that's what i'm eating? COOL.

did you know that there's a new food labeling law that went into effect a few days ago? it actually requires labels to be placed on all meats and some fruits and vegetables regarding the origins of the product.
for meat, it actually includes where the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered.

here's how i invision it:

"Midwestern SWF, some spots, seeking animal-lover with a healthy appetite for dinner, maybe more?"

source.

sausage thought: patties.

have yet to invest in a meat grinder? fear not! you can still make yourself tasty sausages, just in patty form. i don't know if these would be quite as satisfying to make, but i'm sure they would be just as great to eat.
i think i would miss the bewildered look on people's faces as i described to them the stretching and ballooning of the intestines as they filled with meaty goodness...

source.

time to eat a cow or two

this lady is taking a break!
there will be much to say in a few weeks when she is home from buenos aires, but thinks it appropriate to take a bit of time to let things... marinate? cure? as she is a bit disillusioned with the foodie blog-o-sphere.
anyhoo, i guess there are a few things to look forward to:
1. firsthand south american beef experiences
2. a visit to a real estancia
3. improved blog picture quality!

set your tivos...

don't miss the HBO documentary Death on a Factory Farm...

it originally aired on monday (did anyone catch it?), but has been repeating throughout the week.
i haven't seen it yet, but the kicker allegedly is that nothing that is captured is illegal. i'd imagine it will give you something to think about next time you eye the discount pork chops at the supermarket.
don't get me wrong, i'm not asking you to forgo your ham sandwich, merely consider thinking about where it may have come from and purchase from trustworthy sources!

not meat related.

i came across an article on msn this morning that, in my half-asleep state, almost made me choke on my banana.

title of said article: want to lose weight? just eat less, study suggests.

am i the only one who finds it hilarious that a study needed to be done to arrive at the conclusion that eating less calories will make you lose weight?
i mean, gosh! who knew?
check it out here! thanks, smarties at the new england journal of medicine and harvard school of public health. soon, you'll be telling us that exercise burns calories... or that babies don't come from storks!

a new project? homemade jerky!

lately, my man has been very into snacking on jerky, but i get totally grossed out when i read the ingredients of the supermarket packages he stocks up on. i have yet to find a regular brand that doesn't contain corn syrup, lots of random soy products, and, worst of all, MSG. i would love to snack on jerky, but please, can't they hold the chemicals?

but guess what? i found this amazing site-- a compendium of jerky recipes! isn't the internet great? and we're not just talking beef, there are recipes for all sorts of meat jerkies (is that a word?)-- buffalo, fish, rabbit, alligator, even tofu!

it looks incredibly easy (most of them are just dried in a regular oven) and very tasty... might have to try it soon!

i know it is not seasonally appropriate, but this recipe looks simple and satisfying--

Cranberry (Thanksgiving) Turkey Jerky

2 pounds of turkey (or any meat type)
fresh cranberries
brown sugar or regular sugar
an orange
water
salt & pepper (optional)
Directions:
1.Before you touch your ingredients, go ahead and cut your meat into slices about 1/4″ thick.
2.Next, you can either chop up your cranberries in a blender or food processor to make more juice or line the bottom of a cake pan with the cranberries and smash them with a fork adding just a little water.
3.After you have done that, lay your strips on top of the cranberry juice and salt and pepper both sides, if you like, you do not have to season at all if you’d like to maintain more of the sweet taste.
4.Sprinkle on your sugar (but not too much if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth) and squeeze that orange to zest your meat strips with a light orange flavor.

5.Let marinate in the fridge for as long as you’d like, flipping the meat strips ever so often to soak in that juicy cranberry flavor.
6.Once you have let it sit to your preference, set your oven on the lowest temperature and transfer that cake pan from the fridge to the oven, leaving the door propped open for ventilation. Dehydration takes anywhere from 3-9 hours in an oven but check periodically. Take out if you like it more chewy or leave in longer if you like it more crispy!

check back, i'm sure i'll be trying it soon.

quick, get some good meat now

if you can afford to, eat some good meat now! prices on higher-quality cuts of meat have dropped, as demand has fallen. in this fun economic downturn, many people are turning to cheaper ground meat or lower quality cuts.

so, why not opt to spend a few more dollars on a tastier cut of meat and just eat a little less of it? then everyone wins-- those people who want you to eat less meat, and you, the lucky one with the yummier steak!

also, if you want an insider look into the world of meat, check out this fact-filled site--

cattlefax

bizarre to see statistics like "daily livestock slaughter" and "national direct hog price comparison."

koreans know their meats!

a real korean barbeque experience was something i always felt left out of during my vegetarian days. whenever we would go, my man's korean cousin had to talk the confused waitstaff into bringing me something that was meat-free. this usually was a plate of broccoli, onions, and garlic and a $40 bill. always a fun group dining event, but a huge let-down for my stomach and my wallet!

over the weekend, i was able to participate in a meat-filled barbeque at parks in koreatown. we got lots of heaping plates of good quality meat and i felt very satisfied with the experience, especially with my newfound meat knowledge.

here's our first cut of beef:


thinly sliced, nicely marbled kobe! i happily munched on this, savoring the flavor of the fattiness i have learned to enjoy.

and pork. super tasty with toasty onions and garlic!

an excellent meal for the carnivorous and those with food allergies/intolerances. they kindly switched out the grill between every cut of meat so i could feel comfortable and opt out of the marinated plates. and also, this was much better than my korean barbeque experience in seoul, perhaps a story for a different time or a different blog...

my favorite meat art so far!

this is the meat art of my dreams:


here's the article on eat me daily. and please take a look at the full photo set on flickr.
love it!!!!!

argentinean eats

my mission for the week is to do some further research on what we may be consuming on our argentinean adventure next week. i know that we should expect to survive off beef and wine (sounds great to me!), but i am interested in finding more information on how specifically the beef will be prepared.


to my relief, they seem to prefer a simple, fresh preparation to highlight the meat itself (i was afraid of finding countless recipes containing mixed nuts or something that would make me paranoid to consume anything).


honestly, i can't help thinking of that episode of no reservations (click for clip) where the meat was cooked like this--

(image source: christopherjlester.typepad.com)
which is frankly a bit intimidating!

but the meat is traditionally prepared (in reasonable portions!) on an asado -or grill- over charcoal, either seasoned with salt or a simple marinade and often served with a chimichuri sauce--

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1 fresh bay leaf (optional), finely chopped
(recipe from www.epicurious.com)

oh, and chorizo is a big deal, too! wonder how it compares to my chorizo? might have to finish that off this week in anticipation...

more art meats

too bad we missed out on this!

(image source: www.eatmedaily.com)
meat show.

the poor man's turducken

or "the bird and the beefs."

all of us southern californians know of the secret menu at in 'n out, but did you know that mcdonalds has one as well? some sound more appetizing than others-- from the mcbruschetta, which is pretty much a grilled tomato sandwich (because mcdonald's buns are so tasty someone wanted to eat them with the meat?) to the mcnugget mcflurry, for which no description is necessary.

but here's the one that perked up my ears, the mcgangbang--

(image source: www.eatmedaily.com)

sure, the name is pushing it, but it is amusing none the less.

what do you think? would you order this sandwich within a sandwich? i think it sounds like a serious stomachache! or the next documentary subject for that supersize me guy.

recession-friendly steaks.

this is a must-try-- a simple way to turn a "choice" steak into a "prime" cut.

a birdie sent this along to me today after trying the recipe with pork. i tried a few samples of the pork and it was excellent! very flavorful and nicely (but not overly) salted. looking forward to preparing it with some cheap beef soon!

progress, in steakhouse form.

another personal story from the vaults.

last night, the man and i decided to do a proper date night; dinner and a movie.

no big deal, right? well, consider that the only restaurants i've had a full meal (not a salad or a bowl of fruit) at in the last year and a half are in 'n out and clifton's, that is a big deal. my man stumbled upon this happy secret at morton's steakhouse and we decided that the deal was too good to pass up. i have been inspired to try to eat out more and ask questions from this blog and the necessity that will occur on our upcoming trip to south america, so i promised him that if he called ahead and asked about ingredients, i would join him for meat and wine.

we ordered the mini prime cheeseburgers (seasoned with tomato juice, salt and pepper)

and the filet mignon sandwiches, medium rare and without bread. and let me tell you, it was delicious.

when the waitress came back around to ask how everything was, i replied (as i often am overly revealing with complete strangers), "great!!! i haven't eaten out in years!!!" this is an exaggeration, of course. but, i was elated when the waitress said that all of the waitstaff carry a card with a list of ingredients and potential allergens and a member of their team has a gluten intolerance. she said that they were very familiar with and accommodating towards those with food allergies and intolerances.

so we ordered another round of cheeseburgers.

thanks, morton's.

holy cow: the live and times of the wagyu.

a new feature! bet you've been on the edge of your seats for this one, eh?

i thought i'd open up by telling the story of a wagyu cow, the super special breed that results in the famous kobe beef.

once upon a time, in the secluded Hyogo Prefecture of japan, a breed of cow called Wagyu lived happily and peacefully.

(image source: www.asiakan.org)

many, many centuries ago, these cows were primarily used to cultivate rice. during the order of the shogun (from 1635 to 1838), the japanese were prohibited from eating any four-legged animals and the herds of wagyu cattle became closed and secluded. for the most part, this breed has remained closed until this day.

pure wagyu cows are still living a happy and peaceful life in japan, surviving on a diet of grain fodder, sake and beer* and massaged and brushed to keep them beautiful and mellow creatures.

(image source http://www.luciesfarm.com/)

since then, wagyus have done some international travel, coming to america and australia to enjoy their life. the feeding and care practices remain fairly similar to those of their japanese relatives, but the american-raised kobe cows are kind of like their neglected stepchildren. us americans don't believe that the emotional state of the animal makes for better meat, so the massages have gone by the wayside. shouldn't mrs. obama in all of her foodie goodness bring that back? we need more jobs, people! and who wouldn't want to be a cow masseuse? american kobe cattle are often cross-bred with angus cattle, which is why it is often refered to as "kobe-style" instead of just kobe (think: champagne vs. sparkling wine?)

so, does the extreme care that the japanese take change the taste of the beef? or is american (or australian) kobe-style comparable? so many questions.

*why beer, you ask? to help keep cows relaxed and happy? think again. the cows are fed one bottle of beer a day during the cold months of the year to stimulate their appetites. if they are eating normally, no beer for them! makes me wonder, is this an ethical practice? or only steps away from fois gras?

(thanks to the meat man and wikipedia for their assistance in sharing this story.)

techie tangent.

first, watch this video from the techie-geek convention TED.
then, think about the food potential in the sixth sense device.
pattie maes from MIT speaks of using this super neat device at the grocery store; but only addresses it in terms of personal care items - specifically paper towels.
why not use it for food?
can it tell us the quality of the meat we're purchasing? it would be super easy to do so with name brand meats (i.e. oscar meyer, jennie-o) and let consumers know tidbits about their products-- simple details like expiration dates and recipe tips. but could it eventually tell us specific nutritional information and facts about how the animal was raised?

so, my question was, when will i be able to go into a steakhouse, scan my steak, and project a picture of the cow for all to see? or go into mcdonalds and scan a mcnugget and project a picture of a....???

apparently, i am a geek. i am inspired.

regarding extreme meats:

i have a very vivid childhood memory of journeying to a meat warehouse in downtown detroit with the family of some friends who were home schooled to pick up some supplies for a biology project.
i wasn't prepared for what i saw-- hundreds of skinned cows hanging out waiting for butchering. i also wasn't prepared for what they were purchasing-- a fresh bag of eyeballs for dissection.

whenever i come across lists like this, i think of that experience. i was totally creeped out to see that as a child, but now that i think about it, isn't that a great example of being a good steward of our resources? i am absolutely an advocate of using all of the parts of an animal that was raised and slaughtered for food, but perhaps they need not be consumed!? sure, i'm for a beef tongue taco and using marrow in soups, and gosh, we classy, snobby americans eat hot dogs every day and who knows what's in there??
...but unless i am trying to take part in a cultural tradition, i don't know if i feel it necessary to turn a moose nose into jelly or feel an octopus' suckers sticking to me on the way down.

maybe that's just me. and there will be more left for you.

and as far as food lists go, this has always been one of my favorites. because what little kid doesn't beg mom for raw horseflesh ice cream? mmm...

17 and counting

in reference to the turducken post, here are the 17 birds the french crammed inside one another. i needed a mental picture.

a bustard:

a turkey:

a goose:

a pheasant:

a chicken:

a duck:

a guinea fowl:

a teal:

a woodcock:

a partridge:

a plover:

a lapwing:

a quail:

thrush:

a lark:

an ortolan bunting:

and a garden warbler:

now that's fowl. har, har.

turducken: a history

i assumed the turducken was purely a result of the glutenous food fascination as of late in this fat-obsessed culture of ours,* but no! it actually has a history, and a widespread and royal one at that. look at that bursting goodness!

the edwardian-era ballotine is an early version. it consists of a piece of meat, fish, or poultry that has been boned, stuffed and then rolled and tied into a bundle. it is allegedly a frequent request of the queen and can be prepared for up to 21 people! maybe they start with an ostrich or something.

the french have their twist too, creating the largerst recorded nested bird roast in th early 19th century with 17 birds- a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an ortolan bunting and a garden warbler. the final bird is small enough that it can be stuffed with a single olive; it also suggests that, unlike modern multi-bird roasts, there was no stuffing or other packing placed in between the birds. fyi-- this dish probably could not be legally recreated in the modern era as many of the listed birds are now protected species.

and i'm inclined to poke around and find out if this ever happened!

here's a great step-by-step on how to prepare a bird to be stuffed another bird:

1. Locate the wish bone, slice down either side and remove.
2. Cut the skin down the center of the back, neck to tail.
3. Begin separating the skin and meat from the carcass using small cuts, beginning at the neck. 4. Remove the humerus, which is a saber-like bone near wing.
5. Cut through the wing joint.
6. Work down to the oyster, cut through and separate the thigh joint from the carcass. Cut meat away to the keel bone or center of the breast. (Do the other side)
7. Pull the whole carcass free of meat.
8. Holding the thigh joint scrape the meat to the knee.
9. Cut around the cartilage and locate the top of the leg bone.
10. Scrape to the end of the drumstick.
11. Cut the end of the drumstick with poultry shears {or a very sharp knife}. Turn leg right side out. (Do the other side)
12. Holding the top of the wing joint, scrape the meat to the first joint.
13. Snap the bone out of its joint. (Do the other side)

*if you haven't seen this site, get on it.

start saving for christmas!

why not pitch in with some friends and join the exotic meat of the month club?
farm boxes are for wimps!
(not really, i spent an exhausting week a few months ago trying to cook, freeze, and push off the contents of a farm box on friends...)
what better way to eat your way through the meats of the world? each month you get a tasty surprise, the highlights (in terms of exotic) are february for alligator and july's rattlesnake, but the challenge of the two racks of wild boar in october sounds exciting.
unfortunately, they don't include lion or kangaroo in this package.

stay tuned for a new feature!

why do some meats cost more than an average car payment? is the taste that superior? do you get a euphoric sense of well-being from eating it? was the animal on your plate descended from royalty? or are you paying to fly the cow first-class from japan to your plate? and furthermore, is it a worthwhile indulgence?

i think this topic needs further consideration in the form of a new feature--

"Holy Cow! Tales of the $300 Steak"

first up will be:
what's so great about kobe?

pressing question: is there corn in corned beef?

so, i've been wondering for a while what corned beef is exactly. i have to admit that i was really hoping it had nothing to do with corn!

here's the deal.

corned beef usually starts with a beef brisket and is cured in a spiced brine and then boiled and prepared in whatever way you see fit, like in a stew, hash, or reuben sandwich!

"corn" actually refers to the coarse grains of salts used in curing the meat (yay! i love salt.)

this meat is most often found at your deli counter and used to make sandwiches, but it sure sounds like a tasty project for st. patrick's day. just make sure you start it .. well, i guess you should have started it a few days ago, but you can still plan to have a guinness-fest and tasty beef feast the weekend after st. patty's to assure you have proper meat-curing time!

most of the recipes i've looked at start with an 8-10lb beef brisket, rinsed and rubbed with a combination of spices (usually salt, pepper, garlic, sugar, and whatever else you have around--paprika, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, ginger, etc.)

next, a brine is prepared with warm water and saltpeter, a chemical nitrate. (if that sounds sketchy for at-home cookery, any coarse kosher salt will do, but supposedly your corned beef won't be as pink as expected.) place your seasoned hunk-o-beef in the brine and toss it in the fridge for 10-14 days, turning meat every 2-3 days.

after your curing time has passed, toss the brine and put your brisket in fresh cold water and boil. repeat 3x. then boil it once more for 2 hours or so. then eat.

here's the full recipe and some fun ideas for prep.

and if you're ambitious and inspired to ferment, try making some homemade sauerkraut to go with. mmm, tasty goodness.

but hey, if you don't have the time to put into making it yourself, at least make sure you have one of these next tuesday!

sustainability: the carnivore vs. the veggie

regarding the fois gras controversy:
(perhaps this is old news, but i don't know much about it, so maybe you don't either!)

"Food morality is not as black and white as we like to believe: it's possible to raise animals sustainably and it's possible to raise vegetables unsustainably. Neither side has a monopoly."

"Working to ban something that 99% of people never eat is not an act requiring great moral or physical courage...it's a confidence game in which participating meat-eaters, by agreeing to condemn something that they don't care about, receive the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail card, i.e., the right to feel slightly less guilty as they bite into that factory-farmed McNugget. Guilt and moral superiority are tradable currencies; the anti-foie gras camp exploits this to the hilt."

"If someone really wants to make a difference in the world...start with the fact that more than 12 million children here in the United States live in households where there is risk of hunger or malnutrition every day."

i think that the above-referenced essay makes some very valid points, but i tend to steer away from the moral relativism camp (in theory, at least!). just because mcchickens are grown by the millions and by comparison, very, very few ducks are subjected to gavage* doesn't make the process any less questionable. but questionable is what it is. when any animal is raised and slaughtered for food, there is pain involved. it is just the cycle of life. eat or die!


*gavage refers the use of a funnel inserted into the duck's esophagus to force-feed grain to the duck over the final 15-21 days of its life. those who oppose gavage assert that the ducks choke, vomit, and suffer greatly because of this process.


and here's some sad duck clip art, just to add some, er, red eye to your day.

"stop that, i'm allergic to grain!!"

food sleuthing!

Q:

I came across a recipe that asked for chicken back. What is chicken back? Do I need to go to a butcher to purchase or is it sold at supermarkets, too? Any idea, Lady Butcher?

A:

"A chicken's back and neckbone gives light chicken flavor to homemade stocks. Ask the butcher to set the chicken neck and back bones aside for you. Or, the next time you butterfly a chicken —cut out the backbone and flatten it for grilling or quicker roasting—don't throw the spine out. Instead, wrap it up, put it in the freezer, and save it for your next [back-requiring recipe]."

(source: http://www.bonappetit.com/)

And here's a diagram from the Canadian Government (don't ask...):

From what I've found, the back just refers to the actual spine of the bird and is used to add flavor to recipes. I suppose you could buy a supermarket chicken and chop it up yourself, but why? I would recommend a butcher-- I'd imagine it would be quite cheap, like buying other bones for stocks. Will try to update with firsthand experience soon!

just spreading the word...

oh gosh, really liking this blog.




i really need to try this. now.
yes, these are homemade pork "scratchings."
and best of all, the recipe claims a friendly butcher will give you pork skins for free.
(yeah, yeah, besides the whole heart attack factor. whatever.)

here's the recipe:
part one.
part two.

wow-e-wow.

it has been done.

the butcher's apprentice
but hey, i can do it too, right?

stick your pig!

so it appears to be true-- boar hunting is the thing to do in southern california!

who knew? i guess boar is coming close to overtaking deer as the top game animal in the area. and you know what? i think i'm for boar hunting on several levels.

• i sure don't want wild boar taking over los angeles. they are mean creatures and seem kind of dirty (perhaps that's a misconception, but any omnivorous animal lacking in a moral foundation has the potential to be kind of gross-- i.e. eating their young)... and i'm having horrible thoughts of a "hollywood swine: invasion of the boar" screenplay.
• seems like a good thing for a hesitant hunter to start with. boars are actually quicker and more clever than i imagined, but they sure aren't pretty (see below)
• wild boar will be completely happy and free of nasty chemicals
• wild pig "weighs about 50 pounds, yet is compact enough to fit into the trunk of a mid-’80s Camaro" (see this article)
• there are only minor restrictions on hunting wild boar, and no seasons or daily limits
• wild bacons, need i say more? i'm in!

here's a great article about boar hunting.

but here's a real kicker-- find out exactly how to exactly stalk, take, prepare, and dine upon your own wild pig from some bay area "swinologists." really. it is a definite must-read. along with exploring practical aspects of the hunt and the idea of hunters having, well, a conscious, it ends in a fabulous description of the resulting meal--

"...once you decide to cook your boar, quickly alert a team of gastronomes who are willing to eat a hog on short notice...[then] watch the expressions on the faces of your dinner guests when they first see the beast, turning on the spit, atop a roaring blaze... as guests feed, an odd silence will wash over the spectacle, interrupted only by an occasional mewl or groan...a certain barbaric poetry emerges from the ritual of slaying a beast and feeding it to friends..."

still feeling hesitant? check out these reads.

The Whole Beast: Nose to Toe Eating by Fergus Henderson



Unmentionable Cuisine by Calvin W. Schwabe

meat reflecting life.

some days, i feel like this:

just an empty can of potted meat.

(spotted on the corner of olympic and hope, downtown los angeles.)

ground meat experiences

i had several amazing ground meat experiences this week that i thought i should share.

in an attempt to bring an out of town guest into my meat-consumed lifestyle without too many major projects, we made a quick trip to marconda's meats in the 3rd and fairfax farmers market. the man and i bought the most amazing steak burgers a few weeks ago, so i decided to go on a search for some really great ground lamb to make a twist on soulvaki.

if we had been exceedingly ambitious, i would've loved to try this recipe, but we just cooked up some patties in the trusty cast iron with some lamb they ground fresh for us. we added some chopped onion and garlic, oregano, lemon zest, white wine, salt and pepper and made some rice and salad for an excellent simple (and cheap!) meal.

since we were at the fancy butcher shop, i had to get some more steak burgers that i cooked up last night, protein-style, for the ever-dieting man and i. gosh, such good meat. i'm usually kind of distrusting of buying preground meats... well, i guess i should clarify. i hesitate to buy preground meats and cook them nice and medium rare, so this was definately a treat because i knew i could trust the butcher-- i know where their beef comes from and know that they grind their burgers on-site. so tasty with fresh, leafy greens, onion, tomato, and avocado.

(not our burger, but an example of protein-style for the non-in 'n out initiated. ours were thousands of times tastier.)

i still want to try the alton brown meat grinding techniques... they're supposed to be the best, he says so himself! soon.

tools of the trade.

so, i think i'm in the market for a meat cleaver. i'm not really sure what i would do with one, but feel that it would make me a more legitimate meat cutter, shopper, cooker, and eater.
that, and the sense of danger that accompanies sharp objects excites me.
i guess i should do some research.
i found some lists of product reviews on cooks illustrated and in the new york times, so i think i'll use those as jumping-off points.


the global 6 1/2 inch cleaver comes in highest recommended on several sites. i think i like the look of it--



but the price is a little steep at $144. kind of expensive for a one-trick tool, even if it is the best for cutting through cartilage and bone.


the wüsthof-trident cleaver also receives good reviews and the brand is very reputable.


the price is also more reasonable at around $80.

i'm inclined to recommend the henkels twin signature because it seems to have the best of both worlds-- the trusted quality of the brand and the reasonable price (under $50). i've used henkels knives before and have been very happy with them, but don't have any firsthand experience with the cleavers. how can i get in on one of these trials?



and, if you're looking for a knife that will double as an art piece in terms of both beauty and cost, here's the kershaw shun, allegedly a very versatile knife coming in at around $300.


anyone want to fund a shiny new toy for me? in all seriousness, i think that a good knife is a worthwhile investment, even if you are tight financially. if you get a quality tool and take proper care of it, chances are, it will last your whole life. (and most of the decent brands come with lifetime warranties in case of any problems.) if you are invested in making good, thrifty meat purchases, a cleaver will save you money in the long run because boneless meat is often pricier than its deboned counterparts. and, you can save the bones for those tasty soups you've been meaning to try!


so, save up those bed bath and beyond coupons that clog the mailbox and pick up one!

wearable meats.

thanks, etsy.

and craftzine.

and etsy, again.

but maybe this is taking it too far, hmm?