I think the push for whole animal butchery is overrated for most shops

For years I tried to do full carcass breakdowns in my small shop in Boise. It took me about 45 minutes per lamb and the waste was high without a steady market for offal. About two years ago, I switched to buying mostly primal cuts from a trusted supplier. My prep time dropped by more than half and my case looks just as full. I get that nose-to-tail is the ideal, but for a three-person shop moving volume, it just wasn't working. Has anyone else made this switch and found a better balance?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunar471mo ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my uncle's butcher shop (and @ivanpatel is right, some skills are just old).

evan_dixon672mo ago

What about the lost skill and local connection?

ivanpatel2mo ago

Honestly Evan, "lost skill and local connection" sounds like something from a town hall meeting flyer. Tbh I'm not sure what skill we're all supposed to be missing out on, remembering a phone number? The local connection part just makes me picture asking the grocery store cashier for life advice, which is a hard pass. Ngl the whole thing feels like people are just trying to make a simple problem sound deep.