Butchers from Buckhead Beef give a demo for chefs/Credit: AJC

With an emphasis on whole foods, the sustainable movement has embraced a dying art of the culinary world: Butchering.

If you’re going to eat it, you ought to know where it came from, how it was raised — and how it was killed. And chefs should know how to break down a hog or a side of beef. “Animal husbandry” are big buzz words in the industry right now, and they need to account for more than just media coverage.

Butchers are a special brand of people; when I taught baking and pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University Providence, the “meat guys” were some of the most sensitive, gentle people I’ve ever met. It’s an art to know how to care for an animal in this way; to respect and value the loss of life and to make sure that no part of it goes to waste. It hasn’t been more then two generations ago, after all, that we butchered our own animals.

If you’re looking to get closer to the food you eat, Taste Network has an event for you. Primal Atlanta is the first annual, outdoor gathering of local butchers and chefs preparing heritage meats from Gum Creek Farms over hardwood fires on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 6 to 10 p.m.  at SweetWater Brewing Co. General admission tickets for the wine, beer and meat tastings are $55; all-inclusive VIP tickets are $100 and include reserve wines, Benton’s Bacon Bar, grilled artisan cheeses, local brews and BBQ. Additional information and tickets.

Here’s a breakdown:

- Butcher Demonstration: Chefs and butchers will perform a side-by-side butcher demonstration. The butchers will take the stage during the first 45 minutes and will breakdown a pig, cow, goat and lamb. Guests will be able to sample wines and beers during the demonstration. The chef and butcher lineup includes Todd Mussman of Muss & Turners, Todd Richards of Rolling Bones BBQ, Gary Mennie of The Livingston Restaurant & Bar, Duane Nutter and Reggie Washington of One Flew South, Tony Seichrist, Tommy Searcy of Gum Creek Farms, and Alex Friedman of P’cheen International Bistro & Pub.

- Wood-Roasted Meat Demonstration: Guests will be able to watch as chefs cook humanely raised whole meats over open fires. Each chef station will be equipped with three fire pits where they can change the temperature, add woods such as hickory, almond or applewood and serve guests samples of their creations.
- Braised, BBQ’d and Cured: Don’t wait to eat! The event has invited chefs to bring their favorite slow-cooked meat for ready-to-eat fun.

- Grinding Demonstration: Guests will enjoy as Grindhouse Killer Burgers grinds up the off cuts such as brisket and top round into sustainable sliders.

- College Game Day Ticket: Guests are invited enjoy coverage of conference play during the event.