Bay Area/ San Francisco
Published on March 21, 2012
Pork Happy Hour at Fatted Calf Charcuterie Tonight
Caution to our vegetarian and vegan friends out there: this may not be your favorite Hayeswire story ever.


Every Wednesday night from 5:30pm-7pm, the folks at Fatted Calf move a few tables into the center of the store, and butcher a whole 240-pound hog while onlookers nibble on the tastiest of treats. Come to tonight's happy hour to sample food like meatballs and pork or white bean crostini, and sip on local brews from the likes of Magnolia and Almanac breweries. We've attended a couple of times and can say that it's a delicious education, as the butchers deftly slice the animal into its various cuts while -- ahem -- its head overlooks the scene from above the meat case.
demo time
Want to know where the bacon grows, or how that loin gets so tasty? Now you'll know. The event isn't bloody or macabre; it's simply a festive and somewhat clinical demonstration that any meat eater might appreciate. After all, your beloved bacon does not grow on the fatback shrub. Fatted Calf's happy hour also serves as a great opportunity to ask owner/butcher Taylor Boetticher about unusual cuts and preparations other than the typical loins and chops. He says the butchery may even switch things up and prepare meats like lamb or goat in the future.
*like*
Our vegetarian friends may shudder at the thought of attending such a fleshy knife ballet, but as far as meat consumers go, this is as pure an experience as you'll likely get. After all, if you take home a piece of the show, you'll at least know exactly what you're getting: a locally-butchered cut that's free of anything but the animal itself.