c/butchers

The old timer at Ray's Meats told me to stop worrying about fat caps

I was trimming a ribeye at Ray's Meats in Cleveland last month and the 70-year-old owner said I was leaving too little fat on the caps. He showed me his way and I haven't trimmed a steak the same since. Anyone else get told they're overtrimming?

2 comments

cole_mitchell57•1d ago

Just read that 70% of pork shoulder weight is fat and connective tissue before cooking

I was looking up cook times for a 12lb shoulder I'm doing this weekend and stumbled on that number from a USDA breakdown. That explains why my yield is always way lower than I expect no matter how careful I am. Anyone else track their actual yield vs starting weight on bigger cuts like this?

2 comments

bailey.sandra•2d ago

Chat with my local farmer changed how I source pork

I've been buying from the same hog farm for about 5 years now. Last Tuesday I stopped by to pick up an order and ended up talking to the farmer's daughter who just took over the operation. She asked me why I always request the same cuts and never ask for stuff like pork shoulder or belly in smaller batches. I told her it's just habit from my old supplier. She said I could request custom sizes on anything if I give her a week's notice. That stuck with me because I've been wasting time trimming down big primals when I could just order them closer to what I need. Has anyone else tried working with smaller farms for custom sizing on orders?

2 comments

faith_smith•2d ago

Picked bone-in ribeyes over boneless for a big catering order last month - big mistake or learning experience?

Had a client order 60 ribeyes for a wedding reception near Cleveland. I went with bone-in because I figured it looked fancier on the plate. But trimming and portioning took forever. Ended up with uneven weights and had to charge more for waste. The chef was annoyed the bones made plating harder. Should I have just gone boneless next time? Anyone else run into this dilemma?

3 comments

thompson.xena•3d ago

Why I stopped wet-aging prime cuts and went back to dry-aging

Used to swear by wet-aging for 21 days in cryovac for my ribeyes, thought it was more consistent. After a batch last fall came out tasting like a wet sponge and lost 3 pounds to purge on 40 pounds of beef, I switched back to dry-aging in my walk-in. Anyone here ever have a wet-aging batch go bad on them like that?

2 comments

terry_mitchell•7d ago

Took a chance on dry-aging my own ribeyes instead of buying the pre-packaged stuff

I had about 40 pounds of choice ribeyes sitting in my cooler last week and I had to decide - either sell them as fresh cuts or try dry-aging them myself for 30 days in our spare fridge. I went with the aging process, set it up with a humidity controller and a small fan. Pulled one out after 21 days to test it and the flavor was actually incredible, way deeper than anything I've bought pre-aged from the supplier. Has anyone else tried building their own dry-aging setup or do you guys usually just send your primal cuts out to a processor?

2 comments

cameron_craig•7d ago

I finally checked out that new butcher shop in Portland last week

Went to Belmont Meats on a Tuesday and honestly I don't get the hype. Their ribeyes were cut way too thin for my taste maybe a quarter inch instead of the standard inch and a half. And the fat cap on their pork shoulders looked like they trimmed it with a lawnmower. Anybody else think these new trendy places focus more on the look than the actual cut?

2 comments

zara_allen•7d ago

The way some folks trim brisket before cooking drives me crazy

I run the meat counter at a shop in Austin and last week three customers brought in packer briskets they trimmed at home that had almost no fat cap left. They were worried about too much fat but ended up with dry meat that would've been tough no matter how you cooked it. Has anyone else dealt with customers or new folks who trim way too much off?

2 comments

river183•8d ago

Saw an old-timer break down a hog at a fair last weekend and it stuck with me

I was helping out at a county fair demo (not working, just watching) and this guy in his 70s walked up to the butchering station. He didn't say a word, just pulled out a knife I'd never seen before, something with a curved tip and a really short blade. He broke down that whole hog in maybe 12 minutes, no power tools, just that one knife and his hands. I asked him about it after and he said it was his grandfather's lamb splitter from the 1940s, said they don't make em like that anymore. Made me think about how much we rely on bandsaws and grinders now versus back then when it was all feel and a few good tools. Anybody else run into old-school butchers with tricks that just don't get taught anymore?

2 comments

keith_henderson•9d ago

Old timer at the shop showed me a different way to break down a ribeye

I was working a Saturday shift at a small shop in Portland when this retired butcher came in just to chat. He watched me working on a ribeye and told me I was cutting against the grain wrong. He said, "You gotta feel the meat, don't just follow the marks." He showed me a trick where you angle the knife just a bit different and you get way less waste. I tried it on the next rack and saved about half a pound more meat than usual. Anyone else ever had some random customer drop a tip that actually worked?

2 comments

reeseanderson•11d ago

Made 1000 sausage links before noon today and it got me thinking about speed vs quality

I hit 1000 links by 11am during a rush order for a local diner in St. Louis. Some days I feel like cranking them out fast matters more than getting every twist perfect, but other times I worry about consistency slipping. Which side do you lean toward when the orders pile up?

2 comments

danieljenkins•13d ago

Old school butcher told me I was overworking my ground beef

A retired butcher who used to work at a shop in Chicago watched me grind some chuck last month and said I was running it through too many times. He said I was basically making paste instead of ground beef because the heat from the grinder was melting the fat. I always thought more passes meant more even texture but he showed me how the color changed after the second grind. Now I only do one coarse grind and mix it gently by hand. It holds together way better in the pan now and doesn't leak all that tallow. Has anyone else had to unlearn something an old timer called them out on?

3 comments

emma_ramirez•14d ago

Is it better to trim brisket cold or let it come to room temp first? I keep seeing guys do it both ways

I noticed at a comp in Houston last month, half the teams were trimming briskets straight from the cooler and the other half let them sit for 30 minutes. The cold-trim guys argued the fat stays firmer and you get cleaner cuts, while the room-temp crew said the meat relaxes and you waste less. I tried cold trimming a prime packer and ended up with jagged edges on the fat cap, but maybe my knife was dull. What's your take on this, does temp really make a big difference in the final render?

2 comments

the_terry•18d ago

The farmer's market lady who taught me about hanging lamb

About two months ago at the Saturday market in Burlington, an older woman selling pasture-raised lamb saw me inspecting a leg and said, 'if you're a butcher, you need to let it hang a full 14 days instead of rushing it.' I had always done 10 days tops because that's what the grocery distributors told me. She walked me through how the connective tissue breaks down differently with that extra time. Has anyone else tried hanging lamb longer than the standard week and a half?

2 comments

christophermurray•19d ago

That stat about beef yield grades surprised me at a workshop

I went to a grading seminar in Kansas City last month, and the instructor said over 60% of beef carcasses grade Choice or higher now... I always figured most were Select or lower. How is that affecting the way you guys buy primals for your shops?

3 comments

phoenixp30•21d ago

That $80 vacuum sealer I got for packaging bulk cuts turned into a headache real fast

Picked up a cheap vacuum sealer from a restaurant supply store about 4 months ago thinking it'd save me time on breaking down primals for the freezer. First week it worked fine on steaks and roasts, but then the seal bar started warping after maybe 30 uses. It would only seal about half the bag, so I'd have to double seal everything or risk freezer burn. Cost me around $80 for the machine plus wasted bags every time I had to redo a seal. Anyone else run into this with the entry level models or should I just bite the bullet and get a commercial grade one?

2 comments

gavin928•21d ago

Swapped from a 10-inch to an 8-inch breaking knife last week

I was fighting with a big cimeter on pork shoulders forever. Switched to a shorter blade and my wrist stopped hurting by Friday. Any of you guys use different knife lengths for specific cuts?

2 comments

webb.stella•22d ago

Saw a huge difference in my pork chops after I stopped wet aging them

I used to wet age my pork loins for 7 days in the cryovac, thought it was the right move. Last month I tried a 3 day dry age in my cooler at 38 degrees and the flavor and texture was night and day better. The dry aged chops actually had that pork taste instead of that watery, bland meat I was getting. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed the same thing?

2 comments

jordangibson•24d ago

Rubbed a brisket with straight coarse pepper last week. Came out tasting like a burnt tire.

Got this tip from a BBQ guy I know. He swears by a 50/50 salt and pepper mix. Figured more pepper would be better. Big mistake. The bark was almost black and smelled like a campfire gone wrong. Had to scrape half of it off just to get a decent bite. Lesson learned. Don't skip the salt. Anyone else mess up a rub ratio before?

3 comments

susanm22•28d ago

That time my mentor told me 'don't trim the silver skin off the tenderloin' and I argued with him for 10 minutes

Old school butcher named Chuck at the shop in Denver swore up and down that leaving silver skin on helps the meat hold shape during cooking. I told him he was wrong, that it makes it tough and chewy. He dared me to try it his way on one roast for a regular customer. Customer came back raving about how juicy and perfect it was, said it was the best beef she'd had in years. Now I leave a thin layer on and trim the rest, gotta admit he was right lol. Anyone else get taught something that goes against what you learned?

2 comments

simonreed•29d ago

Watch out for those hand grinders with plastic gears

I bought a cheap hand grinder from a restaurant supply store last month and the plastic gear stripped out on the third batch of pork shoulder. Took me two hours to break down the casing and swap in a metal gear I had from an old machine. Has anyone else had this happen with the newer economy models?

2 comments

jennifer_fisher•29d ago

I finally had a week where everything went right at the counter - what's your most perfect day looked like?

Last Tuesday I had a customer come in wanting a whole lamb broken down for a family reunion, no waste. Then later that same afternoon a chef who's usually super picky said my ribeye cuts were the best he'd seen in 5 years. It got me thinking though - do you guys prefer those smooth days where everything clicks, or the chaotic ones where you learn something new? I had a bad week back in March where I messed up a whole primal order and it taught me more than any good day ever did. What's your verdict - good days or bad days for growing as a butcher?

2 comments

jackson.wesley•1mo ago

Warning: I spent 20 years trimming briskets wrong before a rancher set me straight at the farmer's market

He pointed out I was cutting against the grain on the point end and now I get way better bite texture, has anyone else had a similar 'aha' moment on a cut they thought they had down?

2 comments

paul_burns•1mo ago

Fancy $80 boning knife set turned out to be total junk

I dropped 80 bucks on a set of those Japanese-style boning knives from some online ad last month. The first one chipped on the second deer I broke down, right through the spine joint like it was nothing. The steel felt hard but it was brittle, snapped a tip off trying to work around a hip bone. Don't get me wrong, I like a thin blade for silverskin, but these were way too delicate for any real work. Anyone else get burned by a flashy knife set that looked good on paper?

3 comments

the_ben•1mo ago

Tried dry-aging a ribeye in my home fridge for 21 days and got a weird mushroom smell

I got curious after watching a few YouTube videos and decided to give dry-aging a shot with a 3-pound ribeye roast I picked up from a local farm outside Portland. Set it up on a wire rack with a fan blowing on it in my spare fridge, kept the temp steady around 38 degrees. Day 14 everything looked fine, nice dark crust forming. But around day 18 I noticed this funky earthy smell that reminded me of the portobellos my neighbor grows in his basement. Trimmed off the pellicle yesterday and the meat underneath was fine but way stronger than any dry-aged steak I've had at a restaurant. I think my humidity was too high because I never cracked the door enough. Anyone here dry-age at home and deal with off smells before it's ready to cook?

3 comments