails Cuts from the Loin 158Cutting center loin chops 158Boneless loin roast and chops 161Baby back ribs 164Removing the tenderloin 165Porterhouse or T-bone steaks 166Getting Great Cuts from the Leg (or Ham) 167Spareribs from the Pork Belly 169Trimming Meat for Grind 170Part IV: Beef Butchery 173Chapter 11: What’s Your Beef? Understanding the Cuts 175The Lowdown on Beef Butchery 175Muscles matter! Paying attention to beef musculature 176Maximizing flavor and tenderness 177Playing it safe 178Dividing Up the Task: Primals, Subprimals, and Retail Cuts 178Forequarter and hindquarter primals and subprimals 179The retail cuts 180Chapter 12: Beef: The Forequarter 185Breaking the Forequarter: The Basics 185Fashioning a hook and rail 186Cutting on the rail 187Removing the Outside Skirt (Rail) 189Separating Out the Chuck, Arm, and Brisket from the Plate and Rib (Rail) 190Step 1: Marking the chuck and rib 191Step 2: Separating the rib from the chuck 192Step 3: Scoring the brisket 193Step 4: Removing the arm from the chuck 193Step 5: Removing the brisket 195Step 6: Removing the neck meat and atlas joint 196Step 7: Removing the flat iron 197Step 8: Removing the chuck 198Squaring Up the Chuck Short Ribs (Rail) 199Sectioning the Rib from the Plate (Rail) 201Trimming the Brisket (Bench) 202Trimming the Flat Iron (Bench) 203Removing the Foreshank (Bench) 205Cutting the foreshank from the arm 205Osso bucco 206The Arm/Shoulder Clod (Bench) 206Removing the arm bone 207Extracting the petite filet 208Preparing a cross rib roast 209Tying the arm roast 210The Rib and Bone-in Ribeye Steaks (Bench) 210Cutting bone-in rib eyes 210Frenching the bone-in rib eye 211Chuck Short Ribs (Bench) 212Fabricating the chuck roll 212Seaming out the mock tender 213Removing the neck and spine 214The last stages of the chuck 216On the Bench: The Plate 217Removing the inside skirt 217Cutting the short ribs 217Cleaning the breastbones 219Chapter 13: Beef: The Hindquarter 221Breaking the Hindquarter: The Basics 221Removing the Elephant Ear (Rail) 223Pulling the Cod Fat (Rail) 224Dealing with the Flank 225Removing the flank (rail) 225Freeing the flank steak (bench) 226Pulling the Tri-Tip (Rail) 227Removing the Full Loin (Rail) 228Removing and Portioning the Round (Rail) 230Removing the knuckle from the round 230Cutting the top sirloin free from the round 231Removing the gooseneck (bottom round) 233Cutting the Full Loin Down (Bench) 234Removing the flank from the full loin 234Seaming out the inside skirt 235Seaming out the bottom sirloin flap (bavette steak) 236Cutting the Tri-Tip Free (Bench) 237Separating the Short Loin from the Sirloin (Bench) 238Taking Care of the Top Sirloin (Bench) 239Removing the head filet 239Deboning the top sirloin 240Cutting Steaks from the Short Loin (Bench) 241Cutting bone-in steaks 242Frenching the bone-in steaks 242Producing Osso Bucco from the Hindshank (Bench) 243Part V: Sausage-Making and Using the Whole Animal 245Chapter 14: Setting Yourself Up for Sausage 247Gathering the Right Equipment 247Thinking about your sausage-making needs 248Choosing a grinder 248Looking at mixers 249Have stuffer, will sausage 251Other essentials 252A word about casings 252Picking from a Plethora of Sausages 254Common sausage flavor combos 254Types of sausages 255Chapter 15: Sausage-Making Techniques 257Getting in Touch with Your Inner Nerd: Sausage Science 257Using quality ingredients 258Getting the right amount of moisture 258Achieving the right texture 259Ensuring a good bind 259Using the proper technique 260Fermented sausages and guarding against botulism 261Making Sausage: The Basic Steps 262Gathering your ingredients 262Preparing the meat for grinding 264Chilling the meat before grinding and mixing 265Grinding and mixing your sausage 265Stuffing the sausage into the casing 268Tying the knot: Linking and drying sausages 269Hanging your links to dry 270Storing Your Sausage 271Chapter 16: Scrumptious Sausage Recipes 273Chicken and Rabbit Sausage 274Beef Sausage 280Pork Sausage 285Lamb and Goat Sausage 294Chapter 17: Processing Techniques: The Good Kind 299Whole-Muscle Curing 299Following the general process 300Identifying the equipment you need 301Ensuring safe curing practices 302Time for the cure 303Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em 305Gathering (or building) your equipment 305Choosing your wood chips 306Smoking tips 307Making bacon 307From Scraps to Elegant Dining: Pâté, Terrines, and More 307Making a meat paste: Pâtés 308Creating scrumptious layers: Terrines 308Upping the elegance factor: Galantines 309Stocks and Sauces: It’s All Gravy, Baby 309The secrets to a solid stock 310Whipping up a hearty sauce 311Praise the Lard, Save the Fats 312Part VI: The Part of Tens 313Chapter 18: Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid When Butchering 315Keeping a Messy Workspace 315Letting Your Meat Get Warm 316Not Following the Separation of Time or Space Rule 316Not Watching Your Posture 316Improperly Storing Your Meat 317Letting Your Knives Get Dull 318Wasting Perfectly Useful Scrap 318Rushing through the Process 318Being Careless or Distracted 319Being Fearful 319Chapter 19: Top Ten Grilling Cuts 321Chicken — The Whole Thing, Every Last Part 321Ribs, Any Kind 322Hamburgers, That Glorious Staple 322Show Me Some Leg, Lamb 323Flat Steaks and Their Three-Dimensional Flavor 323Pork Chops — Brine and Shine 324Flat Iron, a Butchers’ Discovery 324Lamb Saratoga, a Treasure Seeker’s Prize 324Strip Steak, America’s Sweetheart 325The Rib Eye — There, I’ve Said It 325Chapter 20: Ten Sssshhhhausage-Making Secrets 327Keep It Cool 327Keep It Clean 328Keep Notes 328Grind It Right 328Get in the Mix 329Test the Texture and Taste 329Hone Your Stuffing Technique 330Practice Linking Tricks 331Store the Sausage Properly 331Use Quality Seasonings 331Index 333