Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork - by Adam Danforth

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This comprehensive and award-winning guide provides step-by-step instruction on how to humanely slaughter and expertly butcher locally raised animals for the highest quality meat.

​Providing detailed photography of every step of the process, Adam Danforth shows you everything you need to know to butcher poultry, rabbit, lamb, goat, and pork. Learn how to create the proper slaughtering conditions, break the meat down, and produce flavorful cuts of meat. Stressing proper food safety at all times, Danforth provides expert advice on necessary tools and helpful tips on freezing and packaging.

Winner of the IACP and James Beard Awards.

From the Back Cover

Quality Meat from Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep, Goats, and Pigs

Locally raised animals, humanely slaughtered and expertly butchered. This is the best meat we can eat and, with Adam Danforth's comprehensive manual, you can learn the skills necessary to take an animal calmly and efficiently from pasture to freezer.

Every step of the slaughtering process -- from selecting the proper equipment to preparing, stunning, and bleeding the animals -- is presented with careful consideration for the animals' well-being and your safety.

Butcher the carcass to maximize food yield and get the cuts you want. You'll find various options for breaking down each species, with hundreds of step-by-step photographs that put you at the butcher's table to observe the art of cutting and boning, trimming fat and connective tissue, and rolling and tying.

Scrupulous attention to sanitation and detailed instructions for packaging and freezing your meat for the best quality, appearance, and freshness ensure that the animals you process will nourish and satisfy everyone they feed.

Review Quotes

"[A] breathtaking guide through the paradoxical process of killing animals with compassion. ... For those who have embraced the farm to table movement and are ready to take matters into their own hands, this is required reading. For those whose consideration of meat and poultry begins and ends at the supermarket, it is a transformative wake-up call."

"Adam Danforth's two new books about butchering feature tasteful photographs and a thorough explanation of each step of the process. ... [They]make you feel like you can raise and process your own livestock, and do it thoughtfully and skillfully ... [and] provide new insights for all of us about butchering and its impact on the quality of meat."

"These are not mere how-to guides: they are the equivalent of in-depth college courses. ... What's more, this is not just academic data: there are practical applications, and not only for homestead butchers. Anyone who cooks or eats meat would benefit from much of this information. ... On a scale of 1-10, these easily rank 12, minimum."

"These books were written by a man who loves livestock, and loves meat - with reverence."
-- The Shepherd

"Breathtaking guide through the paradoxical process of killing animals with compassion. ... a transformative wake-up call."
-- Publishers Weekly

"It's informative, it's comprehensive, and above all else, it's reverent and respectful of the animals giving their lives so we can live ours."
-- Hobby Farms

"If you're interested in self-sustainability and raising livestock for meat consumption, this book is the next step in your process. It's informative, it's comprehensive, and above all else, it's reverent and respectful of the animals giving their lives so we can live ours."

"There's an entire industry of professionals who humanely raise and slaughter animals for a living, in an intensely personal and responsible way that's to be admired. One of those professionals is Adam Danforth, the author of a new book series that sets out to educate those interested in humanely slaughtering their own food."

"These books were written by a man who loves livestock, and loves meat - with reverence."