Butcher
Butcher
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Butchering the Human Carcass
For the upper torso, first cut through the diaphragm around the inner
surface of the carcass. This is the muscular membrane which divides
the upper, or thoracic, and the lower abdominal cavities. Remove the
breastbone, cutting down to the point on each side where it connects
to the ribs, and then sawing through and detaching it from the collar
bone. Some prefer to cut straight through the middle, depending on the
ideas you have for cuts in the final stages. The heart and lungs may
be detached and the throat cut into to removlarynx and trachea.
Once all of the inner organs have been removed, trim away any blood
vessels or remaining pieces of connective tissue from the interior of
the carcass, and wash out thoroughly.
Remove the Arms: Actual butchering of the carcass is now ready to
begin. Cut into the armpit straight to the shoulder, and remove the
arm bone, the humerus, from the collar bone and shoulder blade. Chop
the hand off an inch or so above the wrist. Most of the meat here is
between elbow and shoulder, as the muscle groups are larger here and
due to the fact that there are two bones in the forearm. Another way
of cutting this portion is to cut away the deltoid muscle from the
upper arm near the shoulder (but leaving it attached to the trunk)
before removing the limb. This decreases the percentage of useable
meat on the arm, but allows a larger shoulder strip when excising the
shoulder blade. Purely a matter of personal preference. Cut into and
take apart the joint of the elbow, and the two halves of each arm are
now ready for carving servings from. Human flesh should always be
properly cooked before eating.
Halving the Carcass: The main body is now ready to be split. Some like
to saw straight through the spine from buttocks to neck. This leaves
the muscle fiber encasing the vertebrae on the end of the ribs. The
meat here however is tightly wrapped about the bone, and we find it
more suitable (if used at all) when boiled for soup. Thus, our
preferred method is to completely remove the entire backbone by
cutting and then sawing down either side from the tailbone on through.
Quartering the Carcass: The halves may now be taken down, unless your
preparation table or butcher block is very short. This is inadequate,
and you will have to quarter while hanging, slicing through the side
at a point of your choosing between rib cage and pelvis. Now is also
the time to begin thinking about how you would like to serve the
flesh, as this will determine the style of cuts you are about to make.
These will also be greatly affected by the muscular configuration
(physical fitness) of your specimen. First, chop the feet off at a
point about three inches up from the ankle. The bones are very thick
where the leg connects to the foot. You will want to divide the side
of meat into two further principal portions: the ribs and shoulder,
and the half-pelvis and leg. In between is the "flank" or belly, which
may be used for fillets or steaks, if thick enough, or even bacon
strips if you wish to cut this thinly. Thin and wide strips of flesh
may also be rolled, and cooked to serve as a roast. Trim away along
the edge of the ribs, and then decide whether you will cut steaks from
the flank into the thighs and rump, and carve accordingly.
Cutting the Top Quarter: Although not actually 25% of the meat you
will get, this is designated as one-fourth of the carcass as divided
into major portions. You may trim away the neck, or leave it to be
connected with the shoulder, or "chuck". The first major step with
this mass is to remove the shoulder blade and the collar bone. The
best and easiest way we have found is to just cut along the outline of
shoulder blade, removing the meat on top and then dislocating the
large bone. To excise the collar bone make an incision along its
length and then cut and pry it away. Depending upon the development of
the breast, you may decide it qualifies as a "brisket" and remove it
before cutting the ribs. In the female the breast is composed largely
of glands and fatty tissue, and despite its appetizing appearance is
rather inedible. The ribs are the choice cut of the quarter. An
perennial favorite for barbecuing, you may divide into sections of
several ribs each and cook them as is, divide the strip in half for
shorter ribs, or even carve rib steaks if the muscle mass is
sufficient.
Cutting the Lower Quarter: This is where most of the meat is, humans
being upright animals. The muscle mass is largest in the legs and
rump. The bulk is so comparatively large here that you can do just
about anything with it. The main pieces are the buttock or rump and
the upper leg, the thigh. Our typical division is to cut the leg off
at the bottom of the buttock, then chop away the bony mass of the
knee, at places two to three inches away in either direction. Before
doing this, however, you may want to remove the whole calf muscle from
back of the lower leg, as this is the best cut in its area. The
upper leg is now ready for anything, most especially some beautiful,
thick round steaks. The rump will have to be carved from the pelvis in
a rather triangular piece. The legs attach at the hip at a forward
point on the body, so there will be little interference as you carve
along the curve of the pelvis. Remaining meat will be on the thighs in
front of the pelvis.
And that's basically it. An average freezer provides plenty of storage
space, or you may even wish to build a simple old-fashioned smokehouse
(just like an outhouse, with a stone firepit instead of a shitter).
Offal and other waste trimmings can be disposed of in a number of
ways, burial, animal feed, and puree and flush being just a few. Bones
will dry and become brittle after being baked an oven, and can be
pulverized.