chen.casey•23d agoOG Member

Hot take: I've been cutting for 8 years and only hit 50 whole animal breakdowns this month

Everyone talks about numbers like they prove something. I hear guys bragging about doing 20 sides of beef before lunch. But I just hit 50 whole animal breakdowns total across my career and it hit me different. That's a pig, a lamb, or a goat start to finish. Not counting the primal cuts or the prep work. I work at a small shop in Cincinnati where we source from local farms. We do maybe 3 or 4 whole animals a week depending on season. So 50 took me a while. And you know what? I think that number matters more than speed. Because each one taught me something about the muscle groups, the fat distribution, the odd little bones you don't see in a box. Has anyone else tracked their whole animal count and felt like it changed how you approach the craft?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_laura23d ago

Idk that really hits different, 50 is a solid milestone.

owens.cameron23d ago

Yeah man, I had a buddy who turned 50 last spring and he spent the whole week dreading it. Then his wife threw this low key party with just close friends and he ended up saying it was the best night he had in years. Guess it really is more about how you frame it than the number itself.

faith68413d ago

My first 50 took me almost 6 years working at a small farm shop in Kentucky. Each animal taught me something you just can't get from breaking down boxes of primals.