how the sausage is made

idiomatic phrase

: the practical and often unpleasant or messy aspects of a process that are usually not made public

You would think that being on set, and seeing how the sausage is made, would take the magic away for Mr. McClay.—

Adam Epstein

Both new chairs of their chambers' respective Defense Appropriations panels are well versed in how the budget sausage is made.—

Andrew Clevenger

Offering up vintage backstage footage of Jim Henson and Frank Oz operating the Muppets feels a little like Henry Houdini coming back to reveal all his secrets. … Yet that's almost the least of the pleasures in a highly satisfying HBO documentary … that wisely places roughly equal emphasis on how the sausage was made and how the culture was changed.—

Chris Willman