Vermont-based master butcher Cole Ward delivers a comprehensive guide to whole-animal butchery that goes beyond conventional "do-it-yourself" books and takes readers inside the world of truly sustainable meat production. The Gourmet Butcher's Guide to Meat demystifies the process of getting meat to the table, and its wide scope will be welcome to those who not only wish to learn the rudiments of butchery, but also want to understand how meat animals are raised, slaughtered, and marketed in a holistic system that honors both animals and consumers. Written in Cole's unique voice of humor and simplicity, the book celebrates the traditional art of culinary butchery, introducing readers to stand-out butchers in America and Europe as well as a diverse group of farmers committed to raising the very best animals with respect. The many methods of raising and finishing meat animals are clearly and thoroughly explained and compared, and sensitive issues like hormone and antibiotic use in meat production are assessed. Readers will learn all the terminology associated with meat and butchery, as well as the complexities of meat grading, carcass yield, marbling scores, and issues with inspection. Also included are recipes, a detailed glossary, and more information on: * The real definition, work, and role of a culinary butcher; * The history and tradition of butchery; * Meat: selecting your breed, grading and aging, tenderness, storing; and reheating; * How meat gets to the table: farmers, slaughtering methods, stress, and animal welfare, the role of meat inspectors, cut sheets, what's legally allowed/not allowed when purchasing meat for further processing, keeping integrity in the local meat movement; * Understanding the commercial meat food chain and recognizing deceptive practices; * Processing your own meat: what you'll need, tools, safety, prep; * Beef: domestication, terminology, how cows work, raising methods (grass, grain, etc.), meat-safety issues, hormone growth implants, antibiotics and feed additives, carcass yield and marbling scores, and a partial list of beef breeds; * Cutting up a beef forequarter and hindquarter; * Pork: domestication, terminology, raising methods, grading and inspection, and a partial list of pork breeds; * Cutting up a side of pork; * Sheep: domestication, terminology, raising methods, and a partial list of meat breeds; * Cutting up a whole lamb; * Chicken: domestication, terminology, how to cut up a whole chicken; * How to make sausages; * Value-added products: what they are and how they can help increase your bottom li≠ * Your own butcher shop: size, equipment, display, marketing; * A better way of thinking about meat: a holistic overview and some conclusions. History buffs will delight in the chapter that traces the roots of butchery from pre-history to modern times, and meat shoppers will welcome Cole's description of what goes on behind the scenes at meat markets large and small. And, of course, new or aspiring butchers will find a well-illustrated slideshow on CD (included in the back of the book) with over 800 images on cutting up a side of beef, a side of pork, and whole lamb and chicken in more detail than is offered in any other book on the subject. Sure to be the ultimate resource on the subject of gourmet butchery, this book will change the conversation and help bring back a traditional art that is in jeopardy, but increasingly important in the local-food and ecological-agriculture movement.

The essential handbook to the Treasure State's gastronomic delights * The ultimate guide to the food scene in Montana, this book provides the inside scoop on the best places to find, enjoy, and celebrate local culinary offerings. Engagingly written by a local authority, it is a one-stop for residents and visitors alike to find producers and purveyors of tasty local specialties, as well as a rich array of other, indispensable food-related information, including: • Food festivals and culinary events • Farmers’ markets and farm stands • Specialty food shops • Places to pick your own produce • One-of-a-kind restaurants and landmark eateries • Recipes using local ingredients and traditions • The state’s best wineries and brewpubs • Cooking schools and seminars • Local food lore, kitchen wisdom, anecdotes, and “best of” selections

The insider's food guide to New York City-from trusted New York food expert and TV/radio host Michael Colameco New York is the food capital of the United States, with an incredibly rich and diverse dining scene that boasts everything from four-star French restaurants, casual neighborhood bistros, and ethnic restaurants from every corner of the world to corner bakeries, pastry shops, and much more. Now Mike Colameco, the host of PBS's popular Colameco's Food Show and WOR-Radio's "Food Talk", helps you make sense of this dizzying array of choices. He draws on his experience as a chef and New York resident to offer in-depth reviews of his favorite eating options, from high-end restaurants to cheap takeout counters and beyond. His work has given him unprecedented access to the city's chefs and kitchens, allowing him to tell you things others can't. He offers inside information about different establishments, giving a detailed and sometimes irreverent sense of the food and the people behind them. Goes beyond ratings-centered guides to offer detailed, opinionated reviews by an experienced chef and longtime New Yorker Recommends restaurants, bakers, butchers, chocolatiers, cheese stores, fishmongers, pastry shops, wine merchants, and more Entries include basic facts, contact information, and a thoughtful, personal review Includes choices in every price range and neighborhood, from Tribeca to Harlem Whether you're visiting for a weekend or have lived in New York for years, this guide is your #1 go-to source for the best food the city has to offer.

With more than 500 recommended restaurants, this is the third in a series of destination city guides for "eco-gastronomic" travelers--adventurous people who seek out quality, tradition, and fresh, seasonal, and locally grown ingredients when they explore the restaurants, markets, and bars of a city.

Including information on cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, and goats, and exotics like bison, rabbits, elk, and deer How can anyone from a backyard hobbyist to a large-scale rancher go about raising and selling ethically produced meats directly to consumers, restaurants, and butcher shops? With the rising consumer interest in grass-fed, pasture-raised, and antibiotic-free meats, how can farmers most effectively tap into those markets and become more profitable? The regulations and logistics can be daunting enough to turn away most would-be livestock farmers, and finding and keeping their customers challenges the rest. Farmer, consultant, and author Rebecca Thistlethwaite (Farms with a Future) and her husband and coauthor, Jim Dunlop, both have extensive experience raising a variety of pastured livestock in California and now on their homestead farm in Oregon. The New Livestock Farmer provides pasture-based production essentials for a wide range of animals, from common farm animals (cattle, poultry, pigs, sheep, and goats) to more exotic species (bison, rabbits, elk, and deer). Each species chapter discusses the unique requirements of that animal, then delves into the steps it takes to prepare and get them to market. Profiles of more than fifteen meat producers highlight some of the creative ways these innovative farmers are raising animals and direct-marketing superior-quality meats. In addition, the book contains information on a variety of vital topics: • Governmental regulations and how they differ from state to state; • Slaughtering and butchering logistics, including on-farm and mobile processing options and sample cutting sheets; • Packaging, labeling, and cold-storage considerations; • Principled marketing practices; and • Financial management, pricing, and other business essentials. This book is must reading for anyone who is serious about raising meat animals ethically, outside of the current consolidated, unsustainable CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) system. It offers a clear, thorough, well-organized guide to a subject that will become increasingly important as the market demand for pasture-raised meat grows stronger.

Growing vegetables and raising livestock is only the beginning of a successful homestead — that fresh food goes to waste unless you can properly prepare, cook, and preserve it. Andrea Chesman shows you how to bridge the gap between field and table, covering everything from curing meats and making sausage to canning fruits and vegetables, milling flour, working with sourdough, baking no-knead breads, making braises and stews that can be adapted to different cuts of meat, rendering lard and tallow, pickling, making butter and cheese, making yogurt, blanching vegetables for the freezer, making jams and jellies, drying produce, and much more. You’ll learn all the techniques you need to get the most from homegrown foods, along with dozens of simple and delicious recipes, most of which can be adapted to use whatever you have available. Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead, The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects, The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, and The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.

- Everything readers need to know to start up and operate a wildly popular mobile food business - Includes crucial marketing expertise from a successful food truck entrepreneur

Boston's well-known "mysterious" food critic has honed his compendium of restaurant knowledge into his selection of the Boston area's best restaurants. The Phantom lists his favorite eight (also known as the "Great Ate") restaurants in 60 categories from comfort food and fried clams to Chinese and Italian. There are also lists devoted to neighborhoods and regions, from the North End to the North Shore. The nearly 500 restaurant reviews are also catalogued in alphabetical, geographical, and cuisine indexes for easy reference. Unlike the competition, this book has a voice and exhibits the well-respected local expertise of the Phantom Gourmet himself. Moreover, rather than list every restaurant under the sun, the Phantom selects the places he feels are worthwhile and explains why, giving restaurant-goers more guidance when they're looking for a place to eat.

A Splendid Table Staff Book Pick of the Year "Estabrook, a reporter of iron constitution and persistence, has dug deep into the truth about the American pork industry without losing his sense of humor and humanity." —Christopher Kimball, Wall Street Journal In Pig Tales, New York Times best-selling author of Tomatoland Barry Estabrook turns his attention to the dark side of the American pork industry. Drawing on personal experiences raising pigs as well as sharp investigative instincts, Estabrook covers the range of the human-porcine experience. He shows how these intelligent creatures are all too often subjected to lives of suffering in confinement and squalor, sustained on a drug-laced diet just long enough to reach slaughter weight. But Estabrook also reveals how it is possible to raise pigs responsibly and respectfully, benefiting producers and consumers—as well as some of the top chefs in America. Provocative, witty, and deeply informed, Pig Tales is bound to spark conversation at dinner tables across America.