Nose to Tail Eating

By:

by Nate, age 13

There's no food I love more than meat. My favorite meat is pork. That's why there's a pig in the photo!

But I think that if you're going to eat an animal, you should try to use every part. This is called nose to tail eating. 

I went to a butcher near me who uses everything. He's been doing it all his life and he learned from his dad. His dad learned from his grandfather.

What happens to a whole animal? Some gets cut into pieces like filets and chops. Other parts end up in sausage or as specialty meats.

I did an interview with the butcher and this is what I asked.

What is a filet?

A filet is from the sub primal areas in animals. The sub primal section of an animal is the muscle section and contains little of no fat. I prefer filets to cuts, I am not the biggest fan of fat!

What is a cut?

A cut is just a cut of meat from any part of an animal and it’s just that. Simple, right?!

Are bones ever used for anything?

Bones can make stocks for soups, such as vegetable stock, chicken stock, and beef stock. Chicken stock is my absolute favorite and fits with many soups. Beef stocks can be used for stews containing beef or lamb. Vegetable broths can be good for soups such as tomato and carrot soups, or even chicken noodle soup! Bones can also be ground into bonemeal, which supplies nutrients to plants and can be used in fertilizer.