Had a chat with an old timer at the shop last Tuesday that got me thinking

This guy Bill, he's been breaking down beef since the 70s. We were just bullshitting before the morning rush and he said something about how we used to get whole carcasses and break them down from scratch. He told me 'you kids never learned the real cuts because everything comes in boxes now.' It hit me because he was right. I've been doing this ten years and I can name every primal on a steer but put a whole hanging half in front of me and I'd be lost for a bit. We spent the next hour with a carcass and he showed me where the deckle fat sits on a brisket and why it matters. Made me wonder how many other things I'm doing the easy way without knowing the real way. Anyone else ever have an old timer call them out on something?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyg141mo ago

But isn't there something to be said for learning the craft the way we do it now? I get why Bill feels that way, but modern meat processing exists for a reason. Consistency, safety, and scale all matter just as much as knowing the old school breakdown. Ive broken down plenty of whole animals myself, but I still grab boxed primals most of the time because my customers want predictable results, not a history lesson on deckle fat.

haydenbutler1mo ago

Boxed primals are fine for volume but knowing the whole breakdown makes you a better butcher, not just a meat slicer. The old school stuff is where you learn the little details that keep things consistent even when the box changes.