Butchers all over the world each have their own preferred techniques for cutting meat. Often, it depends on the exact nature of their job – whether they’re cutting meat to be sold directly to the public, or whether they’re working in-house at a restaurant or other establishment, for example. Hi-tech machinery such as butcher’s bandsaws are often used for speed and efficiency, but many butchers here in the UK are also rediscovering seam butchery, as an effective way to cut down on waste. What is seam butchery, you ask? Well…

A bit of background on seam butchery

Essentially, seam butchery is a traditional European technique to butcher animals that’s been in use in England and France for centuries. It was developed to better preserve individual muscle groups, rather than simply chopping the entire animal into chunks. There are several advantages to this approach. Firstly, it wastes very little of the animal, as the meat is removed right up to the bone.

But there’s a second advantage, perhaps less obvious to the untrained eye. Namely, that different muscle groups cook at different temperatures, and the final cuts of meat often have notably different textures. (See our recent post about the various cuts of pork for an in-depth example of what we’re talking about!) If you’ve ever had a piece of meat that seems cooked more evenly on one side rather than the other, it’s likely because that meat is formed of overlapping muscle groups. However, by using seam butchery to separate the animal into distinct muscle groups, the chef is better able to cook each piece to perfection.

Seam butchery also allows for the removal of the silver skin or fascia; what many consumers refer to as the gristle. While it’s not a crucial requirement for the meat to ultimately be served, for many customers its removal does again make for a much better dining experience.

How to do seam butchery

We won’t get into too many of the exact specifics of the technique, but we'll run you through the basics quickly. As for the best kinds of butcher’s knives to use for seam butchery, opinions often vary! Some butchers have reported using nothing more than a rib stripper and a paring knife, whereas others prefer to use a combination of boning knives and cleavers.

Whatever tools you choose to use, the golden rule is always the same; it’s mainly a matter of cutting along the natural breaks in the anatomical structure (the seams, in other words). This is the easiest and most efficient way to separate the animal into its component muscle groups, minimising waste. Of course, some butchers see this as a relatively labour intensive task, so there is a trade-off to be made between efficiency and speed (or perhaps even quality and quantity). Depending on your environment, the way you work, and the volume of meat you have to process, you may well find a professional butcher’s bandsaw is better suited to your purposes.

Whatever or not you think seam butchery may be for you, rest assured that we can accommodate you here at Butcher’s Equipment Warehouse. Not only do we stock an expansive range of butcher’s knives from leading brands such as F. Dick and Victorinox, but we also stock durable, heavy duty machinery such as our range of butcher’s meat bandsaws. You can click the links to find out more, or if you’ve got any specific questions you can always give us a call on 01254 427 761.