Here piggy pig pig. Yes, some may find it offensive that I say that as my lead in. I’ll also flat out say, if you are into animal rights you may want to avoid this post (and pictures) altogether.
For the rest of you red blooded carnivores, follow me!
I attended a gloriously entertaining pig butchering demonstration by the talented and charming Jeffrey Ruhalter. Jeffrey is a fourth generation Master Butcher who operates Jeffrey’s Meat Market in the Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side. He also runs an emergency restaurant supply business, appropriately named “Who Fucked Up The Order?”
Jeffrey Ruhalter doing what he does best.
Four of us gathered for the Saturday morning demonstration and were treated to an informative 2 ½ hour presentation of butchering complete with stories about Jeff’s family history in the butcher business along with the history of the changing Lower East Side. We learned that back in the old days, people asked for kidneys, lungs, spleens and hearts. Not so much anymore as you can imagine.
Despite the occasional expletives that pepper his lively and humorous stories, Jeffrey is most proud of being a poor man’s butcher. He made local headlines during the current economic crunch by hosting Jeffrey’s Recession Dinners, where patrons can get a free quality dinner on a first come-first serve basis after showing proof of financial distress.
As Jeffrey talks and carves away, you see how much passion he has for his work. Referring to the variety of meats in his butcher shop, he says, "If its dead, its here!"
Onto the butchering of Miss Piggy -
Our pig was alive the day before I met her clammy, disemboweled self. Tipping the scales at 56 pounds, she spent her short 11 week life rooting around an upstate NY farm eating proper pig food (not grain fed) with no added hormones. That proper piggy diet would make her extra moist and delicious.
Jeff used his knives to remove the head and carve off the skin, snout, and jowls, leaving a grotesque skinned head lying on the table with an eyeball staring right at you. How cool is that? The guy next to me touched the eyeball with his finger. That, my dear reader, is even more cool.
Next Jeff and I split the pig in half using the band saw. Yes, I think mentioning my food blog at the beginning of the demonstration got me that special honor.
Cutting pig feat on the band saw.
Jeff described each step of breaking down the pig. He boasted about the Boston Butt which is one of his favorite cuts. (After serving portions of a Boston Butt roasted for 40 minutes, slathered in his secret sauce, I had tasted heaven was ready to worship at the Church of Ruhalter)
He carved out spare ribs, pork belly, slab bacon, pork chops, tenderloin, and even lopped off the tail. He offered methods of cooking all parts of the pig, including the head which he pointed out you could make a wonderful porchetta or soup with.
Towards the end of class, we drew for cuts of meat to take home. We continued to nibble on hunks of meat that Jeffrey had cooked for us along with some pieces of crusty, crunchy french bread. Passersby joined in and sampled our oink fest. Jeffrey then cracked open some bottles of Corona. It was then, that I knew I was in love.
Pig parts
Jeffrey answers questions while we have beer.
The only negative I should mention is you should avoid attending in a larger group because you will not be able to hear much of the demonstration. Between the bustling market, the buzzing of the band saw, and the other butchers at work, it can be a bit noisy. Very small groups are best to get up, close and personal to the man and his pig.
If you are in the NYC area, you MUST attend one of the butchering demonstrations. I highly recommend it. His knowledge, passion, charisma and history make Jeffrey Ruhalter a true New York Institution.
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