A Whole-Animal Butchery & Sausage-Making Demonstration
Hosted by the You Enjoy Life Homestead team, this class pairs two areas of deep expertise: John Clay — trained in whole-animal butchery, with study under Italian, Spanish, and French chefs — will lead the butchery demonstration, while Yosh Greenfield will guide the culinary side, showing how each cut comes to life in the kitchen.
Join us for an immersive, hands-off (but eyes-wide-open) demonstration as a half pig is broken down from start to finish — primal by primal, muscle group by muscle group — while learning the anatomy, technique, and culinary logic behind every cut.
This isn't just a butchery lesson. You'll learn how the animal's muscle groups relate directly to how each cut should be cooked — why a shoulder wants low and slow heat while a loin wants speed and high temperature, why some muscles are naturally tender and others need coaxing, and how understanding the anatomy underneath makes you a better, more intuitive cook, not just a better shopper.
From there, we'll move into a full sausage-making demonstration — grinding, seasoning, casing, and stuffing — where you'll see how trim and cuts are transformed into something entirely new. Along the way, we'll explore culinary traditions from around the world, drawing on John's training in Spain, Italy, and France to show how different cultures approach these same cuts, and what that reveals about technique, preservation, and flavor.
The evening wraps with a shared meal: a curated spread of deliciousness showcasing a range of preparations and global techniques, giving you a genuine taste of the traditions we've discussed — not a single meal, but a journey across several.
You'll go home with:
A genuine understanding of pork anatomy, muscle groups, and how that knowledge translates directly to better cooking
Real technique in sausage-making, start to finish, that you can apply at home
A curated tasting experience spanning multiple global culinary traditions
1 lb of fresh, house-made sausage, seasoned and ready to cook — yours to take home
Approx. 3.5 hours, including the tasting. All are welcome — no prior experience necessary.
Class Details:
Date & Time: August 22nd, 11-2:00pm.
Location: You Enjoy Life Homestead in North Boulder. (Actual location revealed upon sign up)
What’s Included:
Pig butchery demonstration
A full nose to tail meal with the highest of quality meat
A sausage making demonstration
1lb of homestead sausage to take home and enjoy
*Options for private 1:1 classes or private group workshops available upon request. Email Yoshua at youenjoylifemusic@gmail.com to book.
About your teacher:
John Clay has spent his adult life deeply immersed in all aspects of the food world. From cooking to growing to butchering, John has diverse and deep knowledge around how food is prepared and consumed. Most recently, John was the head whole animal butcher on a small regenerative farm outside of Philadelphia, Pa, called Wyebrook Farm. Before that John spent many years managing permaculture and organic farms in Maine. One of John's great passions in life is to teach and to show others how to think about and interact with our food. John's deep reverence for, and connection with nature is at the basis of all his work and he hopes to share that with all participants at his classes. John now lives on Boulder Colorado and is a key part of the You Enjoy Life homestead ecosystem.
Special Notes:
8 people max for an intimate hands on experience.
We are hosting a meat curing class on 8/26/26 at 530pm. If you would like to attend both you can purchase a spot and receive a $20 discount. Look below at the purchase links to buy both classes.
*Cancellation Policy: If you are unable to attend class and let me know with more than a week left or class is cancelled due to weather/emergency, I will happily refund your ticket or reserve it for another class. If you cancel within a week of class, your ticket will be reserved and go towards a credit for a future class of your choosing. If cancelled less than 24 hours, we will not be able to provide a refund or credit.
Join John Clay for a deep dive into the world of artisan butchery. Learn how to break down a whole animal and enjoy a nose to tail meal.
This ticket gets you full access to both our pig butchering class on 8/22 as well as our meat curing class on 8/26.