c/butchers

Pro tip: I was sharpening my boning knife wrong for years until a guy at the trade show in Kansas City pointed it out.

I always used a 20 degree angle on my ceramic rod, thinking that was good enough for a quick touch up. He watched me for about 30 seconds and said, 'You're rolling your wrist, not holding the angle.' He showed me how to lock my wrist and pull the knife straight back, keeping the same angle the whole time. I tried it right there on a scrap piece of fatback and the difference was immediate. The edge was way more even and it held up through a whole side of pork the next day. Anyone else have a simple sharpening trick that made a big difference?

Tried a new way to hang a pork leg for curing and it worked way better

I was setting up a prosciutto-style ham in my shop's cold room and used a heavy-duty butcher's gambrel instead of just a hook. The gambrel kept the leg spread open and let air move around the whole thing. After a month, the meat is drying way more even and I'm not seeing any of the usual damp spots near the bone. Has anyone else tried this method for long cures?

That week we got a whole side of Wagyu in by mistake

The order was supposed to be a standard prime rib, but a whole side of A5 Wagyu showed up on a Tuesday morning. We had to figure out how to break it down and price it fast before it took up too much cooler space. I spent about six hours just studying the marbling and working out the cuts, which was a real test of my skills. Has anyone else had to pivot quickly on a high-end mistake order like that?

Shoutout to the old guy at the Portland meat show who showed me a better way to break down a shoulder

I used to go straight for the seam, but he taught me to rotate the blade tip first, saving me 15 minutes per primal. Anyone else pick up a small trick that totally changed your speed?

I thought those 'dry age at home' kits were just a gimmick for customers

Honestly, a regular at my shop kept asking about them for months, so I finally tried one myself last fall. I used a basic fridge unit on a ribeye for 28 days, expecting it to be a waste. Ngl, the flavor difference was actually real, like a deeper, almost nutty taste compared to just a wet-aged piece. It convinced me to start offering a small selection of house-dry-aged cuts, and they sell out every Friday now. Has anyone else here started doing small-batch dry aging for their case, and what setup are you using?

I finally bought a $1200 vacuum tumbler for my sausage batches

It cut my mixing and curing time in half, but now I'm wondering if a cheaper model would have done the same job. Anyone have strong feelings on specific brands or features I should have looked for?

Choosing between a new band saw blade or a fresh boning knife for the holiday rush

Had to pick one big purchase before Thanksgiving. It was a new 3/4 inch band saw blade for breaking down ribs or a set of high-carbon boning knives. Went with the knives. They were about $180 from a supplier in Spokane. The old blade was still okay, but my main boner was struggling. The new knives made a huge difference on 40 turkeys last week. Anyone have a favorite brand for saw blades I should look at next?

Vent: I thought that new 'dry-aging in a bag' method was just a gimmick.

A sales rep left a sample unit in my shop for a month, and I finally tried it on a rib section. The flavor development was actually impressive, and I lost far less product to trim than with my old open-air fridge. Has anyone else given these systems a fair shake and seen similar results?

Had to choose between a new band saw or a better grinder for my shop in Spokane

Went with the grinder because my old one was slowing down every big job, and it's been a game changer for keeping edges sharp. Anyone else had to pick between upgrading a saw or a sharpening station?

My grandpa said to always keep a sharpening steel in the freezer for tough gristle.

He swore it helped the blade bite better on silverskin. Tried it yesterday on a pork shoulder, and honestly, it just made my hands cold. Anyone have a better trick for that tough membrane?

Changed my mind about dry aging at home after a customer's story

I was talking to a regular yesterday who tried dry aging a whole ribeye in his fridge for 45 days. He said it lost over a third of its weight and the flavor was way too strong, almost cheesy. I always thought home setups were a cool idea for serious meat lovers. But hearing those specific numbers and his 'like blue cheese gone wrong' quote made me rethink. The loss and the risk of messing up a whole cut seems too high without a real controlled chamber. Has anyone else had a customer bring in a home-aged project that went sideways?

My buddy in Boise talked me out of my old way to break down a rib primal

I always went for the saw first on a full beef rib section, thinking it was faster. He said to try scoring the cartilage between the ribs with a boning knife before you even touch the saw, and to feel for the joint with your fingers. I tried it on a 7-bone section yesterday and it was way cleaner, less bone dust, and saved me maybe 5 minutes. Anyone else have a small step that changed a big cut for them?

The bone-in ribeye orders at my shop in Tacoma have doubled since last month

Last week alone, we cut 40 of them compared to maybe 20 in a normal week. Three years ago, most folks just wanted the boneless strip. I think it started with some local grill guys asking for the extra flavor from the bone. Now I'm seeing regular families come in and point at the case, asking for the 'big one with the bone'. It's a nice change, but I'm going through my rib sections faster. Anyone else seeing a big jump in bone-in cuts lately?

An old guy in my shop told me my pork shoulder trim was too rough

He said I was leaving too much fat cap on, maybe a quarter inch in spots, and that it looked 'hacked, not cut'. This was about five years back. I started using a boning knife with a thinner blade and really focusing on following the muscle lines. Now I can get a clean trim in half the time and my smoked shoulders pull way better. Anyone else get called out on their trim work early on?

Had a customer ask me to cut a steak into the shape of Texas last week

This guy came into the shop in Austin and was dead serious about it for a birthday gift. I spent like 20 minutes with a template and a boning knife trying to get the panhandle right... It came out looking more like a weird boot. Anyone ever get a request that made you just stop and laugh?

Update on that sticky pork shoulder skin issue

I started scoring the skin before the overnight dry brine instead of after, and it crisped up perfectly in half the time. Has anyone else had luck with a different method?

Had a close call with a band saw at the Denver Meat Expo last year

I was rushing through a demo cut on a new model, and my glove got caught in the blade guard. It tore the glove clean off but didn't touch my hand. The rep from JBS who was running the booth said he sees it happen about once a month with people not paying full attention. I don't wear loose cuffs anymore, period. What's your one non-negotiable safety rule you stick to no matter what?

Can we talk about breaking down pork shoulders?

Honestly, I used to just go straight for the seam with a boning knife and muscle it apart. After a demo at the Ohio Meat Processors conference last year, I now score the fat cap first with my Victorinox stiff boner and it comes apart in about half the time. Anyone else have a different method for getting clean, quick separations?

Back when I started at the shop in 2012, we'd break down a side of beef with a saw and a cleaver, took about an hour. Now we use a bandsaw and a set of Victorinox boning knives, cuts the time in half.

My old boss told me to never sharpen my boning knife past a 20 degree angle. Tried a 15 degree edge on a pork shoulder last week and it was a game changer.

Began chilling my trim scraps before grinding (helps with fat separation) and the sausage texture is perfect now.

Just realized my aging process might be off for brisket

Heads up, I've seen some guys getting weird results with dry aging at home. Can anyone share their setup to avoid spoilage?

Fixed a crew fight by doing a live demo on the floor

We had a fight about how to cut a big piece of meat. I did not talk, I just showed them how I do it. It was faster and we all saw it work. Now we teach new guys this way. Our team gets along better.

Just realized dry-aging beef teaches serious patience

I hung a primal cut in the cooler eight weeks ago. Watching it slowly change tested my resolve, but the end product justified the wait. What tricks do you use to stay patient during long aging processes?

Just realized my boning knife was losing its edge after every other carcass

When a knife gets dull that fast, it's probably because you're hitting bone, and that can lead to a dangerous slip.