The 6th and 7th of June, Juan and Sean tackle Prima SlagHuis

On the 6th and 7th of June, Juan Botha(2nd yr chef) and myself now doing my 3rd yr advanced diploma were sent to a Butchery called Prima Slag huis (The best a braai can get). Our Mission at the slaghuis? to learn all the cuts of meats prepare and package meat products for our modules, Juan completed his entire module on meats and poultry. Mine was to gain insight onto different training methods on demonstrations and cutting techniques used by the butchers to get the most out of their Product to prevent stock loss during the trimming process.

Goulash blocks after and during trimming of the fat

On the 16th, our first day. The day started a little slower than we expected. But picked up quickly as we realized standing with our hands in our pockets was gonna get us no where! We jumped in and started questioning the workers of the butchery like policemen on a trail trying to pick up as much information as possible. 2 days to steal trade secrets isn't a lot of time in this industry, the butchers were just as willing and eager to teach and train us beginning with cutting up and portioning goulash blocks.

THE MINCER!!!

Juan demonstrating the removal of meat from the rib area

The next task we undertook was the beginning of the making of cabanossi from the fat of pork and warthog meat. We were given 3 carcasses that had to be stripped of all its meat and fat and put into a large box, which would later on be taken to the mincer to be processed. 

BAND SAW!!!

Patty press

we weren't allowed to use the band saw, but an example of some more of the butchers tools of the trade include the band saw, the mincer(picture above) the patty press, sausage press and a scale... 

The 7th of June there was a delivery to the butchery from a supplier, All items that were brought into the shop were weighed and then stored in the fridge, they used a scale weight to get the mass of the product.

Juan using the scale

Some of the other items delivered that day to the butchery included offal, which the 1st years found out on the 12th of june that it was apart of their practical. We packaged, labelled set the offal aside for the delivery to sondela. Among the items to be taken included the spleen, the lungs, the wind pipe, the heart, the kidney in the grisse and the livers. The piece of offal that grabbed my attention the most was the whole head! it still had all the hair and skin on it, with the brain and eyes still intact. Where some people find this disturbing, the opportunity to hold a whole cow head, then cut it in half and see just how the head and skull is formed around its brain and the cavities that allow the cow to hold food while swallowing really taught us alot more than we already knew.

We were given this chance to expand our knowledge of the products we work with every day in the kitchen, and with all the extra information we gained, we can now produce better meat dishes. I gained some demonstrative training skills and also some knew knowledge on how our commodities are made before we get them and work our own magic on items that are already having magic made on the.