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Charles Madsen
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00:01My name's Mike Rowe, and this is my job.
00:07I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty.
00:11Oh, jeez, I caught a lamb. Crap. Caught a brush.
00:13Hard-working men and women who earn an honest living.
00:16Oh, you know what, that's probably like a tapeworm.
00:19Doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
00:23Now, get ready to get dirty.
00:26Coming up on Dirty Jobs...
00:31We're not quite hillbillies, but we're close to it.
00:33A family of leech trappers takes me deep into the mosquito-infested Minnesota wilderness.
00:38Are they going to hop on us and suck our own blood?
00:41Oh, Mike, I'd be scared if I was you.
00:43To do a slimy job that really sucks.
00:46And later...
00:47You're saying there are cow's stomachs on the back of this truck?
00:49In California, they actually make barf.
00:52Biologically appropriate raw food. It's for raw dog food.
00:55And they make it from the very thing that barf comes from.
00:58We use the four chambers of the cow's stomach.
01:00This is what the dogs would love.
01:01They go crazy for it.
01:02Yeah.
01:02It's a fun business.
01:04It flies a little bit.
01:05You have quite an imagination, Manuel.
01:07Come here, boys.
01:08But it's really gone to the dogs.
01:12Oh, God.
01:13So what's happening today is that this is a shoot that we didn't scout.
01:31And we try and scout whenever possible, don't we, Dave?
01:34Oh, sure.
01:34But every now and then, it doesn't work out.
01:37So what's happened is we've driven about 40 minutes from the hotel to the leech bait facility.
01:44And I think the assumption was we were going to go out here in the water and get the leeches.
01:51But it's actually about an hour drive from here through the bush.
01:53And we've got these ridiculous vans and a silly little car.
01:56So we're probably going to get stuck.
01:57We'll be lucky to make it in the first place.
01:59Everybody here seems very friendly, of course.
02:01Okay.
02:01Wait.
02:02Whoa.
02:02Got it.
02:03But this is what you call plan B.
02:05Not that we really had a plan A.
02:07But if we would have, it would have involved a scout.
02:09Wouldn't it, Dave?
02:10Oh, sure.
02:11Let's go.
02:16All right, guys.
02:17All right.
02:18We're ready.
02:19We're going to have a little adventure.
02:20We're not quite hillbillies, but we're close to it.
02:25Today's dirty job, if we ever get there, leech traffic in northern Minnesota.
02:30Taking it out where God lives.
02:32Everywhere he creates a lot of mosquitoes.
02:34You pretty much got to keep your mouth kind of pretty close because they like flying right in them.
02:39Perfect for our show.
02:40The Fagery family's been leeching since the mid-60s.
02:44Today, John Fagery's taking me to one of the lakes, way off the beaten path.
02:49I think we just ran out of road.
02:50We went four-wheeling last weekend over here.
02:53No, that was a muddy mess.
02:55It's nice the way you keep the car.
02:57Nice, fresh in here.
02:58Yeah, it smells just like leeches.
03:00Wait until it gets 90 degrees in here.
03:02I just built a pail full of leech slime here this morning on a big trail there in the back there.
03:07See, one thing enjoyable about this kind of business is you set the trap at night and go to sleep, and you think, oh my God, what's going to be in our traps in the morning?
03:16You know, it's hard to sleep really good because you're so excited.
03:20We're here.
03:27We're somewhere.
03:28When you don't scout, you suddenly find yourself 10 miles off the road in the middle of nowhere being slowly eaten alive by mosquitoes.
03:37Some locals say the mosquito should be the Minnesota state bird.
03:44Personally, I'd vote for the crow, which circles ominously overhead, waiting to clean up what the mosquitoes leave behind.
03:52So that'd be my ride?
03:55That's your ride, Mike.
03:56All right, these are the boys from the Bardis Bait Shop, I suppose.
04:00Jeff Fagery.
04:01That's his brother, John.
04:02That's somebody's son back there.
04:04What's your name again?
04:05Jason.
04:05That's Jason back there.
04:07Come on over here.
04:07You're Stan, right?
04:08Yep.
04:09All righty.
04:10We've got a lot of beat-up trucks.
04:11We've got a lot of questionable watercraft.
04:14Our goal today is leeches, right?
04:17You bought it.
04:18How long have you been pulling leeches out of here?
04:22Too long.
04:23Yeah, since we've been young kids.
04:25And how long since you've been a young kid?
04:27Forty years.
04:29All right.
04:31I mean, but why leeches?
04:32I mean, as far as bait goes, is it a great choice for a specific fish, Jeff?
04:36For walleye fishing anyway, and just about any type of fishing.
04:39What's the difference between a leech and a bloodsucker?
04:41The texture, the feel of them.
04:43The leech is hard.
04:45Bloodsucker's really soft, squishy.
04:47We're going to see leeches and bloodsuckers.
04:48Oh, yeah.
04:49They're both in here.
04:50Are they going to hop on us and suck our own blood?
04:53Oh, Mike, I'd be scared if I was you.
04:54No, no.
04:55The only one you've got to worry about is a diamondback.
04:57If they find a little open spot or anything, they're going to be sucking immediately, and
05:02you will bleed.
05:03You won't quit bleeding until you're off the lake sometime later, because they put some
05:07kind of...
05:08Anticoagulant?
05:09Yeah, that makes your blood flow.
05:11That nasty looks like.
05:11And you could die, possibly die from it.
05:13I've had to go to the hospital and get a shot before.
05:16Anticoagulant was in critical condition with a diamond.
05:18He laid eggs in the bloodstream and shut down all his major organs.
05:22So, wait a minute.
05:22We just went from leeches, they're cute, you put them on hooks and you make a living until
05:25they can lay eggs in your bloodstream, and then the next thing you know, you're in the
05:28hospital.
05:29Not from the leeches itself.
05:30That's from the diamondbacks.
05:31The diamondbacks.
05:31The diamondback leech.
05:32Genuine bloodsucker.
05:33It's a bloodsucker.
05:34There's going to be three different kinds of bloodsuckers in here.
05:37Yeah.
05:38Just like in Hollywood.
05:39We call them agents, managers, and publicists.
05:40There you go.
05:41In the land of 10,000 lakes, we're about to paddle out into Bluebill Lake, one of the
05:49smaller ones.
05:50How many are we hoping to catch, John?
05:52I mean, what would a good day be?
05:5430, 40 pounds would be a decent day.
05:56All right.
05:56How many lakes do you normally go to in the course of...
05:59First days, I do six lakes.
06:01Is this good leech in weather?
06:03Well, as nice as it gets.
06:05All right.
06:05What am I smelling?
06:06That leech bait.
06:07What is the preferred leech bait?
06:09Beef kidneys.
06:10We used to start using fox.
06:13We'd cut them up on a bandsaw, and everything was so messy, and somehow it evolved into beef
06:18kidneys.
06:18All right.
06:19Where's the first trap?
06:20Right there.
06:21Well, let's go get some leeches.
06:23All right.
06:23All right.
06:23Let's eat it up.
06:24I'll get my paddle.
06:26Thanks.
06:31Okay.
06:32Just go right on the other side of them little sticks there.
06:34Let's see.
06:40Let's see.
06:40I have it.
06:41There's leech spawn.
06:42They're babies.
06:43Baby leeches, right.
06:44That's where they lay their eggs.
06:45Normally, it's on lily pads.
06:47And there's probably a dozen or 15 little baby leeches that'll come out of there.
06:51How long does it take them to get full grown?
06:55Half a year or less.
06:57So do you rebate the traps?
07:00In the evenings.
07:01In the evenings, we come back and bait them up.
07:03Otherwise, your bait spoils during the day.
07:05It gets too warm.
07:06Right.
07:09A floating piece of foam marks the location of the tin envelope traps that lie on the shallow,
07:15muddy bottom.
07:17You just scrape them out the front like that.
07:20Give me a favor.
07:20Put a couple on my paddle there.
07:22They're squirmy.
07:23Are they?
07:31Huh.
07:32There's only a little camera here.
07:33You got a shot of these things.
07:36So these things have been around basically since the beginning of time, huh?
07:39Yeah, we didn't realize it until in the 60s that they were here.
07:42But now that we have learned that they're here, it's become a real big business.
07:46How big?
07:47In the millions.
07:49Leeches, a multi-million dollar business.
07:52Who knew?
07:55Some folks around here call leeches black gold.
07:58I'd probably go with gooey gold.
08:00It really is just like an envelope.
08:02And they stick on the inside.
08:03And the bait, you know, that was in there and that just slid out.
08:08And then you just grab these guys and pull them.
08:11Of course, I'm toward the bottom.
08:13And there you go.
08:14Just help a pile of leeches.
08:16The baited tin traps are tossed back into the shallow parts of the lake where they wait on the bottom for hungry leeches to turn this into an envelope full of money.
08:25Coming up.
08:27You didn't do too bad there, Mike.
08:28Once the leech money's on the table, so to speak.
08:31I'm the buyer here as well.
08:32Things get down to business.
08:34You're buying from your brother?
08:35Yep.
08:35It's like racketeering.
08:36Yeah, yeah, pretty much.
08:38Imagine the pressure I'm under, huh?
08:40Boggles the mind, Jeff.
08:41And while separating the men from the boys, I kind of get attached to one of the little guys.
08:46What's your gonna name it?
08:47Jeff?
08:47You ain't naming it, Jeff, if you're gonna kiss it.
08:52And later.
08:53Damn it.
08:53Why is it fighting me on every single turn?
08:56I take a whack at marsh making.
08:57You can feel it when it starts cutting real easy.
08:59Yeah, I haven't experienced that yet.
09:09Doing dirty jobs, my senses have been assaulted in ways I never thought possible.
09:14Oh, my God!
09:15Take sight, for example.
09:16Good Lord.
09:18I've seen dirty, disgusting things I never thought I'd see.
09:21Oh, God!
09:22Like a room full of sewage.
09:24Welcome to hell.
09:25Flesh-eating beetles devouring a skull.
09:27A snake barfing up a fish.
09:30But possibly the most disturbing, a wheelbarrow of sickening, undulating animal fat.
09:37Well, there's something you don't see every day.
09:39And thanks to dirty jobs and the miracle of modern TV, now you've seen it all, too.
09:44Careful.
09:46Two traps down, 148 to go.
09:53All right.
09:53So those are the ones you can shake out.
10:05The rest, you've got to reach in and grab.
10:08He wants to latch on?
10:09He wants to go back into the lake.
10:11So he's just latched on to me.
10:14All right.
10:14There's something like 650 different species of leeches.
10:20They're mostly found in cool ponds, lakes, and streams in the northern U.S.
10:25But you can also find them in polar seas, African water holes, and the tropics.
10:30All right.
10:30So these leeches, you know, when they attach to your body, I mean, they can attach pretty
10:34much anywhere, I guess, right?
10:36Yeah.
10:36But they won't suck blood or nothing to leech.
10:39Why not?
10:40Well, we know they eat meat, but what they live off in the lake, we're not sure.
10:44It could be dead vegetation.
10:46We don't know for sure.
10:47Well, I thought they all sucked blood.
10:49Blood suckers do.
10:50Well, that makes sense.
10:51What with the name and all?
10:54Nothing in them, Mike.
10:55Yeah.
10:55I just got at least a dozen out of that.
10:58I'm thinking, I'm rethinking my whole career, Stan, to tell you the truth.
11:03Very few of the orange-bellied blood suckers end up in the traps, and the trick is to keep
11:08them moving so they don't latch on to you.
11:10Don't get me wrong.
11:11I'm all for giving blood.
11:13I just don't like it taken from me.
11:15Just peed all over me now.
11:16You hear stories now and then of blood suckers being used for medical procedures, usually
11:21involving the reattachment of fingers, toes, things like that.
11:25It's said that using them promotes circulation and prevents the death of cells in human tissue,
11:31which sometimes can occur on the buttocks when you sit too long on a thin, wooden plank
11:36trapping leeches.
11:39What do we do, like 100?
11:40About 150.
11:42How many have you done at once?
11:43We're running about 1,600 a day.
11:45Come on.
11:46Yeah, and then go bait them up in the evening again, 1,600.
11:50Tell me you're making some decent money doing this.
11:52A little over 1,000.
11:53$1,000 a day?
11:55That's a good day.
11:57We bring them in now.
11:58We'll take the bait off them and clean them up a little bit, put them in the buckets and
12:01head for the shop.
12:03The catch of the day.
12:04Some kidneys, some leeches, some money.
12:10See you back at the shop.
12:11So this is headquarters, huh?
12:15Yes, it is.
12:16This is where we clean and grade and shake and sell.
12:21All right.
12:22What do you say, Jeff?
12:23You made her.
12:24We made it.
12:25Nice drive.
12:25How was it today?
12:27A little slice of heaven.
12:28I'm guessing these are going to go there?
12:30Yeah.
12:30We'll put them up here.
12:31I want to see how big they are.
12:32If I had a nickel for every time I heard that.
12:34Hey, you didn't do too bad there, Mike.
12:42That's what I shoot for, Jeff.
12:43Right on.
12:45You know what, though?
12:46They looked a little smaller today.
12:48Did they?
12:48Yeah.
12:49Stan, are they running smaller today?
12:50No, they're not.
12:51Oh, Stan, I think they are.
12:53They just need to be graded.
12:55You grade on a curve?
12:55I'm going to wash them down here first and cool them off.
12:58Better cool them down a little bit there and get the holes.
13:01Get the holes here.
13:02They're sticky little buggers, aren't they, Mike?
13:04Yeah, they stink.
13:05Get those out of there.
13:06Would you like to back up?
13:07We like to cool them down there.
13:08The water's starting to get warm, Mike.
13:10So get them cooled down, it'd be just like you jumping into a nice, cold, frozen lake in
13:15the wintertime, dumping these leeches into one of them tanks.
13:18These smaller ones, they've got to come out of there.
13:20Yes, when I'm looking, I'm the buyer here, so.
13:23I thought you were the owner.
13:24I am, but I'm buying them.
13:26You're buying them from your brother?
13:27Yep.
13:28That's like racketeering, isn't it?
13:31Yeah, yeah.
13:31Pretty much.
13:32Pretty much.
13:33Imagine the pressure I'm under, huh?
13:35Boggles the mind, Jeff.
13:37Yeah.
13:37All right, so you're about to determine how much money you're going to pay.
13:40Yeah, I see.
13:41These sizes here, we've got to grade them down.
13:43There's some smaller stuff in them.
13:45That's what I'm going to look for right away is that small stuff.
13:47It's a nice run of leeches, but if he takes the smaller stuff off and keeps the bigger stuff,
13:52he can get paid more for them.
13:54The first part of the grading process involves a little leech wrangling.
13:58Oh, let me bring him over here.
13:59Followed by a very odd series of questions.
14:02Do you ever have a wet diaper on?
14:04Earlier this week, I believe.
14:06Do you know what a wet ass is like?
14:07Yeah, matter of fact, I do.
14:08Babies cry when they get a wet diaper?
14:10No.
14:10You ever see a grown man cry?
14:11You're asking a lot of questions, Jeff.
14:13That's why I don't sit on the bucket like that.
14:16All right.
14:16Let's cry now.
14:17Flip it over.
14:18I feel like everything gets all pulled apart, you know?
14:21Yeah.
14:22About that much, and then dump it in that screen.
14:25Dump it in the screen.
14:25Yeah.
14:26Right?
14:27Then they start swimming.
14:29See your smaller ones start coming over there?
14:31So you're screening the small ones out.
14:33What do you do with the ones that come through the screen?
14:35Well, he'll sell them, but they'll be a cheaper leech.
14:37Right.
14:38Then just watch them and let them start swimming.
14:44The leech grading process is pretty straightforward.
14:47You ladle, you shake, you separate, you dump, and you repeat.
14:51Wow.
14:55The next size of leech is down.
14:57The smaller size, we use a different screen yet.
15:00There's the screen we use right there.
15:02If anybody watching the show has a French fry basket like that,
15:06I'd be happy to take it off your hands.
15:09This isn't a yard sale, okay?
15:10This is a very important show with literally dozens of viewers.
15:13I don't know if any of them are going to have a French fry thing.
15:16Come on, Mike.
15:17I only want a French fry basket.
15:21Grading the next size down is more of the same,
15:23except the smaller guys seem to be a little friendlier.
15:26New pet.
15:27What are you going to name it?
15:29Jeff.
15:30Jeff.
15:37These all look about right?
15:38You didn't do too bad, Mike.
15:40So you're counting right now, and this is going to tell us what?
15:43How many leeches are in a pound?
15:44Yeah.
15:44I'd say about 120.
15:46You're going 123?
15:48They're my leeches.
15:49I'm afraid of 119.
15:50I pulled them up.
15:51120.
15:52120.
15:53You would have won better.
15:55So what's this mean?
15:57This means you got 120 of these leeches to a pound.
16:02What does that mean money-wise?
16:03Between $9 and $10, depending on the market.
16:06What do you think this is?
16:07There's about 13 pounds.
16:0913.
16:09That's 11.4 pounds right there.
16:12Coming up.
16:13Should we eat one raw one?
16:14In Minnesota, they might call it sushi.
16:17That's some crazy cat, dude.
16:18I still call it bait.
16:20Yeah, we're going to need lots of sauce.
16:22And later.
16:23This is the first chamber of the stomach.
16:24If you can stomach the green tripe barf business.
16:27Does this smell good to you?
16:28Yeah, that's good.
16:29It eventually has the sweet smell of success.
16:32Nah, nah.
16:33We're lucky on this batch here.
16:34Yes, this is our lucky day.
16:35Yeah.
16:41When the brain receives a dirty, nasty smell.
16:46Well, well, it's a marinated rat, isn't it?
16:48It's a marinated rat.
16:49It activates the neck muscles, vocal cords.
16:52God!
16:53Oh!
16:53And gag reflex.
16:56Sometimes we blame smells on others.
16:58Somebody might have farted.
16:59Guys, thanks a little.
17:00Sure it's not you?
17:01And sometimes, when we're around bad smells long enough.
17:04Nothing should be able to make a smell like that and live.
17:08Our brains just give up.
17:09You realize the smells.
17:10This is nice.
17:12It's just like perfume to me, you know.
17:14And when that happens.
17:15It gets a nice little bouquet.
17:17Everything smells a little sweeter.
17:20Excellent bouquet.
17:26Next up, the moment of truth.
17:28The leech weigh in.
17:29How much did I say?
17:3011 pounds.
17:31I said 11.4.
17:3211.4 is what it is.
17:34It's 11 pounds.
17:35I said 11, didn't I?
17:37Yeah, yeah, pretty close.
17:38Yes, it is.
17:38So, the whole thing would be worth about, uh...
17:41110 bucks.
17:42Yeah.
17:43Finally, the sized and weighed leeches are poured into holding pens, where they'll frolic gleefully
17:48with their pals until that fateful day when they'll become dinner for a Minnesota game
17:53fish.
17:54Now you're looking for a paycheck, I suppose.
17:56I'm just, you know, there seems to be a certain symmetry.
17:58Seeing you went with Stan, you might have to talk to him.
18:01Split the wages.
18:02Split the wages, Stan.
18:03Kind of like pulling teeth there, probably.
18:05Well, after we bought the gas, it's so expensive nowadays.
18:08Right.
18:09And the bid.
18:10Now I owe you $8.
18:11Yeah, there you go.
18:12Is there anything I should have asked you about leeches that I didn't...
18:18We occasionally eat them.
18:20No.
18:20Yeah.
18:21You eat them?
18:22Yeah.
18:23You eat them?
18:23Yeah.
18:23You eat them.
18:24You will be surprised what it'll do for you.
18:27I hear that all the time, John.
18:29All right.
18:30Let's fry up some leeches.
18:31Those would be the leeches, and this would be Jason.
18:43Your dad, John, over there tells me you're an actual real-life cook.
18:47Yes, sir.
18:48We're going to have an old-fashioned favorite feast here on some leeches.
18:51Now, look, man.
18:52Be honest with me.
18:53Leeches, are they served in fine restaurants up here in northern Minnesota or anywhere, for
18:58that matter?
18:58Not too much in the United States, just because of the whole food standards and everything,
19:03but over in Asia, it's good to go.
19:07Because of the food standards and whatnot.
19:09Yeah.
19:10How does one prepare a leech for the American palate?
19:14We're going to devein them up, throw them in a little bit of some seasoned flour, deep fry,
19:20and feast.
19:23You had me at devein them up.
19:24Yeah.
19:25All right.
19:25Show me how you would devein a leech.
19:28Here, I wasn't even aware they had veins to start with.
19:31Well, yeah, they have a thing that, you know, where they, here's where they eat, here's
19:36their little, you know.
19:37The butthole?
19:38Yeah.
19:38Start right at the butt and work your way right up to the head.
19:42Isn't that always the way?
19:43You just scrape it out.
19:44It's going to be a little blood.
19:46You know, there's a little bit of a fecal matter, you could say, or something like that.
19:50You're the expert, my friend.
19:52Whatever that is, I'll go.
19:54You want to give it a try?
19:55Sure.
19:56All right.
19:56Kind of a challenge.
19:57Do you keep it a straighter line than I did here?
20:00It's almost as though the leech doesn't like it.
20:01It's crabby.
20:02With the steel sailing through his central nervous system.
20:04A lot going on here.
20:05Where did you study?
20:08Well, I'm French trained at Le Cordon Bleu.
20:11The French look at this and say, why are you cooking them?
20:13Just eat them, you silly American.
20:17I heard one time that a leech has seven brains.
20:19Seven more than I thought they had.
20:21Should we eat one raw once?
20:22Watch it go into the mouth?
20:24Should we watch it move on the tongue?
20:28Some crazy cat, dude.
20:33Good grief.
20:34Play that game.
20:35I think you should try one.
20:36I probably should, but I'm not going to.
20:38Dave, on the other hand.
20:39Dave, which one do you want?
20:41Here we go, Dave.
20:42Just relax the back of your throat.
20:43You'll be fine.
20:45Should I chew it?
20:46Go ahead.
20:46I would.
20:46It doesn't taste bad.
20:49Yeah.
20:50Dave's a...
20:51I like Dave.
20:54Is this bad?
20:56Sometimes they make a little noise, too.
20:59Yep.
21:01Hear that?
21:02It's a leech cry.
21:03It's like a lobster crying.
21:05The leeches are making that sound.
21:07This is downright barbaric.
21:09I mean, we're not just doing this show-off.
21:12This is what you guys...
21:12You'll eat these all the time.
21:14Not all the time.
21:15It's a treat.
21:20Awesome.
21:20Let's bring some of that sauce over, Chef.
21:22Let's start with the chipotle.
21:23Hand me my good.
21:27You know what?
21:28It's pretty good.
21:29Yeah, it is.
21:30You're still crazy, but the leeches are good.
21:33That's what we tried telling you.
21:35Not bad at all.
21:36Get up here, guys.
21:37Thanks a lot.
21:37Definitely.
21:38I had a great time.
21:39All right.
21:40Thanks.
21:40That was something else.
21:42Randy, honestly.
21:43Jason, thanks again.
21:45Give me some more of that sauce.
21:46Sauce?
21:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:47You can't have enough sauce.
21:48Not bad, huh, Mike?
21:49If you're looking for something to put on a t-shirt, leeches without the dip.
21:54Or a minion.
21:57Okay.
21:58We got a port-a-potty around here somewhere?
22:02Coming up, I discover all kinds of things you can do with cow parts.
22:07Making clothing.
22:07You can almost make a jacket out of this one.
22:09What a tasteful gift for her.
22:11Yeah.
22:12Juggling.
22:13Having fun with kids.
22:14Peek-a-boo.
22:15And creating a game show.
22:16What in the heck is in the black bowl, Mike?
22:26When it comes to taste, a lot of things might go down easier if they weren't preceded by a dirty or disgusting visual.
22:33Like liquefied mealworms.
22:35It tastes a lot like what it looks like.
22:37Or gooey duck clams.
22:38Don't you do crazy?
22:39Some things are so tasty you can't even speak.
22:42You just count out the number of stars you give it.
22:44Like a pony.
22:45Some things are tasted accidentally.
22:48The mouth full of poison.
22:50A hunk of crap just flew straight down my throat.
22:53And some things you taste simply because of an unspeakable lack of judgment.
22:57Hey, Dave, how do you like your sperm?
23:05Once upon a time, I used to be freaked out by how many kids loved this show.
23:08Now, I'm used to it.
23:10In fact, I kind of like it because I get letters like this.
23:13Dear Mike, my name is Jeremy Fry and I'm nine years old.
23:17Dirty Jobs is the best show in the whole world.
23:19And my mommy thinks you're a great movie star.
23:23I'm scared, though, that you will run out of Dirty Jobs.
23:25So, I went on to my mom's computer and tried to find one for you.
23:29I typed in the word barf because my little sister, Tara, throws up all of the time.
23:35I found a whole bunch of gross stuff for you.
23:37I think you should do a show on barf.
23:40Your friend, Jeremy.
23:42P.S.
23:42My mom doesn't know that I'm writing this, so please don't read it on the TV.
23:48Oops.
23:49All right.
23:50Normally, I would just put this where I put all the letters from nine-year-olds.
23:53But I thought the kid had a good idea, so I went online and I typed in barf.
23:57You wouldn't believe what came up.
23:59All kinds of good stuff.
24:00The first one was SoCal Barf or Southern California Barf.
24:05I clicked.
24:06I scrolled down.
24:07I read all about it.
24:08But the good news is, it's not what you think.
24:11The bad news is, it's worse.
24:18Barf as we know it was about to take on a whole new definition.
24:26So, after much searching around the word barf, I finally found Mary Voss down here in, where am I exactly?
24:33Hollister, California.
24:34In Hollister, California.
24:35And what is SoCal Barf, just so I understand?
24:39SoCal Barf is one of the largest raw feeding co-ops in the country.
24:42Barf stands for biologically appropriate raw food, and we are one of their suppliers, and
24:47it's for raw dog food.
24:48Okay.
24:49So, what kind of dog food are we talking about?
24:53Mostly all green tripe.
24:55We use the force chambers of the cow's stomach, and we basically grind it up and then package
25:01it and freeze it.
25:01Mm-hmm.
25:02You're saying there are cow's stomachs coming at us right now in the back of this truck?
25:06Possibly.
25:07Every day, the green tripe dog food company grinds up 3,000 pounds of animal parts.
25:13This barf is USDA-inspected and hormone-free.
25:17It's high-quality meat even humans can sink their teeth into.
25:24Nothing goes to waste here.
25:26Cattle tripe and other organs and parts that aren't generally popular for human consumption
25:31have proven to be terrific treats for canines.
25:33The dogs get it like this?
25:36Mm-hmm.
25:36See, I've never, I've seen, I watch a lot of TV, I've seen a lot of commercials, seen
25:40a lot of commercials for lots of dog food.
25:42Mm-hmm.
25:43You never see...
25:44No, you won't.
25:45Make Fido happy.
25:47You just don't see that.
25:49If a cow head doesn't fit Fido's fancy, well, there's always the neck, ribs.
25:53These are all great sources of fiber, which maintains muscle contraction and proper blood clotting.
25:58What's your name?
25:59Manuel.
26:00Manuel?
26:00Uh-huh.
26:01Mike.
26:01Okay, Mike.
26:02Are you the foreman?
26:02Are you the...
26:03No, I'm the supervisor.
26:05It's the same thing, right?
26:06Yeah.
26:06You're the man in charge.
26:07Okay.
26:08All right.
26:08What we're doing here, we're cutting the ribs.
26:11We'll start with a big one.
26:12You can do this one.
26:13Here's the neck.
26:14We cut the neck off first with a knife.
26:16Yes.
26:17It'll...
26:17That's not really cutting, is it?
26:19That's more of a...
26:20Like a choppy.
26:21You can use a hatchet, is what you can use.
26:23Yeah.
26:23Uh-huh.
26:25Sometimes it cuts real easy.
26:26Mm-hmm.
26:26Break it off.
26:27Here's the neck.
26:28We'll put the sticks.
26:29And then you get...
26:30You can start on this side.
26:31Mm-hmm.
26:31And it cuts really easy after you've cut it.
26:34And you just kind of hold it.
26:36Uh-huh.
26:39Okay.
26:40No, I'll give that a spin.
26:41So we probably need some more carcasses over here, right?
26:43I'll bring some.
26:44All right.
26:47Man, you really do have to hit it hard, don't you?
26:55Damn it.
26:55I cannot get through this one.
26:58Why is it fighting me on every single turn?
27:08How long have you been working here?
27:10It's been a year.
27:11Yeah?
27:11How's it going?
27:12It's going pretty good.
27:13It's interesting.
27:14You can feel it when it starts cutting real easy.
27:19Yeah, I haven't experienced that yet.
27:22It looks like a turkey with no head.
27:24You go like this and it kind of flies a little bit.
27:28You have quite an imagination, Manuel.
27:32You've got to have that sense of humor when you work.
27:36That's a fact.
27:38Oh, yeah.
27:39Look at that.
27:40Now I got it.
27:41There you go.
27:42Right, I got it.
27:44See, it's not how hard you hit it.
27:46It's how you hit it hard.
27:48Coming up, calf hearts.
27:50Some tongue.
27:51Tongue.
27:51I concoct a killer barf recipe.
27:53Spleen.
27:54Calf livers.
27:55Can I give it a real fancy name?
27:57Green trite melange.
27:58That looks great, Mike.
27:59Oh, yeah.
28:07In the recording world, they talk about a clean sound.
28:10In the dirty jobs world, we go for dirty sounds.
28:14Sounds that are irritating.
28:16Disgusting.
28:18Ear-shattering.
28:22Nightmarish.
28:24Sounds that'll scare the dirt right out of you.
28:26Man, I might have pooed a little.
28:3385% of the barf business is green tripe blends.
28:37It's time to get down to the heart of it all.
28:39Or, should I say, the stomach.
28:41Man, you know, look at this.
28:43That's a mess.
28:46Now I'm starting to get a sense of where the smell is coming from in here.
28:50Over there with the carcasses, it wasn't so bad, but this explains everything.
28:55All right.
28:56Come down here, Mary.
28:57It's okay.
28:58Come to me.
28:59Come to me, and let's discuss the stomach together.
29:01That's probably a half of it, the abomasum, from one full stomach.
29:05Mm-hmm.
29:05All right.
29:07A cow's stomach has four different chambers.
29:09The rumen, the reticulum, the omosum, and the abomasum.
29:13The total weight can push 100 pounds.
29:15We're going to make a green tripe grind, and we're also going to do the tripe with organ meat today.
29:20You put it inside the barrel, but you've got to smell it.
29:23Sometimes it has a funny smell to it.
29:26Well, yeah, it does.
29:27It's inside of an animal.
29:29Yeah.
29:30Just go ahead and just take a part.
29:32What am I smelling for?
29:34If it smells good, it smells okay.
29:37Wait, come here.
29:37Does this smell good to you?
29:39Yeah, that's good.
29:40Yeah.
29:41It smells a little like manure.
29:43Yeah.
29:45Now, is this why you call it green tripe?
29:48Actually, the reason it's called green tripe is because it's not been processed, not been bleached or scalded, like you see in the grocery stores.
29:55We try and leave as much plant matter in there as possible, because that's really, really good for the dogs.
30:00Plant matter's good.
30:01Okay.
30:01Green tripe has many health benefits.
30:03It helps in digestion, its rubbery texture, strengthens the jaw muscles, and it's basically canine dental floss.
30:10How will I know when I sniff something that's...
30:12Oh, you'll know.
30:13You'll smell it, man.
30:14You'll know.
30:15There you go.
30:16This is one.
30:17That's bad?
30:18Yeah.
30:19It's passable.
30:19Not.
30:20No, that's pure.
30:21That's pure.
30:22It's worse.
30:22Yeah, that's ass.
30:23They get worse, yeah.
30:24Where do the bad stomachs go?
30:25To the bad dogs?
30:29Oh, that's just now the...
30:30That's mineral free.
30:31That's undigested.
30:32Yeah, that's good.
30:33That's really good.
30:34This is actually poo inside the third chamber of the stomach.
30:38That's...
30:39That's pre-poo.
30:41Pre-poo?
30:42This is what the dogs would love.
30:44They go crazy for it.
30:45Crazy, crazy for the poo.
30:46Yeah.
30:48We're lucky on this batch here.
30:50Yes, this is our lucky day.
30:52Yeah.
30:52Yeah.
30:52This is the first chamber of the stomach.
30:59First two chambers.
31:00Yes.
31:00Whoa.
31:01A cow has 40,000 jaw movements every day, so it's no wonder the reticulum have a 50-gallon
31:07capacity.
31:08You could almost make a jacket out of this one.
31:09I was just thinking the same thing.
31:11What a tasteful gift for her.
31:13Yeah.
31:16How does it smell?
31:17Yeah.
31:17Yeah.
31:17Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:18Yeah.
31:19Yeah.
31:19Yeah.
31:19Yeah.
31:20It smells like ass, honestly.
31:22And now we're going to cut that in pieces.
31:27Peek-a-boo.
31:29Just cut them in pieces.
31:33Sorry.
31:33I'm just thinking of that big cheese omelet I had this morning.
31:37Questioning all my choices.
31:38Come in a little closer, Mayor.
31:39I promise not to cut you.
31:41And again, man, yeah, with the sniffing, just constantly sniffing in the check.
31:44Yeah.
31:46It smells like a stomach.
31:47Yeah.
31:48Yeah.
31:50Last of the rumen.
32:02Manual's checking my work.
32:04This one could be cut.
32:06Yeah, Mary did that one.
32:08That one could be cut.
32:09Very sloppy.
32:10Very sloppy.
32:14Satisfied?
32:14Yep.
32:15The tripe is done, and now we just have to prep the organ meat.
32:18Okay.
32:19That was a little hard.
32:20I like the way you did that.
32:22Did you like that?
32:22Did you like that little twist there?
32:23Yeah.
32:24Yeah.
32:25You know what I'm doing, man?
32:25He's a funny guy.
32:28Whoop, whoop, whoop.
32:30Did you see that one?
32:31I saw that one.
32:32Like it was alive.
32:34Beating right out of your hands.
32:38You know what I've never done?
32:39I've never juggled hearts.
32:40Thank you, please.
32:45You're very kind.
32:46So this is a spleen.
32:47Uh-huh.
32:48What did you do before this, Manuel?
32:51I used to operate a backhoe, and then I used to work in the cemetery, and we used to cremate people.
32:59Really?
33:00Yeah.
33:00So you went from driving a backhoe, to old-fashioned crematoria, to this.
33:06Uh-huh.
33:09You've had some good jobs.
33:12A lot of jobs that people didn't want to do.
33:14I hear that.
33:15Uh-huh.
33:20The Scarface was a good movie.
33:22You ever see that?
33:23Mm-hmm.
33:24Fine film.
33:24It was good.
33:25Yeah.
33:26I like Casino.
33:28I liked Goodfellas, too.
33:29It was a great one.
33:30That's another good one, yeah.
33:31I don't know why I'm thinking of that.
33:34All that blood?
33:35There you go.
33:40My talking metaphor is when you can spell it out.
33:42After the cow parts are sniffed and sorted, they're ground into special blends.
33:54Calf hearts.
33:56Can they make a tool for this?
33:57They should, huh?
33:59I think, like a little heart scoop.
34:05Anyone who's just tuned in right now, feel a little game called,
34:08What in the heck is in the black bowl, Mike?
34:11What in the heck is that?
34:14Nothing good.
34:19Here's what three different stomach chambers look like.
34:22Getting all round up together.
34:26Oh.
34:28Green tripe melange.
34:30We need some tongue.
34:31Tongue.
34:35Calf livers.
34:36Oh, yeah.
34:41Now I see why you put that on there.
34:43Yeah.
34:44That's a good idea.
34:50I hope you're happy, Mary.
34:54That looks great, Mike.
34:55You like this?
34:56Oh, yeah.
34:57She seems like a nice little normal Kool-Aid mom.
35:00It's kind of ghoulish.
35:03I tell you, this grind is a grind.
35:04Coming up.
35:06Dogs are hardwired to love hooves.
35:09They are.
35:09I get promoted to the special treats department.
35:12It's a ridiculous way to wind up.
35:14Gutted and stuffed into your own shoes.
35:16Yeah.
35:16Then, quickly move up to packaging.
35:18Oh, jeez.
35:19Oh, damn it.
35:20Crap.
35:20And finally, I get to interact directly with the customers.
35:23I'm no expert, but I'm thinking they dig it.
35:25Where would Dirty Jobs be without the sense of touch?
35:35It's a real hands-on show.
35:37What the hell?
35:38Hands-on, gooey, and muddy things.
35:40I got mud in my shorts.
35:42I hope it's mud.
35:44And hands-on things that live in gooey mud.
35:46Sushi tonight?
35:48Got it!
35:48Hands-on things that bite and chew.
35:50We got a chewer.
35:52It's also a hands-in show.
35:54I have to push my finger inside the alligator's bottom.
35:57But when it's an extreme, full-body contact show...
36:00I got mud in places that man doesn't necessarily want mud.
36:03Sometimes, I'll go with a stand-in.
36:05Dust!
36:12There really is a surprise inside of every box you guys have here.
36:16Yeah.
36:16These are hooves.
36:21Correct?
36:22Mm-hmm.
36:22Yes.
36:23What's nice about these is they're better than the ones that you see in the pet stores
36:27because those have been, like, dehydrated or cooked.
36:31And that makes them dangerous.
36:32They can splinter when the dogs chew on them.
36:34Well, this much I actually did know.
36:37We had some horses when I was growing up and some dogs.
36:39And they were, all of the time, taking those hoof trimmings.
36:44You know?
36:44They just loved them.
36:45Uh, so dogs are hardwired to love hooves.
36:49They are.
36:51And hooves with a little poo stuck in them, even better.
36:54Mm-hmm.
36:54Right?
36:55So, what will you do specifically with the hooves?
36:58What we're going to do with these today is we're going to stuff them with the green tripe that we grind up.
37:02We're going to stuff the hooves?
37:03Yeah.
37:04Like a mushroom or a...
37:06Yeah.
37:07All right.
37:10Who's that?
37:11That's my daughter, Kirsten.
37:13Hi, Kirsten.
37:14Hi.
37:14She's stuffing the hooves?
37:15Yes, she is.
37:16I'm going to hang out with your daughter.
37:17Hi.
37:18Hi.
37:19How are you?
37:19Good.
37:20How are you?
37:20You seem like a nice girl.
37:22Yeah.
37:22Why are you stuffing flesh in the feet?
37:25Oh, it's a job.
37:27How old are you?
37:28Eighteen.
37:29All right.
37:29You're old enough to do this, I suppose.
37:30Yeah.
37:31Um, show me your technique, would you?
37:34All right.
37:34Well, you just take, like, a handful of green tripe and you stuff it in.
37:40Now, you want to make sure that it's, like, level to, like, right here.
37:44Uh-huh.
37:45If too much, then, like, when it freezes, it'll have, like, extra tripe.
37:49It'll expand, right?
37:50Yeah, exactly.
37:51You don't have that, you know, the tripe explosion.
37:54Exactly.
37:55Well, he wants that.
37:56So.
37:57How long has your family been doing this?
37:59Well, I've been around tripe since I was a baby, so.
38:02So you've got 18 years in the tripe business.
38:04Exactly.
38:05I'm used to it.
38:07You like it?
38:08Yeah, I guess.
38:10You still smell it?
38:11No.
38:12Do you?
38:13Ah, matter of fact, I do, Kirsten.
38:16Uh-huh.
38:16Yeah, I still do.
38:17Okay.
38:18I've only been here eight hours, though.
38:19You've been here all your life.
38:21Yeah, that's true.
38:22I tell you what would be chilling, to be a cow, like, just standing around and watching
38:28this happening.
38:29Yeah.
38:30I mean, it's a ridiculous way to wind up.
38:37Gutted and stuffed into your own shoes.
38:39Yeah.
38:39I've had a lot of cow-related jobs, but never have I seen one taken apart and then put
38:45back together, not as nature or God intended.
38:48You ever watch this show?
38:49Yeah.
38:50You've seen it?
38:50Mm-hmm.
38:51You like it?
38:51Yeah.
38:52What's your favorite episode?
38:55Well, I've only seen a couple episodes.
38:56Let's see.
38:57Your favorite episode is when those mythbusters figure out what's not true.
39:02Never seen it.
39:02I've seen it before.
39:03Never seen it.
39:04I've seen it.
39:04Never seen it once.
39:05I've seen it.
39:05Maybe you'll watch this one.
39:07So how do you like stuffing those?
39:09I like it.
39:10I like talking to you.
39:11I like the whole process.
39:13I like the symmetry of it.
39:14It's everything the vacation brochure promised.
39:17Come to Hollister, ground up a cow, stuff it in its feet.
39:19Yeah, exactly.
39:22So we've stuffed, what, 50 or so of these?
39:25Yeah.
39:26All right.
39:26And how do you feel about my performance?
39:30You did excellent.
39:31Yeah?
39:31You did, yeah.
39:32Yeah?
39:32Yeah.
39:33You seem almost as convincing as you did as when you told me that you watched the Dirty
39:37Job show, which we later established was a lie.
39:41No, there was one where you were helped settle.
39:47Please, please.
39:49Never mind.
39:50Please, don't patronize me.
39:51What do we do now with the stuffed hoops?
39:53Well, I usually just stuff the hooves.
39:56You know.
39:57Okay.
39:58They don't let you actually put them in the freezer yet?
40:00Well, I mean, I could, but they just...
40:02Wait, let's do it.
40:03You're 18 years old.
40:04Okay.
40:05Let's, it's, I mean, I don't want to make trouble, but at this point in your life, you
40:08want to put the hooves in the freezer.
40:10Yeah, I know.
40:10I say to hell with it.
40:11Let's do it.
40:12Okay.
40:13I feel like I'm really taking you down a bad road here.
40:15Like I'm being a bad influence.
40:17No.
40:18The hooves were on their way to happy dogs.
40:20Now we had to package the tripe treats.
40:27You see, the vacuum is starting to fill up.
40:31He can't get it off.
40:32He can't.
40:37Damn.
40:38Jones, you stay away from this thing.
40:40This isn't a toy, although it is kind of.
40:43We'd like to buy your machine for some experiments of our own.
40:52Oh, jeez.
40:55I'm sorry.
40:57It's okay.
40:59I'm going to need a bigger bag.
41:01Oh, me too.
41:03Damn it.
41:03Come here, you tube of meat.
41:11Crap.
41:12What should I do now?
41:13Um, put half of it back.
41:15No.
41:20All right, I own this thing.
41:21Well, let's do this like they're hungry dogs waiting.
41:23What do you say?
41:24Just think.
41:24We have about 100 more of these to go through.
41:29Hello, meat.
41:30Double pumped it.
41:37It's been a very illuminating day.
41:39Yeah.
41:39Mary, thank you.
41:40It's been fascinating.
41:42Thank you for coming.
41:43You're welcome.
41:44We haven't left yet.
41:46Sooner or later, we will.
41:47But not until I say, barf in a bag.
41:50It's what's for dinner.
41:55Well, there you go.
41:55My day at a barf factory.
41:57We've made a lot of claims today and seen a lot of fascinating.
42:00The only thing that remains to be done is a very simple field test to verify some of those claims.
42:06Do dogs like barf?
42:08If only we had some dogs.
42:11Come here, boys.
42:12Here you go.
42:12Who's hungry?
42:13Oh, yeah.
42:14We got dogs.
42:15And we got barf.
42:16I'm no expert.
42:19But I'm thinking they dig it.
42:21You like the barf, don't you?
42:23Yes, you do.
42:24Yes, you do.
42:26You guys just enjoy.
42:28No, no, no.
42:28You're all good.
42:30Don't look at me.
42:31My God, that's not a dog.
42:34It's a pony.
42:40Here on Dirty Jobs, we're constantly on the lookout for places best described as vile, gross, disgusting, foul-fetted, fumid, foggy, and filthy.
42:48If you know of a place that fits the bill, by all means, go to discovery.com right now.
42:53Drop me a line.
42:53That's discovery.com forward slash dirtyjobs.
42:57Tell me all about it.
42:58If you do, you'll have my eternal gratitude.
43:02Every time I go the right direction, I get turned back the other way.
43:05Yeah, that's dog.
43:06Can you put your hat back?
43:08Can you put your hat back a little?
43:11Troy?
43:12Yeah, they can't see your face, Mike.
43:13They've only been looking at it for three years.
43:15Watch my hat.
43:16Watch my hat.
43:17Man, watch my hat.
43:19Man, you're a mess.
43:21Come here.
43:22Come here.
43:22Look at this.
43:24Look at your...
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