About a Hand-Forged Knife

Being a whole animal butcher requires very little technological innovation. We essentially butcher the same way that shops have for hundreds of years. When we have our butchery class, we tell participants that they can achieve the same results with nothing more than a sharp knife and a hand saw. We might be faster than someone breaking down their first pork shoulder at home, but we're basically working with the same tools. We're also not precious about the tools we use. We are all cutting with $30-40 boning and breaking knives and our hand saw was "re-homed" from a slaughterhouse. As I understand it, they weren't aware of the saws new residency.

That being said, when someone thinks of a good gift for a butcher, a knife seems wholly appropriate. One of our former employees, Nick Tyre, left the shop a couple of years ago to work in Korea for a bit. In his time at the shop, he turned us onto the great joys of Korean food. When he came back into town a year or so later for the Left Bank anniversary party, he brought me a gift. It was the beautiful knife above. Hand forged by Master Shin, it’s an absolutely perfect knife, hand hammered in a fifth generation forge with railroad steel. I've used this knife every single day for a year and haven't sharpened it a single time. Slicing meat you've butchered yourself using a knife that was crafted with the same amount of care and presence that you put into your own work is a real full-circle experience. Thanks Nick, it's a lovely gift.

School let back in this Thursday and we were excited to see the village filled up again. This summer has been one of weather, some grief and a prevailing of sense of community. Happy to be here moving into another season.