Watched a guy at a farmers market butcher a whole pig with a pocket knife

I went to the farmers market in Burlington last Saturday and there was this older fellow breaking down a pig on a folding table. No bandsaw, no cleaver, just a little pocket knife and a lot of patience. He separated the shoulder and leg in about 2 minutes flat with nothing but that blade. It made me realize I probably rely too much on my gear when a sharp knife and some know-how does the job. Has anyone else seen something like that or tried breaking down a whole animal with minimal tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason_robinson1mo ago

My granddad used to break down deer with nothing but a folding knife and a hatchet, and I watched him do a whole hog one time with just his pocket knife. The trick is knowing the anatomy so well you barely need to saw through bone, you just find the joints and pop them apart. I tried doing a chicken with a paring knife last month and it took forever because I kept hitting cartilage instead of the seam. Took me a while to realize you have to feel for the soft spots where the bones connect, then the knife does all the work. After that experience I actually prefer a smaller blade for breaking things down, big knives just get in the way.

finley_lopez981mo ago

Dude that chicken thing is so real. I tried deboning a turkey with a bigger chef knife once and it was a mess, soon as i switched to a little 3.5 inch paring blade it was way easier to find the joints.