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Butchery Classes NYC

Learn the art of butchery and master the techniques of cutting and preparing meat with hands-on cooking classes in NYC. Discover the secrets of professional chefs, gain confidence in the kitchen, and impress your friends and family with your newfound culinary skills.

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Whole Hog Butchery

Dickson's Farmstand Meats @ 75 9th Ave, New York, NY

Discover the art of whole hog butchery and learn the age-old techniques of charcuterie and salumi in this immersive class. Get hands-on experience in preparing different cures and indulge in a thorough tasting spread to compare the various methods. Don't forget to bring a sweater as the class takes place in a cool cutting room.

(232) All levels 18 and older

Breaking Beef: An In Depth Tour of the Steer

Dickson's Farmstand Meats @ 75 9th Ave, New York, NY

Expand your culinary knowledge and learn the ins and outs of beef with Dickson's Farmstand Meats. Discover the differences between cuts, explore livestock agriculture, and gain valuable tips for shopping and cooking. Join us for a meaty adventure!

(232) All levels 18 and older
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Butchery: Chicken, Fish and Rabbit

The Brooklyn Kitchen @ 274 36th St, Brooklyn, NY

Small animal butchering Whether you've taken our Knife Skills class and are ready for the next level, or just a curious meat eater, this one's for you. In this gateway butchery class, students will get hands-on experience breaking down a chicken, fish, and rabbit, and learn essential methods for preparing each cut. Dinner will be served, and students will take home all their proteins (to make a giant surf and turf feast, or freeze for later!).

(734) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$150
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Father's Day Grilling Masterclass and Butchering Demo

Miette @ 132 Mulberry St, New York, NY

Join us for a special Father's Day event with Chef Paul as he leads a nose to tail grilling experience on our two outdoor grills. Starting with a whole lamb, this hands-on class will teach you the fine art of butchering, prepping the meat, and grilling it to perfection. The menu includes summer favorite side dishes that will carry you through Labor Day.

(469) All levels 13 and older
No upcoming schedules
$135
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Pig Butchery

The Brooklyn Kitchen @ 100 Frost St, Brooklyn, NY

Join expert butchers Erika Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest, aka the Butcher Girls, as they break down a  pig into familiar butcher cuts. In addition to the anatomy, the Butcher Girls will revealing the musculature secrets behind cooking pork. Why does pork shoulder need to be cooked for along time, and pork chops are best seared? Who put all the fat in bacon?  Erika and Jocelyn will start with a side of a pig, and over the course of nearly...

(734) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$180.26
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Pig Butchering with Fleishers

The Brooklyn Kitchen @ 100 Frost St, Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Kitchen is proud to team up with the talented butchers at Fleishers Craft Butchery for an immersive and intensive pig butchering course!  In this class, students will get hands-on experience breaking down a pig, cook and enjoy some of the cuts they've prepared, and leave with meat and tools to take home.  Perfect for the adventurous home cook!

(734) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$150
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Whole Fish Butchering

The Brooklyn Kitchen @ 100 Frost St, Brooklyn, NY

Take your knife skills (and pescatarian lifestyle) to the next level with this comprehensive class on breaking down whole fish.

(734) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Introductory to the Art of Butchery

Mosner Family Brands

Our acclaimed Introductory to the Art of Butchery course is our most popular class. Whether you are an industry professional or simply seeking a better understanding of the butcher case, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained in this 2 ½ hour meat crash course. Students can look forward to hands-on meat fabrication, discussion topics such as animal anatomy, flavor fundamentals, grading, labeling, and cooking techniques, a plant tour...

Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

All About Technique: Fish Butchery

The Institute of Culinary Education @ Brookfield Place,, New York, NY

Fish butchering doesn't have to be intimidating. Get this essential skill down to a science as you learn the techniques to fabricate a whole flat fish, a whole round fish and much more.  You'll learn the cooking methods most suitable to fish cookery, such as en papillote, sautéing and frying.  Then you'll use those techniques to make a feast of:  sautéed fillets of flounder à la meuniere; Mediterranean branzino baked en papillote;...

(940) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$130
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Reviews for Butchery Classes in NYC

Butchery Classes in NYC are rated 4.6 stars based on 2,375 verified reviews from actual CourseHorse.com purchasers.

  • Whole Hog Butchery

    Reviewed by Jill G. on 3/7/2020
    This class was super fun! Rebecca and Chris are very knowledgeable and fun to chat with.
  • All About Technique: Fish Butchery

    Reviewed by Diego F. on 1/21/2020
    The class was excellent!! From the freshness of the ingredients to the detailed explanations from Rich, we enjoyed every moment (and every bite!) from this class :)
  • Breaking Beef: An In Depth Tour of the Steer

    Reviewed by Doug L. on 8/3/2019
    Everything was perfect, informative class, great instructors. 'It was a keeper.' DL
  • Breaking Beef: An In Depth Tour of the Steer

    Anonymous review on 5/31/2019
    Great venue and 2 great Dickson staff to take us through the experience Drinks and antipasti plate were a pleasant surprise.
  • Whole Hog Butchery

    Reviewed by Ed M. on 5/31/2019
    Wasn't as hands-on as I had imagined but it was fun handling body parts as they were hacked off.
  • Breaking Beef: An In Depth Tour of the Steer

    Reviewed by Chris C. on 4/6/2019
    Great course, friendly and knowledgeable instructors. Course was a lot of fun
  • Breaking Beef: An In Depth Tour of the Steer

    Reviewed by Allan L. on 1/12/2019
    Great class. 2 suggestions: 1. At the show, the cow was in 3 pieces so it was sometimes hard to visualize where each part came from. Have a picture/chart of the cow, so that we can visualize where on the cow each cut is located. 2. It wasn't always which cut corresponded to typical cuts in a normal grocery store. They always referred to each cut by the specific names they assigned in their store, which were different from a typical store. For example, I wasn't clear where a typical chuck steak came from.
  • Whole Hog Butchery

    Anonymous review on 11/17/2018
    Awesome instructors and impressive shop!
  • Whole Hog Butchery

    Anonymous review on 10/20/2018
    Very informative. The instructors were willing to answer all sorts of questions and really make it an immersive experience.
  • Whole Hog Butchery

    Reviewed by Mariska S. on 9/28/2018
    The instructors were awesome. Loved this course!

Discover the Best Butchery Classes in NYC

Butchery is the practice of selecting, slaughtering, deboning, cutting, and preparing meat. One of the oldest trades still performed today, butchery is a detail-oriented craft that has been refined over thousands of years. A practice that relies on a combination of finely-honed skills and high-quality tools, butchery emphasizes getting the best cuts from the finest meats and stands in contrast to the mass-produced meat products of industrial society.

Dating back over 400,000 years with the earliest documented butchery site in Kent, England, butchery is now considered an art form. Independent butcher shops have seen a rise in popularity as individuals become more intentional about their sourcing and consuming habits.

Whether you’re looking to improve your homemade meals or support sustainable farming, a butchery course can be a great way to perfect your skills so that you can create truly memorable farm-to-table food experiences, for both loved ones and customers. There’s so much to be gained from practicing this ancient set of skills. 

Why You Should Learn Butchery in NYC

A well-respected trade, butchery can provide many benefits to those with a passion and interest. Being a knowledgeable butcher allows you to hand-select and personally slice your own cuts of meat, elevating your dishes with an artisanal flair. 

Are you passionate about environmentalism? Butchers can locally source their meat from sustainable and humane farms and minimize waste by ensuring every usable part of the animal is properly harvested. Becoming a master butcher helps you develop a deeper connection to your food and the environment so that your dishes can be healthy, wholesome, and earth-friendly.

Is the rising cost of groceries causing you stress? Purchasing large portions of meat directly from a local farm and butchering it into prime cuts can save you money in the long run. You can stock up on meat for one or more seasons, and handling the processing and packaging on your own can help limit your financial waste, as well.

Looking to invest in your community and make friends? Local butcher shops are often central to the day-to-day lives of those that live nearby, with expert butchers forming bonds based on trust and respect with neighbors and local businesses. 

With the cultural shift away from factory farming towards less harmful, more sustainable ways to source food, butchery can be an exciting new career. A quality butcher shop can be an essential business in any community, connecting ranchers to consumers, and making farm-to-table practices more accessible. 

In-Person Butchery Classes & Schools in NYC

Butcher shops are an intimate staple in nearly every neighborhood in New York. In fact, the oldest butcher shop in New York is Staubitz Market, which was established in 1917 and is still operating today. In the early 1900s, there were butcher shops on nearly every street corner and, while many of these original shops have closed over the years, countless butcher shops are still thriving.

It’s not surprising, then, that this city known for its bodegas and corner stores, with dozens of unique and beloved neighborhoods centered around locally-owned businesses, has plenty of butchery classes for you to choose from.

Breaking Beef: An In-Depth Tour of the Steer is a butchery-focused class held in Chelsea, NY. Hosted by Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, the butchers leading this demo class will walk you through breaking down a whole side of beef, from neck to tail. They’ll cover all the cuts that come off of a steer and will discuss livestock agriculture practices. You’ll learn how to properly shop for the best meat and how best to cook each cut Plus, there are samples!

Dickinson’s Farmstands Meats also offers Whole Hog Butchery where expert butchers will break down a whole hog and walk you through the different butchering techniques. This class will also cover techniques used in charcuterie and preserving meats like salting, brining, dry-curing, fermenting, and smoking. Students will get hands-on experience preparing different items in various cures. (Special note: A sweater is recommended for all classes at Dickinson’s as they are held in their 60-degree cutting room.) 

The Brooklyn Kitchen hosts Pig Butchery, this demo class is led by Erika Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest, known as “the butcher girls.” Nakamura and Guest will break down a pig into familiar cuts and divulge the musculature secrets behind cooking pork. Each participant will get to take home between four and six pounds of varied cuts. 

Butchery: Chicken, Fish, and Rabbit is also hosted by The Brooklyn Kitchen and will focus on small animal butchering. Considered a gateway butchery class, participants will get hands-on experience breaking down these smaller animals and learn the essential methods for preparing each cut. Dinner is served during class and each student will take home all their proteins. 

Knife Skills 2: Butchery is held at The Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. An intermediate-level class, students will hone their fish and poultry fabrication skills by learning how to debone a chicken and filet a flounder. Knife Skills 1 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. As an added bonus, wine is provided during class.

Abigail’s Kitchen offers a course called Advanced Knife Skills: Introduction to Butchery at Home. Students will master how to filet a fish, debone a chicken, and French a rack of lamb. You’ll also discuss the different types of knives and what tools you really need. Dinner will be served, as will local wine and beer. Located in charming Greenwich Village, Abigail’s Kitchen offers a unique learning experience in a working restaurant kitchen.

Virtual Butchery Classes & Schools

Looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of New York and spend a cozy evening at home? Online butchery classes boast the flexibility to attend from wherever you want and, with on-demand classes, whenever you want. Learning in your favorite pajamas can make the experience even more enjoyable. There’s also no need to sit in traffic, tackle public transit, or struggle to find parking. 

Students are generally required to source their own supplies and tools, but a list of ingredients will be provided after registration. Plus, online butchery classes still have the benefit of an expert instructor and the hands-on experience that in-person classes offer.

Virtual Building Blocks: Chicken Butchery and Cookery is an informative online class held by The Chopping Block Lincoln Square. This two-hour class is held over Zoom and will teach students how to select quality poultry that they will then properly butcher and prepare. It will also cover several different cooking techniques like braising, roasting, and sauteing. Students will be provided with a recipe packet, equipment list, and class syllabus upon registering.

Similarly, The Chopping Block Lincoln Square also hosts Virtual Building Blocks: Fish Butchery and Cookery. This class teaches how to select fish, identify flat and round fish, techniques for breaking down a whole fish, and various cooking methods. Also hosted via Zoom, a moderator will make sure that all your questions are answered by the chef either during or after class.

If you’re looking to master how to cook your hand-selected cuts, Class in the Kitchen offers Date Night: Steak for Two. Grab your partner, light a candle or two, and enjoy a romantic and informative evening at home. Led by Chef Grazia, this class teaches how to properly season and get a signature sear on your steaks, every time. Students will create a mushroom and wine reduction and roasted potatoes to compliment their mouth-watering steaks. 

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