It’s two days before the big game. You have friends coming over and you want to impress them with your grilling and tailgating skills. You’re standing at the meat counter at your local grocery store, “Now Serving” ticket in hand, clueless as to what to buy and why. I may be way off base, but I don’t think the high schooler cleaning the grinder is going to be of much help.

The teams at Everybody’s Hungry and The Ventura Meat Company have been on that same linoleum tile before, pacing back and forth hoping that some cellophane wrapped gem will sparkle and spare us the agony of evaluation. It’s a lonely feeling, which is why we’re launching The First Cut – an educational series…

The First Cut is a series of interactive classes offered on premesis at The Ventura Meat Company, with a consistent theme and goal; to increase your knowledge about the meat you’re eating, where it’s coming from and how to enjoy it a little better. We’re going to have some fun too, getting you in an apron and helping you take YOUR First Cut.

The first event, Basics from Your Butcher, will provide a good general overview of different types of meat that are available and what it means to have a relationship with your local butcher shop. Michael Buckley, owner/operator of The Ventura Meat Company, will man the butcher block and act as proctor. He’ll focus on some basic sub-primals and standard cuts of meat, along with high-level cooking tips for each major style. Given that many cuts are standard across animals, he’ll touch on the similarities between animals and where you might be able to supplement different or less expensive cuts without sacrificing flavor or wow factor.

As the class wraps up, we’ll demonstrate some basic knife skills and teach the the class how to cut a beautiful steak from the sub-primal. (This is where the apron comes in.) All attendees will take home a fresh steak that they’ve cut themselves.

With only two days until our “game day”, we’re prepping for class so that your two days before game day can be a little less stressful.

Future classes that will build on Basics from Your Butcher:
– Sustainability and Livestock Farms
– The Perfect Blend: Ground Meats, Great Flavor
– It’s in the Case: Sausage Making 101
– The Griswold: Turkey Carving and Stuffing
– Meat and Heat: Cooking Techniques
– The Great Hunter: Choosing Wild Game
– Cutting Class: Knife Skills and Cutlery  (will require attendees to bring in or purchase a knife of their own)

The First Cut, representing your first cut of meat and first step toward more confidence at the butcher case.

*Proceeds and food donations to benefit FOOD Share of Ventura County.