For years, I'd use the same 10 inch breaking knife on everything, even the big shoulder bones. Last month, I was working on a 300 pound Berkshire and felt the blade flex in a way that made my stomach drop. I switched to a dedicated bone saw for the heavy cuts the very next day. It's slower, but my hands don't shake anymore when I hit a joint. Anyone else make a switch like that after a scare?
I still remember the day I mixed up the labels on pork and lamb chops. It was a busy time, and we used old paper tags. A regular customer bought what he thought was lamb and said it tasted wrong. Back then, we did not have digital scales or printed labels like today. My boss had to give a full refund and a discount. I felt very bad, and it taught me to always check twice. I miss how easy those old tags were, but the new ways stop these errors.
Maybe some skills are better learned outside the home.
Walked into Pete's Butchery this morning. They completely redid their dry-aging space. Added new racks and a better cooling system. The brisket they had hanging looked amazing. Owner says it cuts drying time by a few days. Other butchers in town should stop by and see it. Really neat upgrade for our local meat scene.
They showed me how to keep up without losing quality. Made it through without any major mess-ups.
I visited a small shop in Tokyo and their way of breaking down pork was so simple and efficient. We add too many steps here for no real gain.
Back in the day, a dim lamp was all we had. Now with bright LEDs, no more squinting. Still, the old glow had its own vibe.
I got a new band saw for the shop last month. When I cut bone-in pork chops, it leaves small burn marks on the bone. The blade is sharp and I go at a steady pace. Should I change the blade tension or switch to a different blade?
Most butchers use a boning knife. A thin fillet knife lets me slide along the bone without force.