Seattle chefs take DIY approach to butchery

By Tiffany Ran

http://crosscut.com/

Local chefs are employing whole animal butchery as both an environmentally responsible and financially sustainable way of keeping grass-fed meat on menus.

The goat fabrication and charcuterie demonstration was one of the most popular workshops at this year’s Chefs Collaborative National Summit. The summit, an annual meeting of chefs dedicated to practicing and teaching sustainable food practices, was held in Seattle last week. On Monday, visiting chefs looked on at the Seattle Culinary Academy as local butcher Russell Flint of Rainshadow Meats fabricated a goat, while Bruce Aidells, writer of the Complete Meat Cookbook, contributed his knowledge on ways to use each cut. The pair's knowledge and experience played naturally off each other, encouraging other chefs to use whole animals in restaurant kitchens.

The message is just a part of Chefs Collaborative’s greater goal: To foster, with the help of chefs and the greater food community, a sustainable food supply and healthier local economies. Perhaps thanks to Chefs Collaborative and like-minded organizations, many restaurants across the nation have transitioned their menus to feature exclusively grass-fed meats, which are believed to be humanely and naturally raised, healthier, and of better quality. The use of more costly grass-fed meats though is soon followed by the need to stretch quality meats in order to make keeping these meats on the menu an economically viable option for restaurants.

“I’m trying to get you to think in terms of how you’ll actually make some money out of this because there is significant labor going into it,” said Aidells.

During the demonstration, Aidells noted that a portion of the ribs could be sold as riblets, a more profitable menu option, while the breast could be stuffed and used in a braise. The ribs that are connected to the short loin, he mentions, is best sold as chops with the tenderloin attached. He advocated for using the trim for sausages or a goat burger. A whole goat can lead to endless menu possibilities.

Despite the added labor, more chefs across the country are adopting the use of whole animals in the kitchen, a practice that reduces waste in the kitchen, offers a larger variety of cuts for a restaurant’s menu, and lowers food costs while generating profits. This practice closely follows the push for grass-fed meats, which seems to now be a standard for many restaurants in the Seattle area. As grass-fed meats make their way onto local restaurant menus, Seattle chefs are faced with the creative and financial challenges of making the most of these meats in their kitchens.

Down the hall from Aidells’ goat fabrication workshop, butcher Kari cut away a ragged strip of trim off a portion of beef and held it up for the attendees.  Underly, author of The Art of Beef Cutting,  

BUTCHER KARI UNDERLY LEADING A BEEF BUTCHERY WORKSHOP AT THE CHEFS COLLABORATIVE NATIONAL SUMMIT  Vera Chang

“It looks like Hades, but it’s delicious,” she said. 

Underly's workshop touched on muscle profiling, where she identified new and traditional cuts of beef — from the tenderloin used in Steak Diane to the beef rib eye cap identified on many Seattle menus as the “flavor curve.”

Chef Seth Caswell, member of the national Chefs Collaborative board, purchases whole beef for his Seattle restaurant, Emmer and Rye.

“The thing I got out of Kari’s [beef butchery] workshop was how to take some of those cuts that I normally would portion with x-amount of trim on it. I think my portion of trim will reduce so I can get a few more creative filets. … We can get a lot more money from filets than burgers,” said Caswell.

Whole animal use has helped restaurants like Emmer and Rye introduce alternative options on their menu, which provide diners with unique experiences and generate more profit for the restaurant. Even in the case of burgers, in-house butchery of whole animals has helped restaurants customize their burger mix, by using trim and cuts from different parts of the animal. In this way, restaurants are saving more by using the whole animal rather than ordering pre-fabricated cuts.

When Fremont-based Hunger reopened in its new, larger location on 36th and Fremont, one of the first conversations between chef-owners Brian and Jaime Brooks focused on the possibility of saving money by bringing in whole animals and fish, and in doing so, being able to offer new and interesting items on the menu.

  

 

BUTCHER RUSSELL FLINT OF RAINSHADOW MEATS (FRONT) AND BRUCE AIDELLS (BACK) LEAD A GOAT FABRICATION DEMONSTRATION AT THE CHEFS COLLABORATIVE NATIONAL SUMMIT Vera Chang