#Cleaver October 28

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

In October 2025, many of us will be taking part in the 30-Day Kitchen Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we will spotlight an appliance, utensil, or gadget found in a commercial or residential kitchen. The tools and devices used to prepare and cook food is quite extensive and this month we will take a look at both the sublime and ridiculous. My post today is focused on the CLEAVER.

This past weekend I got to be part of a barbecue team that prepared pork for a plate sale in Pinehurst NC for the Sandhills Woman’s Exchange. Our connection from Lumberton NC to Pinehurst was my daughter-in-law Rhea Kenney who works as the Co-Manager.

In the sake of transparency my role was more of quartermaster and gopher. The pitmasters were Joey Britt and Cameron Britt which meant they cooked the “Boston Butts” and did all of the chopping of the meat with a cleaver. We also had help from Steve Hammond who seized the opportunity to charm the ladies who were volunteering. Here is our team. (L-R) Joey Britt-Dan Kenney-Cameron Britt & Steve Hammond.

Since they are professionals, they had more than one size of this chopping tool. Here is a picture of Joey chopping the pork and notice the other cleavers on the table. The one with the red handle weighed more than twice the others. During the chopping Joey asked Cameron to give him a hand and held out the heaviest cleaver. After chopping 3 Boston Butts into a fine mix of barbecue Cameron caught on about the heaviest meat cleaver Switch-a-Roo because his arm was hanging to the side. When he realized he had been had by Joey we all had a big laugh. The red-handled cleaver had claimed another victim of chopping fatigue.

Kitchen-30 Day Challenge Guidelines

As with previous challenges, participants are encouraged to adapt the guidelines to fit their own circumstances. If you can, commit to sharing something about an appliance, utensil, or gadget found in a Kitchen during the month of October

1. Record something about an item found in a Kitchen. Make sure you include a description and its purpose. Try, if possible, to include a photo.
2. Share with a challenge partner if you have one.
3. Join the conversation by posting on social media with the hashtag #Coach4adayChallenge

October 28th-Meat Cleaver

A meat cleaver is one of the most versatile heavy-duty tools in the kitchen. Its primary use is chopping through large cuts of meat, poultry, and even bone with clean, forceful swings. Beyond that, cooks often use it to cut tough vegetables like squash, crush garlic cloves, tenderize meat, or even scoop up chopped ingredients using its broad, flat blade.