What Does a Butcher Do?
A butcher is, at the most basic level, someone who prepares meat for sale. Different butchers may specialize in different parts of the process of turning a carcass into saleable meat, and some may even handle every step of the process.
The first line of a butchers job is selecting a carcass. Depending on the situation, it can be important to look for tainted meat, meat with a good consistency, and meat which has few defects. Most modern butchers don’t actually undertake this part of the process, as they receive their carcasses from trusted suppliers who have already culled the bodies, but historically it was expected that a butcher would have a good eye for an overall carcass.
The next step undertaken by a butcher is selecting a side or quarter of the carcass, and then choosing where primary cuts will be made. Usually this is for an eye towards how to waste the least amount of meat, but for some higher grades the priority may be on only taking the best parts of the carcass, and leaving the rest for a different butcher or use.
Once a side or quarter has been selected, the butcher then cuts the carcass into its primary cuts. This is probably the most dangerous part of the job for a butcher, and their equipment reflects this. Most butchers wear fairly sturdy armor among their stomach, usually made of chain mail or plate, although some modern butchers use Kevlar®, as well as gloves made of the same materials. Depending on the size of the carcass, the butcher may either use hand tools or large tools such as band saws to make the primary cuts. The cuts are then often boned and trimmed down.
A butcher may also have the job of making sausage. Traditionally sausage was intended as a vessel for using the parts of a carcass left over after making the primary cuts. The leavings were mixed with salt and other spices, and put into intestinal casings. Modern sausage made by a butcher may use leavings, but may also use actual minced cuts of meat. Different casings are also used, and there are a wide range of styles and spices that sausage can be made out of. For this reason, sausage making is no longer just an easy side job, and a butcher who makes sausage is often a specialist.
After making the cuts, a butcher is also responsible for choosing the best cuts to present to customers on a given day, and interacting with them daily. The butcher will likely cut the primary cuts into smaller pieces as customers request them, and may give advice as to the best meats and cuts for a certain purpose, and may even give advice as to how to prepare the cuts.
The butcher may also be in charge of the everyday business of running the shop. This can include buying supplies, handling taxes, choosing distributors, and other things that may not seem to have a great deal to do with butchery.
Written by Brendan McGuigan
