CRAFT workshop: Butchering 101: The Whole Lamb

On a cold Saturday in early December, eight butchering enthusiasts gathered at Eden Hall Campus for Butchering 101: The Whole Lamb, a workshop offered by the Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT). The workshop was led by Master of Arts in Food Studies alumna Maya Lantgios, ‘18. The lamb, which has been procured by Salem’s in the Strip District, has most of its organs and its head. “This is as close to the whole animal as we can have,” says Lantgios, who starts the class with some knife safety reminders and an explanation of the prime cuts into which the class will start by breaking down the animal: leg, loin, flank, rib, and shoulder. And we also have the neck, which Lantgios recommends be rolled with woody herbs and stewed like Italian beef. It’s a lively class, with participants’ reasons for coming ranging from “we really like lamb” to “I do a lot of nursing in remote outposts in Africa, and the local women laugh at my butchering skills, so I’m here to brush up!”. Everyone has a chance to practice breaking down large cuts, and together the class creates different cuts of meat (e.g., roasts, lollipops), and saves some meat for sausage, which Lantgios also demonstrates how to make. Participants went home with a variety of lamb cuts and sausage.

CRAFT runs hands-on, food-and-drink-centered workshops on a variety of topics, from butchering lamb, chicken, and fish, to breads, chocolate, wine, cheese, and more. Learn more and register here.