Wholehearted Butchery Workshop
Brought to you in partnership with Anica Wu and the Redwing Ranch Autumn Series. Break down a whole steer, reconnect to your food, and leave inspired.
Workshop Overview
Join us October 8–12, 2025, for Wholehearted, a 4-day immersive butchery workshop for women, curated and hosted by Redwing Ranch in Gardner, Colorado. This intensive experience is led by Anica Wu, founder of Bonjerk, and longtime advocate for whole-animal use and food system reconnection.
Together, we’ll break down a whole, dry-aged steer. You’ll gain practical knife skills, a deeper understanding of anatomy and cuts, and take home meat you helped process yourself.
This isn’t just about butchery—it’s about grit and connection. We’ll work hard, eat well, and build a supportive, unforgettable community of women doing something truly rare.
Participants will:
-
Learn full-process butchery and meat breakdown
-
Work directly with Anica in a small-group setting
-
Stay in on-ranch housing with nourishing meals prepared by a chef
-
Share conversations, cuts, and camaraderie around the table
-
Take home beef they helped process
Limited to 8–10 participants. All lodging, meals, beef, and tools provided.
Who This Is For
This workshop is for women who want to:
-
Learn butchery from start to finish
-
Reconnect to their food and what feeds them
-
Build skill and strength in a community setting
-
Try something physically demanding and deeply rewarding
No experience required—just a willingness to show up fully and work hard.
What’s Included
-
4 nights of on-ranch lodging (Wednesday night–Sunday day)
-
All meals prepared by our on-site chef
-
All knives and butchery tools provided
-
Dry-aged beef per person
-
Optional evening Q&As, fireside chats, and celebration dinner
-
Access to ranch walks, the river, and quiet rest between sessions
What to Bring
-
Closed-toe boots or work shoes
-
Clothes that can get messy (apron optional)
-
Layers for cool October mornings
-
Water bottle, hat, gloves (if desired)
-
Cooler or box for bringing meat home
-
No laptops or screens—this is an immersive, real-world experience
Schedule at a Glance
Wednesday, Oct 8
-
5:00–7:00 PM: Arrival + Dinner
-
7:30 PM: Welcome & Orientation
Thursday–Saturday
-
8:00 AM: Cowboy Coffee
-
8:30–12:30: Morning Butchery Session
-
12:30–1:30: Lunch (Chef-prepared)
-
1:30–2:30: Ranch walks, pasture chats
-
2:30–6:00: Afternoon Butchery Session
-
7:30 PM: Dinner
Friday Night: Optional fireside Q&A
Saturday Night: Celebration dinner featuring cuts from the workshop
Sunday, Oct 12
-
Light breakfast + reflections
-
Depart by 11:00 AM
Lodging
All participants will stay in beautiful, on-ranch accommodations. Room assignments are based on availability and shared lodging arrangements:
-
Malachite House – Shared lodging for 5; mostly private rooms with queen, double, or king beds. One shared room includes two twin beds.
-
Star Bungalow – 2 rooms with single beds (queen, double, or king).
-
River Cottage – 2 rooms with single beds (queen, double, or king).
-
Huerfano House – 1 shared room with two twin beds.
Are you a local? Email us at info@redwingranch.farm to get a locals discount
Anica Wu of Bonjerk Pork Jerky
Meet Your Instructor
Anica Wu is a first-generation Chinese-American butcher, jerky maker, and passionate advocate for reclaiming the connection between food, land, and culture. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Kansas, Anica grew up in a home where meals were a way to hold onto tradition—dim sum, shared plates, and storytelling around the table. That love for food, and a curiosity about flavor, eventually led her to meat.What started as a deep obsession with jerky turned into a hands-on journey through the meat industry. In 2018, Anica began training as a whole-animal butcher, learning the craft from the ground up and discovering what “farm to table” really means. For her, butchery is about more than cutting meat, it’s about honoring the animal, understanding the labor behind good food, and building a relationship with sourcing and preparation that’s thoughtful and transformative.At the Women’s Butchery Workshop at Redwing Ranch, Anica brings her skill, warmth, and cultural perspective to the butcher block. Participants will gain hands-on experience in whole-animal breakdown, learn to work with intention and respect, and explore the power of sharing good food with good people.