Austere Butchery Course Enhances 10th Group Culinary Capabilities

By Staff Sgt. Brandon McIntoshMay 9, 2018

Austere Butchery Course Enhances 10th Group Culinary Capabilities
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Culinary specialists from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) honed their meat crafting skills during an Austere Butchery Course at the Culinary Academy on Fort Carson, Colorado, May 4, 2018. Mr. Jason Nauert (center), owner and director of the Rock... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Austere Butchery Course Enhances 10th Group Culinary Capabilities
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A culinary specialist from 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), trims a cut of beef during the Austere Butchery Course on Fort Carson, Colorado, May 3, 2018. SPC Williams and her classmates learned butchering techniques that are consi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Culinary specialists from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) honed their meat-crafting skills by participating in the Austere Butchery Course at the Culinary Academy on Fort Carson, Colorado, May 4, 2018.

The training was led by Mr. Jason Nauert, owner and director of Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat and co-founder of Primal Meat CO. The course consisted of a selection phase, where whole animals were delivered to the Soldiers, and the meat fabrication phase, more commonly referred to as butchering.

"The goal is for students to be able to look at an animal in its raw state and identify cuts and be able to break the animal down from start to finish," said Nauert, who tailored the course based off of his expert knowledge as a butcher and his extensive experience as a hunter.

Soldiers also learned how to maximize their ability to get the most out of the animal they are butchering.

"This class enables us to provide proper nutrition to our Green Berets and other enablers who are out in an unconventional environment," said a culinary specialist from 3rd Battalion, 10th Group.

It is helpful training to have for Soldiers who can expect to perform in areas where food is sourced either through the local economy or by hunting and killing game in order to survive in the field.

"It benefits us if we are in a location where standard rations cannot be obtain through conventional channels. It helps us to think outside the box to provide food and survive off of what is available," said another culinary specialist from Group Support Battalion, 10th SFG(A).

Several of the students who had attended this training in the past attested to the added value, not just to them as individuals, but also in terms of unit readiness and mission success.

"It's like watching a movie a second time, you notice things that you missed the first time. It makes you more proficient at your job," said one noncommissioned officer attending the course.

Aside from the professional benefits afforded to the SOF enablers, the course also increases students' qualifications outside the Army. The Austere Butchery Course is accredited by the American Culinary Federation and grants a certification for 40 hours of continuing education from the ACF.

"This course gives us a butcher certification that would allow me to become a butcher or fabricate meat cuts in a restaurant so they wouldn't have to go direct with an outside butcher shop," said the culinary NCO. "In my ten years of service I have never been offered this type of training, it greatly enhances my tool-belt and ability to lead in my career field."