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Doing it yourself – butchering and similar tasks


liuzhou

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So many recipes in magazines, newspapers, cookbooks etc. say "Ask your fishmonger/butcher/etc to prepare it for you.

I saw this again today in relation to a recipe for squid. But wait a minute. I love preparing squid. There is a deep pleasure to be found in stripping it of its skin, delving into its inners to extract that bit of plastic it keeps inside, carefully isolating and preserving the valuable ink gland then deciding what to do next.

The local fishmonger here only knows one recipe for squid and prepares it that way. She cross hatches it then cuts it into postage stamp sections. A fine way to do squid and a technique I use often. But sometimes I want rings; sometimes I want to stuff the tubes as they are.

But the real point is that I like to do the preparation myself! One of the joys of cooking squid, which I do at least once a week.

I also get a peculiar pleasure from preparing kidneys. The art of completely removing the core without wasting a gram of the flesh was surely what inspired Shakespeare!

What do you enjoy doing yourself that the cookbooks advise you to have done for you? Or what do you hate doing?

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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I always thought the "get your butcher/fishmonger" to prepare your purchase was an American thing. Most Americans wouldn't know what to do if handed a knife and a rib rack and told to French the ribs. Or if handed a sole and a knife and told to break down the sole into four filets.

What kind of cookbooks are you reading? Chinese? American? European?

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

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My question would be "who has a butcher or fishmonger that would do it?" Yes perhaps in smaller shops but a vast number of us are dealing with large markets and the option does not even exist.

My personal preference is almost always to do it myself. Yes I sometimes wonder why take the time, but I usually learn something. Beboning the veal breast - well I only did it once ;) I am also the kind of person who enjoys peeling and deveining shrimp, and pulling the innards out of squid. That clear "quill" is so cool. I also think it intensifies my connection with the food and prompts me to respect it more.

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Well, to answer your question, I much prefer to do my own butchering when I'm cooking at home. I usually have all the time I need, and can do a cleaner, less wasteful job than my local fishmonger -- who usually has a line of customers, all of whom want him to dispatch their fish quickly.

Recently, I've taken to buying whole pigs (small pigs at least) from my local farm and breaking them down myself. I've grown tired of not knowing where my meat came from. And having to choose from generic-looking cuts, in pastel plastic tubs, wrapped in plastic. I've recently found a nearby ranch that will sell me beef primals. I'm going to give that a shot, next. I know a chef who comes from a ranching family, so I'll ask her to show me how to do it. (There are no butchery classes available locally.)

And yes -- I have a butcher and a fishmonger who will do the work for me. I shop at small markets, where this sort of service never went out of style. But even most megamarts have butchers who still perform these services for their customers -- working the day shift, at least.

Edited by ScoopKW (log)

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

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Heidi has a good point. Most of those personal service butchers and fishmongers have long gone and been replaced by super duper corporate supermarket staff on minimum wage who don't know if they are selling fish or chicken. Well, at least they probably don't know which fish they are selling. Not that I blame the staff at all.

Cookbook writers must live in a different world from the rest of us. Or at least shop in a different one.

But even if I find this mythical store ready to do everything with my food except eat it, I still want to do it myself. For no other reason than that I enjoy it. As Heidi says (again), I feel closer to what I am cooking and feel more able to deal with it.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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I cant break down a whole carcass or even a 1/4.. just don't have the room and tools. along time ago we had it all. But then came the supermarkets and the quick shops. Really nothing wrong with that but, the small grocery in a town of 20,000. NOT GOOD .

I can break down a quail, dove, pheasant, walleye, bass, beef primal, pork primal .. that is about it!!

But i know I could do deer and larger if I had room. I just dont like to waste what I cant use!!

best Bassman

Its good to have Morels

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Local markets here sell peeled garlic. No! No! No!. Peeling and chopping the garlic is my way to loosen up my wrists for the more serious knife skills action which comes next.

And I've heard tales that people buy pre-shredded carrots and even plastic wrapped grated cheese! Is there anything more sensual than standing over the grater smelling the rising scent of perfectly freshly grated solidified cow juice? You even forget the arm ache.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Heidi has a good point. Most of those personal service butchers and fishmongers have long gone and been replaced by super duper corporate supermarket staff on minimum wage who don't know if they are selling fish or chicken. Well, at least they probably don't know which fish they are selling. Not that I blame the staff at all.

This simply isn't true. At least not in the United States. I can walk into any megamart at 9 a.m. and ask a butcher to French a rack of lamb. Roughly half the time, there's a guy in the back who is capable of doing the job. He (or she -- a LOT of good butchers are women) almost ALWAYS works the day shift -- 5 or 6 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m.

After that, you're stuck with the pimple-faced kid who doesn't know what animal "veal" is. But the real butchers are still out there, quietly doing their jobs. The thing is, most customers don't know to ask for personal attention. It's usually there if you want it.

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

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Or if handed a sole and a knife and told to break down the sole into four filets.

Scoop - How do you break down a flat fish into four fillets? I get two. One each side - really top and bottom. Do you cut each of the two down the middle lengthwise to get four?

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Heidi has a good point. Most of those personal service butchers and fishmongers have long gone and been replaced by super duper corporate supermarket staff on minimum wage who don't know if they are selling fish or chicken. Well, at least they probably don't know which fish they are selling. Not that I blame the staff at all.

This simply isn't true. At least not in the United States. I can walk into any megamart at 9 a.m. and ask a butcher to French a rack of lamb. Roughly half the time, there's a guy in the back who is capable of doing the job. He (or she -- a LOT of good butchers are women) almost ALWAYS works the day shift -- 5 or 6 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m.

After that, you're stuck with the pimple-faced kid who doesn't know what animal "veal" is. But the real butchers are still out there, quietly doing their jobs. The thing is, most customers don't know to ask for personal attention. It's usually there if you want it.

I don't know about that. I live in the US, and when I want a special cut prepared, I know to call ahead and ask for it. The last time I did it, the 'butcher' assured me he knew exactly how to do it, and when I picked it up, it looked like the poster child for 'This is NOT how to do this!' I find that real butchers are rare around here, and if you want it done right, you had better learn how to do it yourself.

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I must try KW's strategy of going early to a market to find a "real" butcher--because as far as I can tell, they have all disappeared. But of course, do I want the supermarket meat anyway?

I prefer to do my own butchering. While I will buy boned or cut-up chicken parts when I am in a hurry, one thing I always do myself is boning and butterflying a leg of lamb. No one but me will take the time to remove every last vestige of silver skin and cut the meat into an even thickness. I love doing this. I also love making a perfect crown roast of pork.

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I don't know about that. I live in the US, and when I want a special cut prepared, I know to call ahead and ask for it. The last time I did it, the 'butcher' assured me he knew exactly how to do it, and when I picked it up, it looked like the poster child for 'This is NOT how to do this!' I find that real butchers are rare around here, and if you want it done right, you had better learn how to do it yourself.

Note, I said "half the time" you'll find a guy in the back who knows his stuff. That's where the whole "develop a relationship with your butcher" thing comes in. I've found good butchers in the unlikeliest of places -- Costco, for instance. Your mileage will certainly vary, and the more "neighborhood" the market is, the better the chances. But I've had good luck with this. Nice when you can head to the meat dept., put in an order, shop, and then pick up your order. Especially when time is a concern.

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

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I like to know I can butcher a pig or lamb, and can fillet a fish. I just don't always want to.

I always used to take my fish straight from the slab. I now nearly always let the fishmonger at least gut and scale. Better to clog up their sink and stink out their bins than mine. I usually have to take a few scales off at home, they do a quick job.

Because this year I have 3 pigs getting fat, and would never leave one on it's own, I'll have 3 carcasses back from the abattoir. I can break them down from a whole carcass, but a pig fattened for bacon and salami is a hefty unit, and my cold room is a chest freezer turned on in bursts, so getting back the primals makes life easier. And having the butcher bone the loin is a neater job than I can do. I've practiced a bit, but there's only so much loin I want left stuck to the ribs. But after that I like to get my own saw, cleaver and knives out. I can change my mind about exactly what I'm going to make rather than having to plan it in advance without seeing exactly what back fat and marbling I have.

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Well, to answer your question, I much prefer to do my own butchering when I'm cooking at home. I usually have all the time I need, and can do a cleaner, less wasteful job than my local fishmonger -- who usually has a line of customers, all of whom want him to dispatch their fish quickly.

Recently, I've taken to buying whole pigs (small pigs at least) from my local farm and breaking them down myself. I've grown tired of not knowing where my meat came from. And having to choose from generic-looking cuts, in pastel plastic tubs, wrapped in plastic. I've recently found a nearby ranch that will sell me beef primals. I'm going to give that a shot, next. I know a chef who comes from a ranching family, so I'll ask her to show me how to do it. (There are no butchery classes available locally.)

And yes -- I have a butcher and a fishmonger who will do the work for me. I shop at small markets, where this sort of service never went out of style. But even most megamarts have butchers who still perform these services for their customers -- working the day shift, at least.

We also like to get the whole animal and have butchered lambs and small pigs. Beef is next for us also. There are quite a few good instructional videos on the net showing how to butcher beef.

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Most butchers in the US are union employees and make a pretty hefty wage. Like Scoop, I have found really good butchers who are willing to cut meat to order at Costco and Sam's Club. I contrast that to my local "butcher" who managed to screw up a prime rib I special ordered for Christmas a few years ago. This guy's family has owned the local butcher shop for 60 years and from what I can tell, this particular butcher learned nothing by doing and probably figured meat-cutting was genetic or learned by osmosis.

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A recent book may be of benefit for those wishing to do more home butchering. I recommend getting a copy of "The Art of Beef Cutting: A Meat Professional's Guide to Butchering and Merchandising" by Kari Underly. The meat cases at Costco contain the larger sections before they are trimmed to the individual trays. This book helps show how those larger cuts can be trimmed and broken down. As one review indicated, this is certainly a step further than Meat 101.

"A cloud o' dust! Could be most anything. Even a whirling dervish.

That, gentlemen, is the whirlingest dervish of them all." - The Professionals by Richard Brooks

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At least not in the United States. I can walk into any megamart at 9 a.m. and ask a butcher to French a rack of lamb.

Please don't walk into a magamart in the UK and ask the butcher to French a rack of lamb. You will be arrested and the key thrown away! Slightly different meaning in British English. :smile:

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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