Can we talk about what the old timer at the meat counter in Omaha told me?

I was picking up a pork loin at a counter in Omaha and the guy behind it, Ray, has been cutting for 40 years. He said his first boss made him break down a whole hog by hand for 6 weeks before he was allowed near the saw. Made me think about how few guys coming up now ever learn that part. Does anyone still train new hires on whole animal breakdown first, or is that gone for good?

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stella_taylor16d ago

Wondering if that old school training is really as valuable as people make it sound, because most shops now run on boxed beef and pre cut primals anyway. Spending six weeks on whole hog breakdown means the new guy isn't learning the stuff that actually pays the bills, like yield math, case setup, and speed on a saw. Ray's story is cool but it's nostalgia more than a blueprint, and training people on tools they'll never touch in a modern shop just wastes time.

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