The butchery of whole animals has been gaining momentum in recent years in restaurant kitchens. In Denver, several restaurants focus on "nose to tail" by bringing in a whole animal, usually a pig, and efficiently breaking it down in order to use every part. At Viande, the butchery and charcuterie kitchen that provides meat for both Colt & Gray and Ste. Ellie, a lamb and a pig are butchered each week.
With the Five Days of Meat upon us, we asked chef Kyle Foster of Viande, Colt & Gray and Ste. Ellie to walk us through a whole lamb breakdown. He did exactly that- from removing the head to breaking the animal into primal cuts, the filets, chops, steaks and others.
*Warning: these photos are not for the squeamish.
This lamb is from Brush, Colorado and weights 79 pounds. To put that into perspective, a pig weighs on average 270 pounds. Foster ended the tour with a walk through of Viande's curing chamber
— By Katy Hume
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