BUTCHERY

WHAT IS BUTCHERY
Butchery is the art of selecting, slaughtering, deboning, cutting and
preparing meat.
Butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell
their meat or do any combination of these three tasks. They may
prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish for sale in
retail or wholesale food establishments. A butcher may be employed
by supermarkets, grocery stores, butcher shops and fish markets or
may be self-employed
SASIKUMAR NATARAJAN - EDUCATIONALIST & HOSPITALITY TRAINER

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUTCHER
• Butchers are professionals who prepare meat for consumers’ use through various processes.
• They are responsible for tenderizing, deboning, trimming, tying, grinding, and handling of meat.
• They also engage in packaging, weighing, labeling, and pricing of meats.
• They work with poultry, beef, pork and sea foods, and could also engage in other meat products like sausages.
• Butchery does not necessarily require formal education but experience matters a lot in this job.
• This is because it requires strength, high level of concentration and eye-to-hand coordination to avoid injuries when
cutting or preparing meats for consumers.
• Butchers are always careful to preserve meats and ensure they are healthy for consumption.
• This is done by refrigerating budgeted or unsold meats.
• They imbibe high level of personal and environmental hygiene to ensure that the meats are not infected or unfit for
human consumption.
• This is because experience will serve for both certificates and any other requirement needed from a potential
employer.

CLASSIFICATION OF MEAT

STAGES IN SLAUGHTERING
Five main stages:
1)Antemortem Inspection 2)Stunning 3)Bleeding 4)Dressing 5)Inspection
1)Ante –mortem Inspection
Brought to slaughter house 24 hours in advance.
Resting.
Inspection for disease, injury, etc.
2)Stunning
Three methods:
1)Captive bolt: large animals, pithing by long metal rod.
2)Electrical Stunning: Small animals, pass current through animal for at least 7 seconds, leaves animal unconscious
for 1 ½ minutes.
3)CO2 stunning: Pigs, pass through tunnel of CO2.
3)Bleeding
Make a small incision at the neck to cut the main blood vessel.
Remove as much blood as possible as it is ideal medium for bacterial growth.
4)Dressing
Remove hide, only hair for pigs.
Offal and viscera are removed and carcass is cleaned.
Large animals cut into two parts from the spine
5)Inspection
Continuous process.
Tagging of carcass and offal may be done.
Done in cooling room under 7C.

SLAUGHTERING TECHNIQUES
In Europe, slaughter houses are called abbatoirs. The slaughter houses have space for meat storage
and deal with large amounts of offals. A slaughter house is functional, compact in space, has
satisfactory working conditions, proper equipment and has provision for the highest sanitary
standards. The different types of meat are: Lamb, Mutton, Beef, Veal, Pork and Game meat.
PRE-SLAUGHTER STEPS:
INSPECTION: animals are inspected by medical inspectors to assess whether the animals are fit for
human consumption, then only, they are deemed fit for slaughtering.
RESTING OF ANIMAL: the animals are kept in clean dry enclosures (pens) to rest for 24 hours. The
animals are given plenty of water during resting.
• It helps to maintain normal heartbeat of the animals
• It helps in the drainage of blood.
• It helps to have normal body temperature as it increases the keeping quality of the carcass
and minimize the bacterial growth.
• It speeds up the glycogen stored in the muscle to turn to lactic acid, which will lower the pH
of the muscles and reduce the growth of bacteria and act as a natural preservative.
• It shortens the rigor mortis (ripening or ageing) period (the carcass is hung in cool
temperature during the period, the muscles become stiff. Certain enzymes/acids are
produced that soften the meat).

FASTING: animals are fasted for at least 8 to 12 hours.
It helps to reduce the amount of undigested food and clean the intestinal tract
Bacterial infection will be minimized
It improves the quality of the meat
The blood left in the tissues will thus be free from absorbed nutrients.
WASHING: after resting and fasting, the animals are passed through a tunnel containing
showers from top and bottom with lukewarm water and the animal is kept on a sliding
platform and is washed from all sides and superficial dirt is removed.
STUNNING: it is to render the animal unconscious so that it may bleed freely and it may
easily be killed. It is also done to avoid pain to the animal, while it is being killed.
Various ways of stunning:
• Knocking: the animal is hit with a heavy hammer (4lbs) on the head to make it
unconscious. Not a very popular method in current scenario.
• Carbon dioxide chamber: the animals are made unconscious by putting them in
these chambers, but not popular as the weak animals may die.
• Cartridge pistols/captive bolts: this is done by damaging the brain by placing the
pistol between the eyes, this renders the animal unconscious.

Electric tongs: this is the most popular method. The ends of tongs are placed behind
the ears and a current (60-70 volts) is passed. This renders the animal unconscious for
about 15-20 minutes.
STICKING: This is done with a knife, 6 inches long blade. It is done very soon after
stunning when the heartbeat rate and blood pressure of animal is high. This helps to
bleed freely. In India, there are two processes: HALAL: Muslims and some of the other
communities prefer this meat, throat is quickly cut with a sharp knife with short
strokes and bled). JHATKA: the head is severed from the body by a single blow from a
long, heavy, butcher’s knife.
BLEEDING: The animals are hung on hooks with their heads downwards, as neither the
animal nor the slaughterer comes into contact with the blood. Drains for the blood
lead outside the building, either to a blood collecting tank or to a processing room.
FLAYING AND CLEANING: in this step, the air is blown between the flesh and skin to
create space and the skin is pulled off. The stomach and intestines are removed,
inspected and sent to the tripery section. Offals are removed and sent to the offal
section. Now the carcass is ready to dissection.

STORAGE OF MEAT
Fresh meats
1 Check purchases on arrival, to ensure that the meat is of good quality.
2 Do not wrap tightly. Bacteria and mold thrive in moist, stagnant places. Air
circulation inhibits their growth. Store loosely, but cover cut surfaces with plastic
wrap to prevent excessive drying.
3 Do not open Cryovac-wrapped meats until ready to use.
4 Store at 32-36ºF (0-2ºC). Meat does freeze until 28ºF (-2ºC).
5 Keep meats separate in cooler and on work table to avoid cross contamination.
6 Use as soon as possible. Fresh meats keep well for only 2-4 days. Ground meat
keeps even less well because so much surface is exposed to bacteria. Cured and
smoked products may keep upto a week.
7 Do not try to rescue meats that are going bad by freezing them. Freezing will not
improve the quality of spoiling meat.
8 Keep coolers clean.

STORAGE OF MEAT
Frozen meats
1 Wrap frozen meats well to prevent freezer burn.
2 Store at 0ºF (-18ºC) or colder.
3 Rotate stock – first in, first out. Frozen meats do not keep indefinitely.
Recommended shelf life, at 0ºF (-18ºC), of beef, veal and lamb – 6
months; for pork – 4 months. Pork fat turns rancid easily in the freezer.
4 Defrost carefully. Tempering in the refrigerator is the best. Defrosting
at room temperature encourages bcterial growth.
5 Do not refreeze thawed meats. It increases loss of quality.

FACTORS THAT GIVE MEAT A GOOD QUALITY
• FAT
Fat in animal is found around the muscle fibers or between muscle fibers.
It is interspersed between the muscle fibers. The fat seen as small flecks
of fat within the muscle is known as marbling and enhances the flavor of
meat. Fat contributes moistness to the meat, makes it tender, enhances
flavor. It must has a pleasant smell.
• COLOR OF THE MEAT:
The young animals have a lighter colored meat with a firm, dry, creamy
white fat whereas the older animals have darker colored meat and a
yellowish fat.
• TENDERNESS:
The tenderness depends upon the food, the animal is fed on. The finer
the grains, the more tender the meat. The amount of connective tissue is
directly related to the tenderness of meat.

BEEF/VEAL
Beef and veal are classified by their ages.
Veal: – Flesh of calf (less than 3 months of age) which lives on
milk stage.
Calves: – The animal reach 3-8 months old.
Beef: – If the animal is above 8 months, the fleshes are called beef
flesh.
Beef is the most popular of all the edible meat in the western
countries. In India beef is not very popular but the buffaloes
presents in the menu. The age and sex has been an influence on
the taste and the quality of the beef meat.
Sl. No.
Name of
cuts
Weight
01 Scrag-end 1 kg.
02 Neck-end 4 kg.
03 Best-end 6 kg.
04 Loin 5 kg.
05 Leg 18 kg.
06 Knuckle Y kg
07 Breast 2 Y kg
08 Shoulder 5 kg.

CUTS OF BEEF
Neck: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as Stewing
Steak or made into mince (ground) meat. When sold in pieces, it is only
suitable for very long, slow, moist cooking.
Blade and Chuck: This cut is often sold as Braising Steak. A little more
tender than stewing steak. Use in casseroles, stews and to braise.
Fore Rib: Sometimes sold boned and rolled but is traditionally sold on the
bone. Has a higher fat content throughout the flesh and makes a superb
roast. Can also be cut into steaks for grilling or frying.
Thick Rib: This cut is often sold as Braising Steak. A little more tender
than stewing steak. Use in casseroles, stews and to braise.
Thin Rib: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as mince
(ground) meat.
Brisket: Often sold boned and rolled and sometimes salted. Suitable for
slow or pot roasting. Traditionally used for making corned beef.
Shin: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as Stewing Steak
or made into mince (ground) meat. When sold in pieces it is only suitable
for very long, slow, moist cooking.

CUTS OF BEEF
Sirloin: Often sold boned and rolled. A prime cut which is suitable for
roasting.
Sirloin Steak: Comes from the same area as sirloin but cut into steaks
such as “T”-bone, Porterhouse, and Entrecote. A prime cut which is
suitable for grilling, frying, stir-fries and barbecuing.
ThinFlank: Often used for minced or ground meat. Suitable for cottage
pie, Bolognese sauce, and burgers. Thin flank is also known as Top
Rump. Similar to the topside and can be slow-roasted as a joint or
slow fried or braised in pieces. Also sold as “flash fry” steaks.
Leg: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as Stewing
Steak. Only suitable for very long, slow, moist cooking.
Silverside: Although this was traditionally salted and sold as a boiling
joint, this very lean piece of meat is now most often sold unsalted as a
joint for roasting. Requires frequent basting through the cooking time.

CUTS OF BEEF
Topside:Very lean and when sold as a joint for roasting, often
has a layer of fat tied around it to help baste and keep it moist.
Also suitable cut into steaks for frying or grilling and in stir-
fries.
Rump: Although a prime cut, it is usually cheaper than fillet or
sirloin because it’s not quite as tender. Suitable for quick-
cooking e.g. frying, stir-fries, grilling or barbecuing.
Shank: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as
mince (ground) meat

BEEF STEAKS
A steak is a slice from a larger piece of meat typically from beef. Most steaks are cut perpendicular to
the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. A restaurant that specializes in
beef steaks is known as a steakhouse. A typical steak dinner consists of a steak, with a starchy side
dish, usually baked potatoes, but occasionally another potato dish, rice, pasta, or beans. In France,
beefsteak is usually served with French fried potatoes also known as “pommes frites”, and the
combination is known as steak-fries”. The different types of beef steaks are given below:
1. Chateaubriand steak – Usually served for two, cut from the large head of the tenderloin.
2. Chuck steak – A cut from neck to the ribs.
3. Cube steak – A cut of meat, usually top round, tenderized by a fierce pounding of a mallet.
4. Filet mignon – A small choice tenderloin, the most tender cut, less flavorful.
5. Flank steak – From the underside. Not as tender as steaks cut from the rib or loin.
6. Flat iron steak – A cut from the shoulder blade.
7. Hanger steak or (French) onglet – A steak from near the center of the diaphragm. Flavorful, and
very tender towards the edges; but sinewy in the middle. Often called the “butcher’s
tenderloin.”
Popular seak cuts of North Americans are Proster house steak, New York steak, Sirloin steak, T-bone
steak, round steak, rump steak, etc. Depending on the extent of cooking, finished product is called
rare, medium or well done.

CUTS OF LAMB/MUTTON
Breast: This cut is from the rib cage and is one of the cheapest cuts and
whilst the price is similar to scrag end but is much more versatile. It can be
roasted on the bone, boned, stuffed and rolled, or when well-trimmed, can
be used for mince, burgers or skewers (kebabs). Some butchers also sell this
cut in strips which are ideal for barbecues.
Flank: Unlike other cuts from the loin area, the flank is much tougher and is
usually sold as mincemeat.
Foreshank: Also known as Lamb shanks, this cut is suitable for slow roasting,
stewing and braising. It has become very popular in recent years especially
when braised when a whole shank with the bone is served per person. It is a
very flavourful cut of meat.
Leg: This is a prime cut with little fat which is excellent for roasting as a joint.
It is often cut into lamb steaks suitable for frying or grilling or into cubes for
lean kebabs.
Loin: The loin is the most tender part of the lamb. It is from this area that loin
chops come from as well as medallions, noisettes as well as roasting cuts.
Suitable for roasting although the joints tend to be small unless you have a
whole saddle which is made up of a double loin roast, from both sides of the
backbone. Frying and grilling are excellent for the smaller cuts.

CUTS OF LAMB/MUTTON
Neck: This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as Stewing lamb or
made into mince (ground) meat. When sold in pieces it is only’ suitable for very
long, slow, moist cooking. Although tough the flavor is very good so well worth
the extra cooking. Best End of the neck is traditionally used for Lancashire
Hotpot.
Scrag: Also known as scrag end or neck end, this is one of the tougher cuts and
is, therefore, one of the cheaper ones. The meat from this area is often fattier
than other cuts and is usually sold chopped or diced for use in stews and
casseroles.
Rack: A “rack of lamb” is the name given to the whole rib section on either side
of the backbone between the shoulder and the loin. A tender and flavorsome
cut, it is also expensive and it is suitable for dry-heat cooking such as roasting or
grilling.
Shoulder: Shoulder is often sold as two separate joints, blade, and arm
(knuckle). The whole shoulder is also sometimes called “square cut” which
consists of the arm, blade, and rib bones. Shoulder meat is also often trimmed of
fat and sold as cubes for curries, kebabs, and casseroles. Shoulder chops are
suitable for panfrying, grilling or braising.

CUTS OF PORK
Head: This can be used to make brawn, stocks, and soups. After boiling the
ears can be fried or baked and eaten separately, which are crunchy due to
corliage bones. It is considered a delicacy.
Spare Rib: This is the shoulder and contains the shoulder blade. It can be
boned out and rolled up as a roasting joint, or cured as “collar bacon”. Not
to be confused with the rack of spare ribs from the front belly. Boston Butt,
or Boston-style Shoulder, cut comes from this area, and may contain the
shoulder blade.
Hand/Arm: This can be cured on the bone to make a ham, or used in
sausages.
Loin: This can be cured to give back bacon or Canadian-style bacon. The loin
and belly can be cured together to give a side of bacon. The loin can also be
divided up into roasts (blade loin roasts, center loin roasts, and sirloin
roasts come from the front, center, or rear of the loin), back ribs (also called
baby back ribs, or riblets), pork cutlets, and pork chops. A pork loin crown
roast is arranged into a circle, either boneless or with rib bones protruding
upward as points in a crown.
Belly: The belly, although a fattier meat, can be used for steaks or diced stir-
fry meat. Belly pork may be rolled for roasting or cut for streaky bacon.

CUTS OF PORK
Legs/Hams: Although any cut of pork can be cured, technically speaking only the back leg is
entitled to be called a ham. Legs and shoulders, when used fresh, are usually cut bone-in for
roasting, or leg steaks can be cut from the bone. Three common cuts of the leg include the rump
(upper portion), center, and shank (lower portion).
Trotters: Both the front and hind trotters can be cooked and eaten, as can the tail.
Spare rib: These are taken from the pig’s ribs and the meat surrounding the bones.
BACON, HAM, AND GAMMON
• Bacon: Bacon is made by preserving the meat of carefully bred pics. The preservative used
is salt (curing) and/or smoked. Salt can be applied in two ways.
• Covering the meat by dry salt allowing at least 4 weeks penetration.
• By using a salt solution ( brine )
This is injected into the flesh and then the meat is immersed in a salt solution for 5 days. Some
times a combined method is used. Brine is injected into the meat and then it is stacked and
covered by dry salt for 2 to 3 weeks. It is then matured for about 3 weeks under controlled
temperature. Desirable bacteria act on meat juices. This bacon is now ready to a sale as GREEN
or PALE bacon.
Ham: Ham and Gammon come from the hind legs of a pig. Gammon is cut off the cured porker.
Ham on the other hand, is cut off at fresh pork stage and includes a substantial part of the loin.
It is cured after cutting, usually by the long process of dry salting.

OFFAL (Variety Meats)
Offal, also referred to as variety meats, is the name for internal organs and entrails of a
butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs.
• Liver: Liver is very fine-textured and is almost devoid of the characteristic fiber bundles
found in red meat (liver has no grain). Consequently, it is very tender and can be sliced in
any direction needed to attain the best yield. It can be prepared using dry heat. It has a
very distinct flavor and is relatively inexpensive.
• Kidney: Kidneys are either smooth, bean-shaped (in lamb and pork) or irregularly shaped
with reddish-brown lobes and deep clefts (beef). Beef kidneys are very tough and require
intense moist heat cookery.
• Heart: Heart is retailed whole, halved, or cut into slices depending on species and size.
The inside of the heart contains string-like sinew, which should be removed if the heart is
being stuffed and cooked. Dry heat is suitable for cooking heart. It is commonly stuffed
and roasted whole or slices are seasoned and pan-fried.
• Tongue: The surface of the tongue is very coarse and requires a long period of slow
cooking to be able to remove it (six to eight hours of simmering). Once skinned, the
tongue can be sliced and is quite tender. There is a very large amount of gelatin in the
meat which provides a rich flavor. It is often pickled or corned before cooking.

OFFAL (Variety Meats)
Tripe: Tripe is processed from the muscular inner lining of the stomach. It can be smooth or honey-combed
depending on which chamber of the animal’s stomach it is harvested from. It is commonly sold fresh or pickled.
Washed tripe, also known as dressed tripe, is boiled and bleached, giving it the white color more commonly seen
for sale. Tripe requires moist heat cookery to break down its rubber-like texture. It is most commonly used in
soups and stews.
Sweetbreads: Sweetbreads are the thymus glands of calves and mature beef. They are pinkish-white in color.
Veal or calf sweetbreads are considered a great delicacy. They are largest in size when the calf is five to six
weeks old and decrease in size as the animal ages. Sweetbreads should be thoroughly soaked in cold water, then
blanched so that the membrane can be removed. They then can be braised or cooled then sliced and breaded
for pan-frying.
Brain: Brains are a small volume seller. They perish very quickly so are generally frozen at the plant as soon as
they are harvested from the animal. They are mild in flavor and have a delicate texture. Calves brains are most
commonly used. They can be prepared much the same as sweetbreads. Brain is extremely high in cholesterol.
Oxtail: Oxtail is classified as offal even though it is not an internal organ. Oxtail is mainly used for making soup to
extract its rich flavors. It is more bone than meat, but the meat from the oxtail, once properly braised, is very
rich in flavor.
Cheeks and head: These are not technically offal, but increasingly popular are beef and veal cheeks, while pork
heads are used to make headcheese, a type of sausage consisting of the meat from the headset in a gelatin base
made from the cooking liquid.
Caul fat: Fine membrane of fat which covers the stomach of hogs, Caul fat is used for barding (wrapping or
covering) lean cuts of meat, ground fillings and sausage meat.

BUTCHERY
THANK YOU
SOURCE :
• enotes
• Leading websites
• Industry Books.

BUTCHERY

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to BUTCHERY

Similar to BUTCHERY (20)

More from SASIKUMAR NATARAJAN

More from SASIKUMAR NATARAJAN (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

BUTCHERY