IamA butcher with more than 30 years of experience here to answer your questions about meat for Thanksgiving or any time of year. AMA!

I'll bite. What IS the proper way to disinfect my cutting surface?

Well, the cheapest and best way is 1 tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water to sanitize. And handwashing is actually most important of all - that's where you get most of your cross contamination. Keep your hands clean after prepping the turkey and before touching fruits and veggies and other foods, that's where most of the bacteria actually comes from.

You could go a little stronger on the bleach, but I like to smell the bleach since I know things are clean then.

Can you elaborate on handwashing? Is any type of soap good enough?

Spend at least 20 seconds. Wash your hands with good soap and do the ABCs out loud and that will help make sure your hands are washed long enough and use a clean towel to wipe them.

WE DID 2.5 HOURS OF FUN! MY WIFE WANTS TO WATCH DR. PHIL NOW, SO IT'S TIME TO GO. I'M SO FLATTERED THAT EVERYBODY CAME OUT. IF YOU EVER GET TO MINNEAPOLIS LOOK US UP.

Just wanted to say this is the MOST thorough AMA I've ever seen - thank you for all of your in-depth answers! Since I need a question: what's your favorite piece of the bird at Thanksgiving dinner? I love the wings, personally.

Thanks! The best part of the turkey and I share it with my mother is the oyster. It's the thigh meat that sits at the bottom of the carcass at the hip joint. On a 20 pound turkey, it's about the size of a silver dollar. It's a bit and it's exquisite and you only get two.

Are the expensive turkeys we see at whole foods significantly better than the frozen ones that go on sale at safeway for $.59/lb?

Not at all. As a matter of fact, I think a fresh turkey is overrated; people got this perception fresh turkeys have been produced in the last week or so, and it's probably actually a month out - by USDA regulations, they chill the fresh turkey to 26 degrees. By contrast a frozen turkey is 32 degrees or colder, and when you get a frozen turkey it's flash frozen right away, so when you thaw that turkey out, it's nice and fresh as the day it was processed. Fresh turkey at 26 degrees, you can get ice crystals in there. There's kosher turkeys, which a rabbi is there to bless them, they have to go through the right channels there. But I go frozen, myself.

What's the biggest mistake you see people make when buying meat?

Not understanding their cut or being in too much of a hurry to prepare it. A pot roast, you can't come in at noon and expect to have a nice pot roast dinner at 6 pm. Certain cuts take a lot of time to cook. People need to understand the cut and the proper time and procedures to cook it. Pot roast needs moist cooking, low and slow, you can't get that done in an hour and half.

What about with pressure cookers, aren't you able to save a lot of time with those on cuts that normally take a lot longer?

Absolutely. Pressure cookers are a wonderful tool. You have to know how to use them, I have an older one and the older ones can be dangerous. When the weight starts to ring, you need to back off your heat and keep it at a nice steady pressure. I had a friend who over-pressurized and blew the top off. Respect them and they work wonderfully.

Recently got an Instant Pot. It can cook some really tender meat in a short period of time.

Just got one myself, looking forward to trying it out! Any recipes you'd recommend around cuts of meat that normally take much longer?

Loose meat sandwiches! Put a bottom round roast and put it in chunks like stew meat, put it in your pressure cooker with onion soup mix or beef bouilloun with minced garlic and some nice Vidalia onions. Let it go for 45 minutes and it'll be a nice loose meat sandwich.Serve it with pickled red peppers and sliced onions and a hard bun like a kaiser roll to hold it all in. Save the juice for dipping like an au jus.

What do you think is the most underrated/misunderstood cut of meat?

Oh, boy. I'd say...underrated, maybe a pork shoulder blade, maybe. It's versatile. That's a good question, let me think about that.

Oh, and chuckeye! It's so close to a prime rib - you're actually buying a rib eye steak. We're not cutting as many chucks in the summer as we do in the summer as in the winter because it's seasonal, but you're buying an almost 14 cut of meat for half the price - underrated cut.

I've heard from kitchen co-workers that flat iron steaks are pretty great. Cheaper than most cuts, but similar tenderness. Thoughts?

That's true, prepared properly. They have a lot of nice flavor. Marinate or season it, it's a great steak.

Follow up question, how can certain cuts be seasonal? Also I am not sure I have ever seen "chuckeye", does it go by any different names? Basically, how can I find this :)

Well, we cut things according to our season and what the consumer wants. A cross rib roast, in Minnesota, is called a Boston butt roast out east. So we cut everything according to season. If you have a cut you like in summer, remember what it is, and just order it special from your butcher. You should be able to get anything you want anytime of year.

WE call them chuck eye, too - it's when the animal is broke between the fifth and sixth rib. So the chuck eye lays on the other side of the rib eye, part of the chuck roast. Every animal is different, but that's basically it.

In the summer you don't get a lot of chuck eyes because you don't process a lot of chucks - people don't want as many becasue they don't want to use their oven.

What does "almost 14" mean. Is that the fat percentage or what?

$14! It's the price.

I do love making pulled pork with a pork shoulder! How about something people generally shy away from but is actually a great cut of meat?

You could take a whole shank, and roast in a slow cooker and it's going to be fantastic. Every kind of meat can be a delicacy, it's all about your spices and rubs and the way you cook it. Be open to try things but know what you're doing. Don't buy a short rib and try to prepare it in a quick fashion. It's all about understanding that cut of meat and how to prepare it. You have to understand how the meat's going to cook - those muscle tissues expand and contract and you have to know how they're going to cook. Don't be afraid to ask your butcher!

Hey Jon, thanks for the AMA.

Who are the worst and who the best kind of customers you have?

Worst are the ones who eat half of it and then bring it back, say it's bad. The best, people who know what they want, they ask questions, and they're grateful for the info we give them. I got people who've followed me around for years because they trust me. If you're truthful and helpful, you gain a friend and a good customer. Most of the time, the centerpiece on your meal is your meat, so they just want a good eating experience.

How many times have you sliced off the tip (or more) of one of your fingers?

Boy, I don't know if I want to answer that, ha, back in 1989, I took a whole index finger off! I carved through the palm of my hand cutting pork chops on the bandsaw. It was my own fault because I lost respect for the bandsaw. I was in rehab with a bunch of cabinet and millwrights, because we all lost the respect for our tools. I had an amazing surgeon or I would have lost my finger. It's part of the hazard of the trade, being a meat cutter, for sure.

Coulda been worse though, you could've been wearing your cut glove and lost your whole hand.

LPT: gloves in any bansaw situation are more dangerous than bare hands.

Edit 1: This is what happens if you wear a cut glove and you catch your hand on the bansaw (NSFL)

https://youtu.be/nZHRgj7QTHU

Spot on, amen.

Is it true that if you see a cancerous part in the animal you just cut it out and keep the rest of the meat to cut and sell?

No, at work when I come across something like that, we discard everything. We gotta clean our saw, we clean everything, that's contamination. Like a cyst, something like that, we discard all the meat.

Can you elaborate on this? Is that something that I would normally find on something I buy in a higher-end supermarket with a good butcher (like Stew Leonard's)? Is there something I should look for?

No, there really isn't. It's just like people - you don't know it until you find it, and when we do, we get rid of the whole animal. We don't want to let our consumers have any of that.

My dad just retired 2 years ago after being a butcher for 43 years. I always enjoy hearing about cuts of meat that were once seen as throw-a-way cuts like chicken wings or very cheap like brisket. Is there any cuts that are popular and expensive now that you just can’t understand why people are paying so much for?

The brisket was a perfect answer from before. Also soup bones - we used to give them away and now they are $3 a pound. Some things, like fat trimmings are now 99 cents a pound. We use and sell everything now because of the rising cost of meat.

What are the reasons butchers are no longer allowed to give scraps for dogs? Also, just because you've been around as long as I have, what do you think of the change of skirt steak being trash meat to being expensive?

Liability, basically. WE don't want to get people or your animal sick. And, we're using a lot of everything now. Things we used to give to dogs, bones, we're using now, for soup bones, etc. A lot of times we used to give scraps to dogs and it was too fatty for them, they couldn't actually digest it. There's good dog food out there that's more appropriate for them - meat scraps are too rich. You gotta cook those knuckle bones or the dog will get sick.

And as for skirt steak - it's our culture. People are getting more creative, they're learning how to cook! You got the internet to learn how to try these new things, it's not the same old meat and potatoes.

And I think it's a positive trend, absolutely. The more you know, the better cook you're going to be. Cooking's a committment.

I'm a cook in NYC looking to go into butchery full time as a career. Where do I start? Apprenticeships seem pretty dificult to come across, especially those involving charceutery.

Yeah, there aren't many of us left - with Walmarts trying to take over the industry, it does take away from the creativity of being a meat cutter. I'd try to get in with a company or a small family store, someplace that has good butchers behind the counter. You got to get on the job training.

I wish they'd bring back the training schools - if you can find one, that's the place.

Hi Jon!

What's your opinion on tri-tip steaks? I grew up in southern CA, then moved to up-up-upstate NY as a teen with my mom. The local butcher is a Mennonite family, and they know their stuff. Anyway, they had never cut a tri-tip and it's very rare for people up here to even know what it is. Now they will gladly cut it for my mom whenever she calls ahead :). I think it's delicious, but I've also seen it referred to as a "cheap" cut of beef. So...Yeah I guess that turned more into a story than a question but whatever. Thanks for the educating AMA!

I think it's an excellent cut! It's beautiful. I agree 100 percent.

Hi there hello from Scotland and great to see this "alternative" AMA. I think oxtails are hugely underrated and really enjoy them and put them in stews in the slow cooker to give them extra flavour. One bit that I find annoying is trying to take off the excess fat prior to cooking. I am surprised I have not cut myself yet when I do this. Do you have any tips in cutting off the excess fat on the oxtails?

Don't put your finger in front of it. Lay it flat down and hold it with your knuckles rather than your fingers. Or see if you can buy them whole and go inbetween the spool joints.

Same job for over 30 years? That seems rare these days! How can I find a job like that?

We've been very fortunate to be in the grocery industry, but of course that means working nights and working weekends. And being with a good company - as a union worker, we've made the company strong and we keep it that way.

And a lot of people don't want to work the shifts we work, don't want to be that flexible. But that's how we can stay here for 30 years in a good job like this one.

Do you have feelings on organic vs. farm-raised vs. free-range vs. conventional vs. whatever the hell else is out there these days, or is meat just meat?

No, there's a difference, but it depends on what you want to have. Free range and organic, the farmer can't use fertilizer on fields, stuff like that. Look at your meat, the marbling and the color - animals are like people, everyone is a bit different. You can do a prime or an upper choice. Granted if you buy direct from a farmer who can process it for you, you know what you're getting. But i've been eating processed for 60 years and it's safe.

What's your favorite way to cook a good steak (Pan searing, reverse searing, grilling, etc.) and why?

Also, same question, but for chicken?

I like the grill myself, and what I've been experimenting with lately is, I've got a little smoker, and I'll smoke it at like 160 degrees with woodchips before I grill it, and finish it on the grill. And know your grill - certain grills have different hot spots - know your equipment, too.

I like to rotisserie my chicken, all the fat drips out, you put a nice rub on it. Or oven baked would be second.

Do you think there's a difference between an actual butcher shop and the meat counter at a supermarket? I know it depends on the store but my local one doesn't have certain cuts so I'm not sure how much "butchering" they're doing compared to just packaging what they get in.

Do you have an opinion on pre-packaged ground beef as opposed to buying a cut of meat and grinding yourself?

At least in my case, I work in a supermarket that is part of a chain, and we butcher meat in the back and we're very knowledgable about the cuts. You can get good meat both places - it's really all about the person behind the counter.

Grinding it yourself! Much better. It's going to taste better. Second best is stuff ground in store.

For Thanksgiving, how much turkey should you buy per person?

I like to tell people a pound per person. An average turkey, you're gonna lost probably 60 percent of that turkey in cooking and waste. So you want a nice 4 to 6 oz serving depending, and a lot of people want leftovers. So I'd say a pound a person.

A 20 pound bird and a 12 pound bird, the skeleton actually weighs the same, so you have a better yield with the bigger bird and you can send people home with leftovers.

What are your best tips for keeping my turkey moist in the oven?

You know, I think it's your cooking procedure. I tell my novice customers I love the Reynolds cooking bags. You got some nice juice in there at the end for your gravy, it's delish. You can deep fry, I've tried every way, rotisserie, deep fry, but I like the cooking bag best. You can't beat it.

Greetings John, Thanks for the AMA. If you don't mind. What are your favorite knife brands? Do you sharpen your own knives, or are they supplied? If you do your own sharpening, what method do you use?

Union Yes!

Chicago cutlery was good steel back in the day, a good quality USA knife or German knife is good, Cutco is a good at home every day knife. You want a knife where the shaft goes all the way through the handle, that shows good quality. Forschner.

Use your knife for cooking, don't use it to open boxes or anything else but for cooking. And here's a video of me actually showing how I sharpen my knives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkyWRWvkBbI&t

Uk here. Whats the best way to cook beef plate ? Ive done it once, slowly but was way too fatty.

They are going to be fatty because of the animal, but you can take some of the fat off. The inside of the plate is the inside of the animal, so you can clean that up first, remove most of the visible fat, and then cook it for flavor.

For those in the US - beef plate is short ribs.

What do most people misunderstand the most about cooking meat?

That you don't have to cook it to death! As long as you get that internal temp right - for poultry 165, for beef, 142, pork about 165 also - you can have a tender cut as long as that internal temperature kills that bacteria. Some cuts you need to cook longer, but some people overcook their meat.

165 for pork? Does that mean you disagree with the FDA saying 145 is okay? Or am I misinterpreting something? I've been cooking my pork at the lower temperature for some time, and it is so much juicier than when I was at 160+.

Well, we're talking to the masses here, and if you're comfortable and having good luck I won't dissuade you, but I don't want to get anybody sick. There's so many variables - you can eat pork a little rarer, but it's up to the individual. I like to stand by 165.

Gotta ask. How common is meat glue usage?

You know what? Very uncommon. I've never heard of it! We tie things together, but we sure don't glue things together.

This is why I get my meat fresh from the meat counter in my grocery store, and avoid prepackaged meat!

I don't like prepackaged meat at all - the customer's exactly right. You buy fresh - that's what's best.

What the hell is a flap steak? I saw a cooking video demonstrating a flap steak recipe. It looked like skirt steak to me, and the cook acknowledged it's similarity, but insisted that it was a separate cut of meat. I've asked guys behind the meat counters where I shop, and none of them knew what flap steak is.

You know, I think you might be confusing it with a flank steak. It's very similar to a skirt steak - it's the inside diaphram meat, like a connective tissue. The skirt is on the front shoulder, the flank is more on the hind shoulder, it's a lean, excellent cut for stir fry, very thin, with a grilling or braising technique with fajitas or stir fry, things like that. I know people in different parts of the country call different meats different things.

Why do people love filets so much? Don't they realize that the fat is what makes beef taste good?

A real question... What is the best meat for a beef stew? Chuck?

I agree, chuck is an excellent choice for beef stew. It's all in how you prepare it though - you can also use round, but it's a little lean. Like you said, the fat in the chuck will add flavor.

Do you have to wash meat before cooking? I know it's pointless, but many people think otherwise.

No, you don't - you'll do more harm than good, because now you're taking bacteria from a piece of meat, especially poultry, and spreading it around. Just put it in and prepare it - and always prepare fruits and veggies beforehand if you can, to avoid bacteria and cross-contamination on that surface.

The past 2 years I've bought 1/8 of a grass fed cow from a friend of mine. The meat is insanely lean. Barely any fat. How should I prepare the chuck roasts, arm roasts? How should I prepare the cube steaks?

Is there a trick to cooking very lean beef?

Low and slow with moisture for the roasts. 4-5 hours in the oven. Maybe your cube steaks aren't put in the tenderizer machine long enough. You really have to break up that tissue. You could also ask your friend to put the cattle on grain for the last month or so and marble them up.

Thank you in advance! Why is a brisket so darn expensive right now and when do you think the price will go back down? Is there another cut like brisket but cheaper you would recommend? Thank you kindly. Stay warm (I know it's MN)

You only get a couple pieces off an animal. And the cost of beef is up right now. I would suggest a chuck roast and cooking it slow, instead. It's a moist cut, the next thing in line as you're processing beef chuck.

So what's the difference between the French and American ways of carving a bird?

Glad you asked! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOs_xyukjtY&t This is a pretty good guide.

The French way is all about presentation. You remove the breast. The American way, traditional, at the head of the table, sliding downward from the breastbone down.

I have a steak question. What is the best way to heat up leftover steak? I've heard various things but I really enjoy my steak rare. Is it possible to heat it up without overcooking it to death?

Yeah, I would broil it at a low heat - I don't liek the microwave - I'd broil it or pan fry it lightly. Just warm it, you don't want to lose that redness, that rareness - low heat, broil low.

Make sure the broiler has been going for five minutes - preheat to broil low. And watch it, make sure you don't overcook. You just want to bring it back up. But don't microwave or put it in a skillet.

How should I go about ageing steak? And what cut should I go for?

Controlled refrigeration. In a dry cool area. No moisture, keep it dry and cool, below 42 degrees. You're letting that muscle tissue break down, and so you want to cut off the bad and get down into your center. We do it mostly in a primal form at the store, rather than steak - age a big cut because you're going to have waste.

How do you feel about pop up timers?

I don’t trust pop up timers. They’re not reliable. They put the same size timer in different birds – same in a ten pound turkey as a 20 pound turkey. Get a good meat thermometer. Thickest part of the breast should be 165 and check the innermost part of the thigh, should be 175 degrees.

Hello Mr. Viner! I am currently training as a butcher in Toronto, and I was wondering if you had any tips, books, or insight that may be helpful? Anything would be greatly appreciated!

Learn your angles first, speed will come. Don't try to go too fast. Stay with the flow of your shop, and learn your cuts and angles first. Cutting meat on the saw, the whole thing is taking your primal and getting the best yield out of it. Speed will come later. And don't cut your finger off! Respect the saw.

And in knifing, don't saw - make smooth strokes, let the knife do the work.

I've been farming since I was a little boy and in the food industry for a year. I've always dreamed of being a butcher and maybe even owning a deli. My question is, should this remain a dream, or is butchering a feasible career path as a 22 year old? I've loved cooking and raising my meats, and I can forsee myself staying in the food industry. If I have to leave my small town in order to chase something, I will.

Depends on the store you get in with. If you are in with a union shop, it's still possible. We still need good young people.

I'm trying to get better at cooking, and really all my experience with meat knowledge comes from watching the people prepare it on diners drive ins and dives. What are some tips you have when preparing beef and chicken to help it taste great?

Use seasoning you like - everyone's different. Go to YouTube and start out slow. Use powders, not salts, so you don't oversalt things. Garlic powder for example. Don't try to rush it. Be patient with yourself. Use a cooking bag.

I get pretty irate when people i know prepare their meals with near blunt knives. My mum was slicing....AHEM mashing...tomatoes and i asked her to see the knife and it was so blunt i proved it to her by running it straight across my hand without even a mark left.

How do you get through to people to sharpen AND KEEP their knives sharp ?!

No matter how many times ive tried my mum wont catch on, even after sharpening every knife for her by hand, she does nothing and wonders why things keep slipping off the board. My girlfriend on the other hand used to use fine serrated teeth knives for EVERYTHING - after buying her a nice knife set and knife steel she absolutely swears by it and tries to convert others when it comes up in conversation.

Just do it for her. You gotta look out for your mom. It's a matter of safety. You could also look at an automatic knife sharpener, they aren't the best if you're serious, but it'll prevent the worst.

any tips for cutting around the collarbone on a duck? i've been doing butchery work at my restaurant for the last few months but i struggle with getting around the bone and leave a ton of meat around the bone and in the pocket under it.

Hug that pocket and bone - get your knife under there. It's similar to when you get into that hip socket, just as in deer, you want to just hug that bone with a nice sharp knife. Go with a thinner knife, don't go with an inch knife - I've got knives I use just for getting in there when I do venison - make sure it's sharp.

Hey Jon, big fan of your union. I've been thinking about getting a small 2nd fridge for dry aging, but I'm really reluctant to OWN A SECOND FRIDGE just to dry age meat. I'm just one person and THAT'S ALOT OF STEAK. Can I freeze dry aged meat after dry aging it and cutting it, or would that harm the taste?

I think you could freeze it, but why not use that second fridge as a beer fridge? I mean everybody has to have a beer fridge!

If you're going to freeze it, you should invest in a vacuum sealer. The modern freezers have constantly running fans that seek out moisture and cause freezer burn.

What’s your favorite kind of cheese 🧀?

WE buy cheese at our farmer's market, and the guy makes a garlic provolone, and they make a horseradish that's just great also.

Howdy, who's got the best thumbs in the business?

Ha, what does that mean? Elaborate please!

The best poultry I've ever had were the 6 pound or heavier "roaster" chickens. I haven't seen them in years despite working with my local meat market, everything is "young chickens" or fryers.

Is it possible to get large chickens anywhere?

We get big roasting hens, you can get them in your frozen section, a capon or a local farmer, they can get or order them for you.

Any tips for saving the chain on a PSMO tenderloin? I buy whole and butcher at home, but the chain always get me. There's so much good meat in there but it's locked up by so much connective tissue!

Try taking it off, just kind of scoop it out, from a bigger tenderloin. We'll use it for stew meat, or fry it up for beef burgundy, use it for stroganoff. That's why tenderloin is so expensive, there is so much waste to it.

unrelated to meat, but i used to work in a butchers as a Saturday lad and some pretty hilarious/wired shit used to happen thanks to the total immaturity of most of the staff. do you have any stories like that to tell?

I've got many stories like that, but I don't kiss and tell.

So being from MN, you're a Vikings fan right?

Absolutely! I bleed purple.

Hi there and thanks for the AmA! My favorite cut of meat is hangar steak, but it’s very difficult to find. In your opinion, why isn’t it more popular?

Because you only get two on each animal, so it's just supply and demand. Have your local folks save them for you, or put in a request - if you ask they should save them. Order ahead of time!

I tell people all the time to order ahead of time - then it's waiting for you, and you know we have it. If you come in and have a special order, we can't cross-contaminate, so it might take a while if you want a different cut.

How long is too long for brining a turkey?

In brining a turkey you gotta make sure it's the amount of solution that's already in it. If you're gonna brine it, don't get a self-basted turkey. All turkeys have a little solution, like the Butterball, it's already pumped, so for brining, get the least amount of solution you can find - an organic turkey, maybe 3 percent, maybe won't have any. But you can brine it up to 24 hours before.

Have it in the refrigerator, covered, so no air can get it. If you use nitrates you can go a couple of days, but you're changing the molecular structure - you're curing it. It's like a smoked ham, or Canadian bacon, you're using nitrates to change the structure. But you can just use a brown sugar solution.

I know if ground beef is fresh ground you can get away with a burger that is a little pink in the middle. That said, is it safe to do the same with prepackaged burgers or better off cooking well? Thanks for the AMA.

Better off cooking well. I don't like prepackaged burger, they're processing fifteen hundred pounds at a crack, and I've noticed when you get chub, you get chunks of fat in there. I like fresh hamburger the butcher grinds from our daily trim, our ground 80/20. Back when I started, we had lean, extra lean and regular. Now you got ground round, ground chuck, ground sirloin - I'd rather just grind fresh, period. The juice should be clear, not red, when you're cooking.

I have a 6.75 lb boneless prime rib for turkey day. Should I tie it up before roasting and is there a formula for the time per pound?

Boy, there's so many theories on that. Some roast at 500, some bake at 350, I go to my rotisserie, set it, and forget it. I've never had a bad prime rib since then. But there's so many variables, you can't give one answer. But I do recommend tying up a prime rib, yes. Just ask your butcher to tie it.

I’m making a turducken this year. The recipe says to debone all three birds except drumsticks before prepping and cooking. Is deboning necessary? Or would it do more harm than good (flavor-wise)?

not OP but in my experience, you're going to have a hard time shoving the birds up each other's asses and keeping them there with backs and breasts.

Ha, exactly.

No, you have to debone just to get it in there! You have to have the flexibility to get it in that chest cavity. You can go to this video and see how to get that bone out of there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NcSxGVWifM&t

How does one make a career out of your trade? I see most butchers get paid like nothing, yet some people make careers out of it. What is the difference there?

If you can get into a union shop, like I have, you should. Our wage might not be as high as some of the other tradespeople but we have great insurance and benefits. I get vacation and sick leave every year. It really makes it able to you have a career. It also literally saved my wife's life when she had an embolism in her aorta. We didn't pay a cent and it was hundreds of thousands of dollars.

When should I defrost my turkey?

Two days ago ;)! It goes by weight. If you do it in cold water, you need to do it 30 minutes per pound in cold water and you change the water every 30 minutes. DO NOT DO IT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE!

Hey there and thanks for doing this. Very interesting stuff!

My question is how did you get into being a butcher? Like what made you decide to choose butchery as your career.

I had a wonderful neighbor where I grew up that ran the local market. He was always in a good mood and he inspired me. He told me people are always going to have to eat or get sick, so either do food or medical industries. I liked processing my own deer and working with my hands...

I've asked the supermarket butchers to if they could cut my bacon thick but evidentally it's against policy they say, is this a pain in the ass task or will most butcher shops do it if I ask?

I don't cut slab bacon in my shop. But it shouldn't be that hard to do.

What is the real difference in the meat when prepared “halal” or “kosher” vs modern methods?

I'm honestly not too familiar with different religious slaughter methods - since I work as a butcher, that's someone else's AmA!

I'll tell you what though - we have a lot of packing workers in my union, and I'll ask one of my brothers or sisters next time I see them!

Have you ever gotten some beef or anything that had cancer or and sort of tumor that you had to deal with?And what did you do with it just cut it out or toss the cut? My girlfriend keeps seeing this post and is discussed by it but I could care less.

Already answered this below - see down a few.