Meat Alert: Bacon Comes from Pigs!

The tenderloin.

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If you're going to eat meat, it's always good to know where it comes from. Not just how it was raised and if it was humanely slaughtered, which are both important, but where on the animal it came from. Many people (shameful carnivores?) are loathe to make this leap and prefer to think that their chops come straight from a pink styrofoam package, but for those who do, now's your chance to learn.

Tom Mylan, in house butcher at Diner, Bonita, Marlow & Sons -- and soon to be butcher at a new shop in South Williamsburg -- demonstrates the art and skill of pig butchering at The Brooklyn Kitchen in a demonstration class. Admission is $75, which includes about 8 pounds of farm-raised porky goodness from Fleisher's Meats in Kingston, New York as a parting gift. Mylan is funny, engaging, and informative, throwing out tidbits about the history of butchering and the meat-packing industry, recipe ideas (no matter which part you end up taking home with you), and answering questions, all the while dividing the half-pig (and its head) into more recognizable cuts, like tenderloin, belly, and spare ribs.

The September classes are currently sold out, but there are more to come in October, and apparently Mylan will be giving a lamb the similar treatment. Join The Brooklyn Kitchen's mailing list to learn about dates for the upcoming classes.