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PAST EVENT: Basic Pig Butchery

  • Chop Shop 2033 West North Avenue Chicago, IL, 60647 United States (map)

We’ll begin this hands-on class by demonstrating how to split sides of pork into primals, subprimals, retail, and charcuterie cuts using French, Italian, and American styles of butchery. Students will then divide into two groups and each group will do the same on another side of pig, with guidance from the instructor and an assistant instructor. By the end of class, the students will have broken the pig down into cookable cuts like ribs, tenderloins, ham roasts, chops, and coppas. When we’ve finished the last cut, we’ll shed the aprons and gather around our table for a light meal of charcuterie. This class is hosted by Wicker Park’s Chop Shop, and the class will be followed by an hour of open bar access, and an opportunity to absorb the experience and ask questions. Each student will take home 15-20# of local meat from the animal we butcher in class.