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Watch Rob Levitt’s Butchering Demo at PlateCooks

Rob Levitt of The Butcher & Larder
Rob Levitt of The Butcher & Larder Photo: Sky Full of Bacon

So you’ve thought about attending one of The Butcher & Larder’s whole animal butchering demos, but 1) you’re worried about being grossed out and 2) the few spaces go before you manage to reserve yours. Well, if you have 4 minutes, here’s your Plan B. We attended the whole animal demo by Butcher & Larder owner Rob Levitt and chef Michael Paley of Louisville’s Proof on Main at the industry conference PlateCooks last week, and were graciously allowed to shoot it and share part of it with you. As much as whole-animal-cooking is a widely-touted practice here in Chicago, there are still plenty of chefs around the country adjusting to the idea of not simply ordering the parts you can sell, but selling everything you get. And we and the chefs both learned something about the business of butchering your own meat and serving the more unusual cuts to your customers— especially since the demo ended with a taste of Paley’s cured, deep-fried pig tails. Watch our video below.

Watch Rob Levitt’s Butchering Demo at PlateCooks