The weather this past weekend was especially hot in St. Helena, where meat enthusiasts made matters even worse by firing up the coals for another episode of Primal, the annual orgy of butchery, fire roasting, eating and drinking, on the grounds at Chase Cellars. In addition to dishes made from almost every part of various pigs, lambs, beef, goats, chickens and more, features included a four-way bacon tasting, cocktails from our pals at Alembic, smoked oyster stout in bacon-rimmed glasses from Magnolia Pub and Brewery, loads of wines, salumi brought all the way from South Carolina, and even a few vegetables prepared by the folks at Ubuntu.

Of course the main event was the butchery demonstrations by a bunch of knife-wielding masters including local favorites 4505 Meats, Avedano's, and Dave the Butcher. Maybe future generations will look back on meat-eaters as the 21st Century equivalent of slave-owners - which is very likely - but at this event the PETA t-shirts spelled out "People for the Eating of Tasty Animals."

Lots more horrifying and/or delicious pictures here.