Synopsis

Within a world sustained by meat, the butcher occupies an essential place, transforming raw carcasses into palatable portions. This program explores the history of this often-uncomfortable profession—from the familiar sight of neighborhood butchers to today’s industrial workers operating on mechanized “disassembly” lines. We journey through the ruins of the once-powerful Chicago Stockyards, where Upton Sinclair, Clarence Birdseye, and the advent of refrigeration fundamentally reshaped butchering