Saw a butcher in Boise using a weird old knife for breaking down a whole hog

I was visiting a small shop in Boise last week and the guy behind the counter was using this long, thin, almost flexible knife to separate the ribs. He said his grandpa gave it to him and it was made in the 1950s. I've always used a standard cimeter for that job. Has anyone else seen or used a tool like that for primal cuts?

4 comments

4 Comments

iris57423d ago

Wait, a flexible knife for ribs? That sounds wild. I'd be scared it would bend right into the bone. My old boss tried something like that once. Snapped the tip off in a pork loin.

west.henry23d ago

Your old boss must have been using a filet knife like it was a cleaver. That's a classic move. I've seen guys try to debone a chicken with a paring knife and then act shocked when the handle snaps. Some tools just have a very specific job, and bending them near a bone isn't it.

uma66820d ago

I mean, maybe it's just me but I'd worry about it slipping.

emery_carter20d ago

That old butcher in Boise is probably using a scimitar-style breaking knife. They were common back then, super thin and springy on purpose. The flexibility lets you follow the contour of the ribs without hacking through them, so you waste less meat. It takes a real light touch though, way different from forcing a stiff blade. If you just muscle it like a regular knife, you're gonna fold the tip over or snap it for sure. It's a skill that's kinda dying out because most people just use a thicker blade now.