Need some advice/help guys.
I'm apprenticing, and we're running bone in pork this week. I'm fairly proficient at boxed beef, pork shoulders, and boneless pork. However I have yet to do a bone in pork loin. I just got a call this morning that my dept head's dad passed away, and wont be at work the rest of the week.
My problem arises in that his backup really has no interest in working with me at all (he'll seriously just go do somethin else and let me cut, or change to a knife blade on the 2nd saw), and we'll be the only 2 in the shop. My department head went over it with me last week, but I haven't had a chance to DO it. Given that we'll be shorthanded through the holiday, I'll without a doubt be cutting em and could use some tips/advice. Thanks in advance, I just dont wanna be makin a buncha waste for no reason y'know?
Since you didn't say just what you need to cut, I have found two video's that may help you some.
IF you have any questions, just ask, we here to help. I got to go out of town till late tonight. their will be others here to answer you after 4 or 5 pm today
These were the only two video's I could find that showed much, GUESS we going to have to get some members here to make some video's of the differ ways to cut a bone in pork loin LOL
Especially the stuff about traying, as in the 5 minutes he tried to show me, we didn't get to that. The main differences that I can recall were that he cut the sirloin end 1 1/4 inch or so and made a country style rib out of it, and he sorted the chops as he was cuttin em. Still think I'm in for a long week of struggling lol
Make sure when you cut the roasts that you break the chine from the rib bones so the customer can easily carve them
As to assorted I cut them at 3/4inch layout 5-6 stacks on the out feed as I cut them Sirloin end first then flip the loin and cut the rib end, rib and end with the loin Then if you flip them over before you tray them you will always end with the loin chops on the top of the package for the customer to see Eye Appeal is Buy Appeal
__________________
Joe Parajecki
Operations Manager/ Partner
Kettle Range Meat Company, Milwaukee WI
Member Meat Cutter Hall of Fame and The Butcher's Guild
Did alright tonight. The only thing that ended up kinda ugly is the first couple cuts off the rib end. I ended up just makin city chicken with it. Higher markup though so no big loss I suppose. By myself for 12 hours tomorrow, think I'll be gettin plenty of practice.
sweetie you will do ok, I think you got the making of a good cutter, if you didn't you wouldn't be here trying to find out how to over come. I do believe you care about doing a good job. hang in there you going to be a great cutter.
Thanks for the encouragement. I just don't wanna be another one of "those" guys. We have quite a few around here, I actually had someone try to show me how to trim clods on a saw the other day. I thought about weighing it up against my hand trim. That same guy broke two teeth off the combs on the cuber, and claims I broke it. He had it already put together and I just turned it on and they bent, then he broke em off. Guys like that kinda led me to look around for ways to learn more.
Our head cutter is top notch, it's always awesome to work with him on a block. I learn more in 5 minutes with him, than in a week with someone else.
Good news! Got a call from the dept head of a nearby store. He needs loins, I need help with cuttin em and have a few to spare. He's gonna swing by tomorrow and help me out for a few.
I catch some flack because I give a damn though. Especially by people my age. Anyone ever encounter that? It's very frustrating to catch hell for wanting to do a good job. We had a guy who did the bare minimum, and complained that anyone who did more was working too hard. He didn't last long. When I had to go behind him and take first cuts and end pieces out of the service counter his days were numbered.
When the dept head approached him about his quality, he said "it coulda been me, but there is an apprentice here." He replied "noone I teach would ever put this kinda garbage out for sale." He went over that with me repeatedly my first couple weeks "that end cut is value pack or stew" Think he was gone a week later or so. It was a good learning experience though, what NOT to do, can be as useful as learning what I'm supposed to do.
