It’s one thing to cut back, but it’s another thing to cut your own meat. Old-time Lower East Side butcher Jeffrey’s Meat Market is offering a series of classes for anyone wishing to get a taste of fourth-generation meat man Jeffrey Ruhalter’s passion for the raw stuff. The ponytailed Essex Street Market fixture personally leads the seminars, in which an entire animal is cut from head to tail. The Feed stopped in on the lamb class recently and learned some tricks of the trade (like how a $2.99/lb first-cut chuck steak is actually the same as a $18.99/lb prime rib).

During the two-hour class, Ruhalter demonstrates the fine art of butchering, using everything from the screeching band saw to a little carving knife for smaller cuts. Along the way he shares his storied family history and memories of sourcing meat in the Meatpacking District at 4am, before the bridge and tunnel crowd took over. For more information on the classes, click here. In the meantime, The Feed offers this slide show. Warning: It’s not for the fainthearted, or vegans.—Lara Rabinovitch

Related story: Essex Street Market: Meet the old-timers