2025 Meat Education

It's on! We are happy to report that our classes for 2025 are on! Please sign up for newsletter here to get the news first, whenever we rollout new classes or other special things. 

We only offer classes at the beginning of the year due to our heavy workload all other times. Our classes fill up fast. 

Please make sure to sign up early to reserve your spot. Or give someone the gift of a meat class. Class sizes are limited so each student gets plenty of attention. Everyone goes home with meat and a SCMC merch!

2025 CLASS OVERVIEW:

January 18th, 2024 | 9 - 11am - SAUSAGE MAKING | $300 Taught by Rian - Informative & Entertaining. Go home with sausage galore!

January 25th, 2024 | 11am - 2:30pm - In Depth 1/2 HOG HANDS-ON | $750 Taught by Rian - Go home with plenty o' pork!

Enjoy taking a class with the pros from Sonoma County Meat Co.! Eat Real "Flying Knives" Butchery Contest Grand Champion, owner of Sonoma County Meat Co., Rian Rinn. For over ten years Rian has enjoyed teaching at venues such as Healdsburg Shed, EcoFarm, Relish, Medlock Ames, Viva Culinary Institute, and donating his time to Slow Food Sonoma County North and Slow Food Russian River, as well as groups led by the Food Craft Institute. Classes are by reservation only. Details below.

In Depth 1/2 HOG HANDS-ON | Go home with plenty o' pork! - Go home with plenty o' pork! Join butcher Rian Rinn in a high octane hands-on class, in which each student will share ½ a hog with a classmate. Rian will lead students through the butchering basics of transforming a whole hog into recognizable pieces. Learn the anatomy of the hog and where each cut originates. Discover the difference between primal and retail cuts. Learn safety and knife techniques, and gain useful skills. Rian will share both his culinary and butchery experience to provide students with a holistic approach to small scale butchery that includes tasty tips for preparation and cooking. Get hands on cutting experience. Everyone will go home with meat they have cut themselves.

SAUSAGE MAKING  | Informative & Entertaining. Go home with sausage!  - Both informative and entertaining, this sausage-making course is open to all, whether you want to take your sausage recipe to the next level, or if this will be your first time using a meat grinder. Learn about different kinds of grinds, how to mix spices with meat, how to know if you have used too much or too little salt, and when to season. Learn about aging, freezing, shelf-life, pink salt, and celery powder. Learn twisting techniques and the secrets of tenderizing. In this workshop Rian will cover a couple recipes, but more importantly he will give you the skills to develop your own. Everyone will go home with a hearty portion of sausage.