A nice sized piece of high density polyethylene . You may even want it cut to the size of your kitchen counter or the table you plan to work on. It's really an advantage to be able to place a larger cut in a place you feel comfortable working to make your other cuts and trim work. It sounds like it's not a necessity but once you start working on your own game you'll understand
^^^^ This is probably the single best improvement in my butchering operation I have ever made.
Along with the big sheet of 1” plastic cutting board I use a 10” filet knife, an 8” Henkel kitchen knife, an antique Berkel slicer, and the grinder attachment for my wife’s Kitchenaid mixer.
Take it slow and do a good job, then you get to enjoy the product of your time for the rest of the year.
