The Butchers Table is an excellent resource for understanding how to cut your own meats. I found it to be both well organized and very well written. This is a must have for anyone wanting to save a bit of money and learn to prepare their own meats by selecting larger cuts and understanding how to separate and prepare them.

I could clearly tell the author respects the animal. Nothing goes to waste. I will be honest I’m never going to butcher my own anything but I know more about the cuts and what to do with them.

I love that this book tells you how to break down larger pieces of meat and then the best way to cook them. It is instructional, the ingredients are easy to find and the recipes look delicious. This would be a great reference book to have on hand at all times.

The Butcher's Table by Allie D'Andrea is an excellent guide to breaking down bigger hunks or sides of meat into specific cuts and how best to use them in delectable recipes which are arranged into Chicken, Pork and Venison categories.

Not only are photographs and recipes gorgeous but the information is practical and presented in a straightforward manner with step-by-step diagrams. I like that information such as Prague curing salt, marinating, brining and the butcher's knot are mentioned. Though I really enjoy venison it is not always readily available but the ideas can easily be adapted to other game such as elk or moose (though very different from venison, principles and many taste profiles apply). I have celiac disease and am always happy to (re)discover inspiration for intrinsically gluten free recipes. Ingredients are easy to access and there are no tricky techniques. Going that extra step of brining or marinating is well worthwhile, speaking from loads of cooking experience. I love that D'Andrea presents underrated tips such as grated onion, a trick I use often.

If you seek a butchery book perfect for beginners or as a refresher for more experienced cooks, this is for you. It is almost primal and a very gratifying skill to know. And the recipes! Mmmmm!

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this informative and stunning book.

The Butcher's Table: Techniques and Recipes to Make the Most of Your Meat is an excellent primer on handling chicken, pork, and venison. Included are chapters on ingredients, choosing the right knife and other tools for butchery, and maintaining those tools.

There are parts that are interesting, but are such that most of us probably won’t ever use, like butchering a whole pig. However, there are illustrations of each the three animals and instructions on how to butcher them. There are mouthwatering recipes included in each chapter, and they are written in the traditional manner with ingredients listed first followed by step-by-step instructions. The recipes are easy to follow and can be successfully made by both beginning and advanced cooks. The prose is well-written and easy to understand.

There are also professional, beautiful photographs of most of the recipes, which are very appealing and are mouthwatering.

The one thing that is missing is a chapter on beef. Understanding that a cow is probably off limits for butchering at home because of its size. This book is really about butchering, but most home cooks don’t want to do the actual butchering and just want the recipes. Many of us don’t have access to venison, so, while that chapter is nice, it’s undoable for many.

All told, this is a book that may have a small following; it isn’t for everyone, but it is excellent for those who want to do their own butchering.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The breakdown of the various parts of the pig, chicken and venison was good. I never realized people may not know how to butcher a whole chicken, but that being added for the meats was a winner. Also, breaking down the different cuts of meat and the methods that can be used to cook them were definitely an added bonus. Now, let’s move to the recipes. Awesome!!!! Really good recipes and I am sure many will be tried and enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

The Butcher's Table is an amazing resource and cookbook for those interested in butchering their own meat. (You can use the recipes even if you don't butcher the meat yourself, of course!) The cookbook portion includes recipes for chicken, pork, and venison.

The instructions and introduction to butchering are well-written and easy to follow. The pictures and drawings teach everything you need to know. It's very informative, as I've never done my own butchering before.

The recipes are varied, the pictures are mouthwatering. As a Michigander, I love that there is a solid focus on venison recipes, as venison meat is common in my area. It's different enough from other meats that I'm so happy to see these recipes here! This is an excellent cookbook whether you butcher your own meat or buy it at the store!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

First, I really appreciate the breakdown of cuts of meats and different techniques. Also, the pictures to help with butchering. I can't wait to try many of these recipes, especially some of the marinades.

The Butcher's Table is a cookbook for cutting and preparing meat. The pictures and recipes are mouth-watering and enticing. The instructions and helpful suggestions are great and easy to follow. There is everything from tying meat to info about knives to different ways to cook meat. It is a very helpful tool for the kitchen with a lot of important information.
#TheButchersTable #TheQuartoGroup. #TheHarvardCommonPress

Special thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This recipe book was incredibly well done and informative. There are so many recipes that look great and the ones that I have tried were outstanding. My only problem with the book was that it was not very compatible as an ebook so I would recommend that one get a physical copy.

A useful introduction to butchering whole carcasses of chicken, pig and deer although the primary cuts made are, not surprising, American and don't always tally with European butchery. It would have been useful to have dotted lines for the sub-primary cuts as they tend to be the ones, I find, available in butchers' shops. There are rough sketches of what to do with the primary cuts however. The recipes are of main interest to me as my meat comes from local farmers/game dealers. Butchering the chicken is of more relevance and useful. The recipes are a good mix of simple and more complicated, all sound tasty and worth trying. Cherry almond chicken salad is a clear winner and mango drumsticks sound good. I like the idea of the Italian pork sausage using just minced/ground pork with no additions of fat/fatty meat but note her comment about fatty pork being added to venison for patties - yep, you need the fat to bind and give juicy flavour. I was interested in her comment about buttermilk having a "thick, somewhat acidic flavour" but then found that modern buttermilk is typically acidified whole milk rather than the whey left over from making butter (you live and learn). It's use in the roasted eye of round venison sounds delish - my problem will be getting that cut but I can ask at the place we get wild venison - they shoot on the hillside, hang, dress and butcher at the farm. I like the way that she uses the whole carcass, ending with stock, a much neglected affair in this ready-packed world. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.