Ex Libris: Butchering Livestock

Butchering Beef: $21 (352p., softcover) on Amazon
Butchering Poultry etc: $22 (456p. softcover) on Amazon

The point in your life may arrive of necessity when knowing how to turn anything from a rabbit to a cow into dinner without buggering it up is no longer an option achieved by going to the meat department at the local Sack O' Grub supermarket.

Whether you've done that before, or not, it's always best not to learn how not to do it when you're cold, hungry, and only have one animal to work with.

It's also a generally handy skill to have, because you can't lose it once you've learned it.

Learn it right and learn it well, in fabulous photo detail from these two textbook equivalents on the subject. They are both yuuuuuuuuuge, comprehensive volumes on the subject of turning anything from Fluffy to Ferdinand into dinner.

©adamdanforth.com

This is the sort of detail you can expect in each volume, and once you know how, you can pass it along to someone else, and keep the knowledge handy whenever it's needed. It's the next best thing to standing beside the guy while he shows you the cuts.

You may also be able to get the hardcover versions at a brick and mortar B&N, like I did, for $35 new, vs. Amazon's $50 list. YMMV.

These two volumes should go on everyone's survival library bookshelf, if at all possible.