![Priceless heirloom in a family of butchers](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/book.jpg)
As noted in an earlier post, last week, in preparation for our November Quarterly Chef’s Dinner, Café Presse had a visit from artisan butcher Darron Marsolf, who showed us the proper way to break down a pig. In addition to being a top-notch butcher, Darron is a affable fellow, and he took the time to tell us about how his family became butchers and how he personally learned the trade. He even brought along a technical butchery manual called “The Meat We Eat” which had been passed down to him by his grandfather.
Here are a few photos of the demonstration.
![Darron talks tactics before starting to remove the primal cuts from our half hog](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pig-butcher-1.jpg)
![Sharp knives are essential to a clean job](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pig-butcher-4.jpg)
![Darron cuts the ham from the carcass at the sirloin...check out the fat layer on the leg and back!](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pig-butcher-2.jpg)
![No electric tools here, just the good old fashion knives and saws](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pig-butcher-3.jpg)
![The end of the demonstration with our hog broken down into the main primals. The Cafe Presse kitchen team will take it from here.](https://www.jimdrohman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pig-butcher-5.jpg)