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 Ward'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, animal welfare, the role of meat inspectors, cut sheets, what's legally 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 line
• 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 Ward's description of what goes on behind the scenes at meat markets large and small. And new or aspiring butchers will find a well-illustrated slideshow on CD (included in the back of the book) with more than 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.