Part 3

1. Grinding (fig. 2) is necessary because new knives are not usually sold in a form sharp enough for immediate use. The stone should be water, or oil-cooled to avoid overheating the knife. The blade should not be ground back more than ¼ inch from the edge to form the proper bevel. The bevel should be the same on both sides of a skinning knife so that it may be used with either hand in removing the hide from a beef carcass. It is best to grind the knife by holding the knife edge against the stone at a right angle to prevent scarring the blade any farther back than the actual bevel.

2. Honing (fig. 2) is accomplished on a carborundum stone. Stones should be set in a block of wood or placed on a damp cloth to prevent lateral sliding. Hold the handle of the knife in the right hand with the blade edge pointed away from your body. Assume a position parallel to the side of the stone and place the heel of the knife blade on the end of the stone to your extreme left. Tilt the blade of the knife enough to make the bevel lie flat with the stone. Place the finger tips of the left hand on the flat of the blade toward the tip and near the back edge to exert pressure on the blade. It is very important for safety that the fingers of the left hand push downward only to maintain an even pressure on the knife blade over the stone. If the left hand pushes laterally with the sharpening stroke, and the knife catches on an irregularity, then the fingers will slip off the edge and can be cut severely by the freed knife blade. With a sweeping motion toward the right of the stone, draw the knife completely across the stone, against the cutting edge of the blade. The correct motion is achieved when that portion of the blade nearest the handle begins the stroke and the extreme tip of the blade ends the stroke. The procedure is reversed to hone the opposite side of the blade.

3. Steeling (fig. 2) is accomplished by using various kinds of steels that are adapted to specific uses. The carborundum and ribbed steels are for kitchen use where knives need not be razor-sharp and the steel is actually honing the knife. The mirror-smooth steel for razor-sharp edges is the one best suited for slaughter and meat cutting. The steel should be held firmly in the left hand in a position almost diagonal to the body but with a slightly upward tilt. This permits the free movement of the knife across the steel without drawing it too close to the supporting hand. Place the heel of the blade against the near side of the tip at a 20° to 25° angle and bring the blade down along the steel toward the left hand with a quick, swinging motion of the right wrist and forearm. The entire blade should pass lightly over the steel. Return the knife to a position on the opposite side of the steel and repeat the same motion.

To test the knife for sharpness and smoothness of edge, run the edge of the blade lightly over the flat of the thumbnail. If the knife slides easily, it lacks the proper sharpness. A sharp edge will dig into the nail and a rough or wire edge will rasp the nail.

Adapted from Smith, G. C., Carpenter, Z. L., and King, G. T. 1974. Laboratory Exercises in Elementary Meat Science. Kemp Publishing Co., Houston, Tex.

SLAUGHTER

Stunning

The animal must be killed as quickly and humanely as possible. In a slaughter house the cattle are driven into a knocking pen where they are stunned with a compression gun. On the farm a mechanical stunner is usually not available; therefore, stunning is best accomplished with a well-directed long or long rifle bullet from a .22-caliber rifle. As with the use of any firearms, normal precautions should be taken when stunning the animal.

The purpose of stunning is to render the animal unconscious so that its throat can be cut. When stunning is accomplished with a .22-caliber rifle, the bullet should penetrate the skull and strike the brain. The location of the brain is shown in figure 3. If done properly the animal will be immobilized for several minutes.

It is best to have the animal secured to a tree or strong post. Direct the bullet at the intersection of two imaginary lines extending from the right edge of the poll to the center of the left eye and from the left edge of the poll to the center of the right eye as shown in figure 4.

Bleeding

Bleeding is a very important part of the slaughtering operation and should be done not more than 2 minutes after the animal is down because the increased blood pressure may break the capillaries and cause an unattractive condition in the meat called “blood splash.”

The easiest and safest method for quick bleeding is to bleed the animal while it is still on the ground. Standing behind the animal, grasp the lower jaw (fig. 5), pull the head back slightly, and cut across the throat from ear to ear as deeply as possible (fig. 6). If the blood does not flow freely, cut deeper. A sharp skinning or boning knife is appropriate for this part of the operation.

“Pumping” the animal will assure more complete bleeding. This can be accomplished by lifting the hindquarter with the tail, pulling the foreleg, and applying a pumping motion with a foot in the flank (fig. 7).

Removal of Legs

If the animal has to be moved to another location for hoisting, tie a rope or chain around the hindlegs above the hocks (fig. 8). Position the animal with the hindlegs directly beneath the hoist. Roll the animal onto its back and prop it in place with two concrete or wooden blocks (fig. 9).

Begin removal of the hindlegs by cutting through the hide and tendons between the sole of the foot and the dew claws (fig. 10). Split the hide from the dew claws down the leg to the hock and over the rear of the round to a point about 6 inches below the hock and remove the hide from each hindleg (fig. 11). Remove the hindleg by cutting through the joint closest to the foot with a knife or saw (figs. 12 and 13). Be careful not to cut the large tendons just below the hock for they will be needed when hoisting the carcass.

To remove the foreleg, cut through the hide and tendons at the joint closest to the foot. This joint is approximately 1 inch above the bony rise in the knee. Split the hide from the dew claws to the original cut and skin out the forelegs. Remove the forelegs with a knife or saw at the original cut (fig. 14).

Siding

After all legs have been removed, split the hide down the midline from the throat to the anus (fig. 15). This split should be made by inserting the point of the knife under the hide with the blade turned up as shown in figure 15. This procedure is referred to as cutting from inside out and protects against meat contamination from materials on the hide.

If a cow is being slaughtered, do not split through the center of the udder. Cut the hide around each side of the udder and remove by lifting it and cutting along the body wall. Removal of a large udder will make siding easier and prevent any fluids contained in the udder from spilling onto the meat.

Begin siding by splitting the hide on the inside of the round (fig. 16). Starting with the cut made in removing the hindleg, cut downward to the midline split, just behind the scrotum or udder. Cut “inside out” and do not cut through the fat into the meat. Skin the inside round around to the front of the leg, leaving all fat and connective tissue on the carcass and not on the hide (fig. 17). Inexperienced butchers have a tendency to cut too deep in this area, so cut slowly and carefully.

Removal of the hide from the belly or abdomen is the next step. Beginning at the midline split, cut under the hide until it can be grasped with the other hand (fig. 18). Loosen the hide along the flat surface of the belly from the round forward to the brisket (fig. 19). The insides of the forelegs can be skinned but not the outside, which protects the carcass from contamination when it is hoisted (fig. 20).

Siding (removal of the hide from the sides) is the next step and is very difficult to do perfectly. This requires a knife with a sharp, smooth edge; therefore, frequent steeling of the knife may be necessary. Grasp the loosened hide and pull it up and outward (fig. 21). This places tension on the hide, removes wrinkles, and allows the knife to glide smoothly. Holding the knife firmly, place it against the hide with the blade turned slightly outward to avoid cutting the thin flat muscles which cover the sides of the carcass. With smooth, sweeping strokes of the knife, skin from the front of the hindleg to the point where the hide was cut over the elbow. At this point, the muscles become thin and so tightly bound to the hide that it will be necessary to leave them on the hide. Cut through the muscles and continue skinning as far down the side as possible (fig. 22).

Return to the rear of the carcass and remove the hide left on the inside of the rounds (fig. 23). Do not skin the outside of the round because this can be done more easily after the carcass is hoisted.

Skinning the Head

The head should be skinned by splitting the hide down the midline (fig. 24) and by skinning down each side of the head and neck as far as possible (fig. 25).

Remove the tongue by cutting just inside each jaw to the forward point where the jaws join (fig. 26), making sure the tongue is straight so that it will not be cut. Pull the tongue out and complete its removal by cutting through the cartilage at its base (fig. 27). Wash the tongue thoroughly in clean water and put it in ice or ice water.