The Butcher
Episode 7 · 2005-02-08

- Documentary
Episode overview
In a carnivorous world, a butcher is a necessary link in the food chain, carving a carcass of unsavory flesh into mouthwatering cuts. We trace the grisly trade's evolution–from yesteryear's butcher-on-every-corner to today's industrial butcher working on a "disassembly" line. We tour the infamous remains of the Chicago Stockyards, where Upton Sinclair, Clarence Birdseye, and refrigeration changed butchering forever; witness high-speed butchering; and travel to a non-stop sausage factory. And if you're still squeamish, a USDA inspector offers the lowdown on HACCP–the country's new system of checks and balances on everything from quality grading to E. coli, Salmonella, and Mad Cow Disease. Finally, we visit the last bastion of old-school butchering–the rural custom butcher, who slaughters, eviscerates, skins, and cuts to his customer's wishes.
44 minutes
Season 12 episodes
1. Poison2005-01-05
2. Car Tech of the Future2005-01-06
3. The Arch2005-01-12
4. More Nature's Engineers2005-01-18
5. World's Biggest Machines 32005-01-26
6. Blackbird Stealth2005-02-04
7. The Butcher2005-02-08
8. George Washington Carver Tech2005-02-15
9. Firefighting!: Extreme Conditions2005-02-15
10. Desert Tech2005-02-23
11. Sub Zero2005-02-23
12. The Great Bridge: 8 Miles of Steel2005-02-23
13. Howard Hughes Tech2005-02-28
14. Edwards Air Force Base2005-03-02
15. Taxidermy2005-03-09
16. SWAT2005-03-09
17. Deadliest Weapons2005-03-16
18. The Doomsday Clock2005-04-07
19. The Basement2005-04-26
20. Paint2005-04-27
21. Mega Movers2005-04-27
22. Punishment2005-04-28
23. Bricks2005-05-11
24. Glue2005-05-18
25. F/A-22 Raptor2005-05-20
26. Civil War Tech2005-05-25
27. Machines of D-Day2005-06-03
28. John Hancock Center2005-06-08
29. The Cape Cod Canal2005-06-15
30. Secret Japanese Aircraft of World War II2005-06-16
31. Future Tech2005-06-22
32. Edison Tech2005-06-28
33. Secrets of Soviet Space Disasters2005-07-01
34. Mountain Roads2005-07-05
35. Route 662005-07-06
36. Cowboy Tech2005-07-20
37. Sewers2005-07-27
38. Challenger Tank2005-07-29
39. World's Biggest Machines 42005-08-02
40. Dredging2005-08-03
41. Lube Job2005-08-10
42. Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft of World War II2005-08-17
43. The World's Fastest2005-08-24
44. The B-2 Stealth Bomber2005-08-26
45. High Risk: Helicopter Lineman2005-08-31
46. Wiring America2005-08-31
47. Nature Tech: Lightning2005-08-31
48. HMS Victory2005-09-02
49. Engineering an Empire: Rome2005-09-13
50. Coffee2005-09-14
51. Sugar2005-09-14
52. Cereal: History in a Bowl2005-09-14
53. F-117 Nighthawk Stealth2005-09-22
54. German Small Arms of World War II2005-09-24
55. The Auto Store2005-10-05
56. Secret Allied Aircraft of World War II2005-10-14
57. Engineering Disasters 172005-11-02
58. Brewing2005-11-16
59. The Lumberyard2005-11-30
60. Da Vinci Tech2005-12-04
61. Custom Cars2005-12-05
62. More Hardware2005-12-06
63. Weird Weapons: The Allies2005-12-17
64. More Snack Food Tech2005-12-20
65. Walt Disney World2005-12-25
66. Nature Tech: Hurricanes2005-12-29
70. Private Collections2004-12-06