This week at The Lindsay, we are excited to have received our first pig . Now that we've gotten established, Chef John is taking our approach a step further with whole animal butchery.
We believe whole animal butchery is a more sustainable approach to sourcing our meat. It reduces waste, is more efficient for resources (water, feed, land), allows us to have a closer relationship with the local agriculture and provides holistic respect for animals. In addition to it being more sustainable, it provides us better control over quality, ability to tailor our cuts and the guarantee of freshness.
Now back to the pig. Here are a few pictures of John breaking it down. Literally every piece of the animal will be used, whether it is a premium cut like the chop for this weekend's special or the feet for a stock. Here is what Chef John has in store for the animal:
Rib chops and porterhouse chops to the weekend special
Belly will be cured as Ventreche (French bacon)
Coppa from the shoulder will be dry cured and the rest of the shoulder will go into our chorizo for the flat iron set.
Leg will be dry cured as a country ham.
John's knowledge of butchery is at a craftsman's level. His passion runs deep and he enjoys being able to share his knowledge with others. This week, he gave an instructional session to our kitchen staff on the butchery. At The Lindsay, our plan is to offer these sessions to our customers as well. It would be a small group format where John breaks down the animal and describes the cuts. He would then provide a curated tasting to highlight cooking techniques and preparation of the meat he just broke down. We hope to have a regular cadence of these dinners and will plan to kick them off in the coming months.
Bon Appétit
The Lindsay
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