`Butchering the Human Carcass
for Human Consumption`

by Bob Arson back Back to Jeffrey Dahmer Correspondence
    This is a step-by-step guide on how to break down the human body from

    the full figure into serviceable choice cuts of meat. As in any field,

    there are a number of methods to the practice, and you may wish to

    view this as a set of suggestions rather than concrete rules. You will

    notice that the carving of the larger or "commercial" cuts down into

    smaller specific or "retail" cuts will be only mentioned in passing,

    and not concentrated upon. Also, the use of human fat and viscera is

    generally avoided, and left only to the most experimental chef. These

    choices, along with recipes and serving suggestions, are nearly

    infinite in variety, and we leave them to you. We've found these

    guidelines to be simple and functional, but recognize that there is

    always room for improvement and we welcome your suggestions.

    Before getting to the main task, it must be mentioned that the

    complete rendering of the human carcass requires a fairly large amount

    of time, effort, and space. If the consumer does not wish to go

    through the ordeal of processing and storing the bulk of the entire

    animal, an easy alternative is as follows. Simply saw through one or

    both legs at the points directly below the groin and a few inches

    above the knee. Once skinned, these portions may then be cut into

    round steaks of the carver's preferred thickness, cut into fillets,

    deboned for a roast, etc. Meat for several meals is thus readily

    obtained without the need for gutting and the complexities of

    preparing the entire form.

    The human being (also referred to throughout culinary history as "long

    pig" and "hairless goat" in the case of younger specimens) is not

    generally thought of as a staple food source. Observing the anatomy

    and skeleton, one can see that the animal is neither built nor bred

    for its meat, and as such will not provide nearly as much flesh as a

    pig or cow (for example, an average 1000 pound steer breaks down to

    provide 432 pounds of saleable beef). The large central pelvis and

    broad shoulder blades also interfere with achieving perfect cuts.

    There are advantages to this however, especially due to the fact that

    the typical specimen will weigh between 100-200 pounds, easily

    manipulated by one person with sufficient leverage.

    Here the caution in choosing your meal must be mentioned. It is VERY

    IMPORTANT to remember that animals raised for slaughter are kept in

    tightly controlled environments with their health and diet carefully

    maintained. Humans are not. Thus not only is the meat of each person

    of varying quality, but people are also subject to an enormous range

    of diseases, infections, chemical imbalances, and poisonous bad

    habits, all typically increasing with age. Also as an animal ages, the

    meat loses its tenderness, becoming tough and stringy. No farm animal

    is ever allowed to age for thirty years. Six to thirteen months old is

    a more common slaughtering point. You will obviously want a youthful

    but mature physically fit human in apparently good health. A certain

    amount of fat is desirable as "marbling" to add a juicy, flavorful

    quality to the meat. We personally prefer firm caucasian females in

    their early twenties. These are "ripe". But tastes vary, and it is a

    very large herd.

    The butcher will need a fairly roomy space in which to work (an

    interior location is suggested), and a large table for a butcher's

    block. A central overhead support will need to be chosen or installed

    ahead of time to hang the carcass from. Large tubs or barrels for

    blood and waste trimmings should be convenient, and a water source

    close by. Most of the work can be done with a few simple tools: sharp,

    clean short and long bladed knives, a cleaver or hatchet, and a

    hacksaw.

    Body Preparation: Acquiring your subject is up to you. For best

    results and health, freshness is imperative. A living human in

    captivity is optimal, but not always available. When possible make

    sure the animal has no food for 48 hours, but plenty of water. This

    fasting helps flush the system, purging stored toxins and bodily

    wastes, as well as making bleeding and cleaning easier. Under ideal

    conditions, the specimen will then be stunned into insensitivity.

    Sharp unexpected blows to the head are best, tranquilizers not being

    recommended as they may taint the flavor of the meat. If this is not

    possible without exciting the animal and causing a struggle (which

    will pump a greater volume of blood and secretions such as adrenaline

    throughout the body), a single bullet through the middle of the

    forehead or back of the skull will suffice.

    Hanging: Once the animal is unconscious or dead, it is ready to be

    hoisted. Get the feet up first, then the hands, with the head down.

    This is called the "Gein configuration". Simple loops of rope may be

    tied around the hands and feet and then attached to a crossbar or

    overhead beam. Or, by making a cut behind the Achilles tendon, a

    meathook may be inserted into each ankle for hanging support. The legs

    should be spread so that the feet are outside the shoulders, with the

    arms roughly parallel to the legs. This provides access to the pelvis,

    and keeps the arms out of the way in a ready position for removal.

    It's easiest to work if the feet are slightly above the level of the

    butcher's head.

    Bleeding: Place a large open vessel beneath the animal's head. With a

    long-bladed knife, start at one corner of the jaw and make a deep

    "ear-to-ear" cut through the neck and larynx to the opposite side.

    This will sever the internal and external carotid arteries, the major

    blood vessels carrying blood from the heart to the head, face, and

    brain. If the animal is not yet dead, this will kill it quickly, and

    allow for the blood to drain in any case. After the initial rush of

    blood, the stream should be controllable and can be directed into a

    receptacle. Drainage can be assisted by massaging the extremities down

    in the direction of the trunk, and by compressing and releasing,

    "pumping", the stomach. A mature specimen will contain almost six

    liters of blood. There is no use for this fluid, unless some source is

    waiting to use it immediately for ritual purposes. It acts as an

    emetic in most people if drunk, and it must be mentioned here that

    because of the eternal possibility of AIDS it is recommended that for

    safety's sake all blood should be considered to be contaminated and

    disposed of in some fashion. It is not known whether an HlV-infected

    human's flesh is dangerous even if cooked, but this is another item to

    consider when choosing a specimen, someone in the low-risk strata.

    Beheading: When the bleeding slows, preparation for decapitation can

    be started. Continue the cut to the throat around the entire neck,

    from the jawline to the back of the skull. Once muscle and ligament

    have been sliced away, the head can be cleanly removed by gripping it

    on either side and twisting it off, separation occurring where the

    spinal cord meets the skull. This is indicative of the method to be

    used for dividing other bones or joints, in that the meat should

    generally be cut through first with a knife, and the exposed bone then

    separated with a saw or cleaver. The merits of keeping the skull as a

    trophy are debatable for two principal reasons. First, a human skull

    may call suspicious attention to the new owner. Secondly, thorough

    cleaning is difficult due to the large brain mass, which is hard to

    remove without opening the skull. The brain is not good to eat.

    Removing the tongue and eyes, skinning the head, and placing it

    outside in a wire cage may be effective. The cage allows small

    scavengers such as ants and maggots to cleanse the flesh from the

    bones, while preventing it being carried off by larger scavengers,

    such as dogs and children. After a sufficient period of time, you may

    retrieve the skull and boil it in a dilute bleach solution to

    sterilize it and wash away any remaining tissue.

    Skinning: After removing the head, wash the rest of the body down.

    Because there is no major market for human hides, particular care in

    removing the skin in a single piece is not necessary, and makes the

    task much easier. The skin is in fact a large organ, and by flaying

    the carcass you not only expose the muscular configuration, but also

    get rid of the hair and the tiny distasteful glands which produce

    sweat and oil. A short-bladed knife should be used to avoid slicing

    into muscle and viscera. The skin is composed of two layers, an outer

    thinner one with a thicker tissue layer below it. When skinning, first

    score the surface, cutting lightly to be sure of depth and direction.

    The diagram of the skinning pattern is an example of strip-style

    skinning, dividing the surface into portions easy to handle. Reflect

    the skin by lifting up and peeling back with one hand, while bringing

    the knife in as flat to the skin as possible to cut away connective

    tissue. The external genitals present only a small obstacle. In the

    male the penis and scrotum can be pulled away from the body and

    severed, in the female the outer lips skinned as the rest of the body.

    It is important to leave the anus untouched at this point, and a

    circle of skin should be left around it. You need not bother skinning

    the hands and feet, these portions not being worth the effort unless

    you plan to pickle them or use them in soup. The skin can be disposed

    of, or made into fried rinds. Boil the strips and peel away the outer

    layer, then cut into smaller pieces and deep-fat fry in boiling oil

    until puffy and crisp. Dust with garlic salt, paprika and cayenne

    pepper.

    Gutting: The next major step is complete evisceration of the carcass.

    To begin, make a cut from the solar plexus, the point between the

    breastbone and stomach, almost to the anus. Be very careful not to cut

    into the intestines, as this will contaminate the surrounding area

    with bacteria and possibly feces (if this does happen, cleanse

    thoroughly). A good way to avoid this is to use the knife inside the

    abdominal wall, blade facing toward you, and making cautious progress.

    Make a cut around the anus, or "bung", and tie it off with twine. This

    also prevents contamination, keeping the body from voiding any

    material left in the bowel. With a saw, cut through the pubic bone, or

    "aitch". The lower body is now completely open, and you can begin to

    pull the organ masses (large and small intestines, kidneys, liver,

    stomach) out and cut them away from the back wall of the body.

    For the upper torso, first cut through the diaphragm around the inner

    surface of the carcass. This is the muscular membrane which divides

    the upper, or thoracic, and the lower abdominal cavities. Remove the

    breastbone, cutting down to the point on each side where it connects

    to the ribs, and then sawing through and detaching it from the collar

    bone. Some prefer to cut straight through the middle, depending on the

    ideas you have for cuts in the final stages. The heart and lungs may

    be detached and the throat cut into to remove the larynx and trachea.

    Once all of the inner organs have been removed, trim away any blood

    vessels or remaining pieces of connective tissue from the interior of

    the carcass, and wash out thoroughly.

    Remove the Arms: Actual butchering of the carcass is now ready to

    begin. Cut into the armpit straight to the shoulder, and remove the

    arm bone, the humerus, from the collar bone and shoulder blade. Chop

    the hand off an inch or so above the wrist. Most of the meat here is

    between elbow and shoulder, as the muscle groups are larger here and

    due to the fact that there are two bones in the forearm. Another way

    of cutting this portion is to cut away the deltoid muscle from the

    upper arm near the shoulder (but leaving it attached to the trunk)

    before removing the limb. This decreases the percentage of useable

    meat on the arm, but allows a larger shoulder strip when excising the

    shoulder blade. Purely a matter of personal preference. Cut into and

    break apart the joint of the elbow, and the two halves of each arm are

    now ready for carving servings from. Human flesh should always be

    properly cooked before eating.

    Halving the Carcass: The main body is now ready to be split. Some like

    to saw straight through the spine from buttocks to neck. This leaves

    the muscle fiber encasing the vertebrae on the end of the ribs. The

    meat here however is tightly wrapped about the bone, and we find it

    more suitable (if used at all) when boiled for soup. Thus, our

    preferred method is to completely remove the entire backbone by

    cutting and then sawing down either side from the tailbone on through.

    Quartering the Carcass: The halves may now be taken down, unless your

    preparation table or butcher block is very short. This is inadequate,

    and you will have to quarter while hanging, slicing through the side

    at a point of your choosing between rib cage and pelvis. Now is also

    the time to begin thinking about how you would like to serve the

    flesh, as this will determine the style of cuts you are about to make.

    These will also be greatly affected by the muscular configuration

    (physical fitness) of your specimen. First, chop the feet off at a

    point about three inches up from the ankle. The bones are very thick

    where the leg connects to the foot. You will want to divide the side

    of meat into two further principal portions: the ribs and shoulder,

    and the half-pelvis and leg. In between is the "flank" or belly, which

    may be used for fillets or steaks, if thick enough, or even bacon

    strips if you wish to cut this thinly. Thin and wide strips of flesh

    may also be rolled, and cooked to serve as a roast. Trim away along

    the edge of the ribs, and then decide whether you will cut steaks from

    the flank into the thighs and rump, and carve accordingly.

    Cutting the Top Quarter: Although not actually 25% of the meat you

    will get, this is designated as one-fourth of the carcass as divided

    into major portions. You may trim away the neck, or leave it to be

    connected with the shoulder, or "chuck". The first major step with

    this mass is to remove the shoulder blade and the collar bone. The

    best and easiest way we have found is to just cut along the outline of

    the shoulder blade, removing the meat on top and then dislocating the

    large bone. To excise the collar bone make an incision along its

    length and then cut and pry it away. Depending upon the development of

    the breast, you may decide it qualifies as a "brisket" and remove it

    before cutting the ribs. In the female the breast is composed largely

    of glands and fatty tissue, and despite its appetizing appearance is

    rather inedible. The ribs are the choice cut of the quarter. An

    perennial favorite for barbecuing, you may divide into sections of

    several ribs each and cook them as is, divide the strip in half for

    shorter ribs, or even carve rib steaks if the muscle mass is

    sufficient.

    Cutting the Lower Quarter: This is where most of the meat is, humans

    being upright animals. The muscle mass is largest in the legs and

    rump. The bulk is so comparatively large here that you can do just

    about anything with it. The main pieces are the buttock or rump and

    the upper leg, the thigh. Our typical division is to cut the leg off

    at the bottom of the buttock, then chop away the bony mass of the

    knee, at places two to three inches away in either direction. Before

    doing this, however, you may want to remove the whole calf muscle from

    the back of the lower leg, as this is the best cut in its area. The

    upper leg is now ready for anything, most especially some beautiful,

    thick round steaks. The rump will have to be carved from the pelvis in

    a rather triangular piece. The legs attach at the hip at a forward

    point on the body, so there will be little interference as you carve

    along the curve of the pelvis. Remaining meat will be on the thighs in

    front of the pelvis.

    And that's basically it. An average freezer provides plenty of storage

    space, or you may even wish to build a simple old-fashioned smokehouse

    (just like an outhouse, with a stone firepit instead of a shitter).

    Offal and other waste trimmings can be disposed of in a number of

    ways, burial, animal feed, and puree and flush being just a few. Bones

    will dry and become brittle after being baked an oven, and can be

    pulverized.