I was at my local butcher yesterday picking up some ridiculously expensive Berkshire pork spareribs, and noticed that they're offering a butcher class. You and 5 others for $300, will break down half a pig and half a lamb, and get to bring home 10 lbs of meat. Or, for $400 you can do a 1 on 1 class where you'll break down 1/2 a pig and a whole lamb, and get to bring home 10 lbs of meat.
I'm curious, has anyone every taken a butcher course? What did you learn? Did you like it? Was it worth it?
I took a whole hog class where we broke down a pig into primals and then processed into prosciutto, salumi, roasts, and fresh sausage. I even got to take home the head, which made a great stock. The instructor made a porchetta de testa, an amazingly difficult preparation that was fun to watch and very delicious. It was a great experience and I learned a great deal. If the teacher is really good, it is worth doing.
That is steep, but still might be worth it. I think my class was $175, six people, and we got a cured meat (including a couple pounds of excellent prosciutto six months later) in addition to the take home pork. Still, these classes can be fantastic, and yours includes lamb.
You might not get free meat but you might want to check out the vocational school around you. I know the one around me offers a night meat cutting class. Last time I looked I think it was about $80.
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