I always thought wet aging in the bag was the only way to get tender beef, kept doing it for years. Then I tried dry aging a single rib roast in my spare cooler for 3 weeks and the crust and flavor blew me away. Has anyone else switched over after seeing the difference side by side?
I was talking to my first boss from the shop i worked at in Denver, guy who's been cutting since the 70s. He mentioned he hangs his primals for 21 days minimum, even the stuff most places rush through in 7. Made me wonder how many of you guys adjust your hanging times based on the cut or do you just stick to a set schedule?
Last month we had a whole case of ribeyes come in and I swear I lost my touch. The first three I pulled off the primal had weird fat caps that just would not trim clean, ended up wasting almost a pound and a half across the whole order. My coworker Dave was watching me and said 'dude you're fighting that knife more than cutting with it', which made me stop and check my steel. Turns out I hadn't honed it in three days and it was dull as a butter knife. Soon as I ran it over the steel for twenty seconds the next one came out buttery. Has anyone else had a stretch where it feels like your blade just gives up on you mid shift?
I work at a place in Portland that does whole animal breakdowns, and I had this one Saturday where a 200 pound hog slipped off the hook during hanging. It landed on my foot and bent my good Victorinox breaking knife in the process. The whole shift went sideways after that because I had to use a backup blade that just was not the same. Has anyone else had a single bad moment just wreck an entire day like that?
I spent years using a straight 6-inch for everything, thinking it was just skill holding me back. Got a curved 8-inch from a guy at the shop in Portland, and it made breaking down pork shoulders way smoother. The curve follows the bone naturally, so I lost way less meat per cut. Has anyone else found a tool that just clicked after sticking with the old way for too long?
I got a whole prime ribeye primal from a new supplier last month and decided to try dry aging in my home fridge. Followed every guide I could find about humidity and airflow. After 45 days I pulled it out and the pellicle was thick as a steak knife, lost like 40% to trim. The meat that was left tasted incredible but I don't think the math works for a small operation. Anyone else find dry aging at home just isn't worth the shrink?
Was breaking down a whole pig at the shop in Austin and the blade just snapped. Sent a piece flying into the walk-in cooler door. Had to switch to hand saws for the last hour before my supplier could get me a replacement. Anyone else had a blade go out at the worst possible time?
After the third time in one week I had people confusing sirloin with striploin, I started putting little diagrams on the counter glass. Has anyone else had to deal with this mix up way more lately?
I've been doing this 14 years and hit 10k racks last month, but everyone acting like shortribs are the best cut on the cow is straight up wild. Has anyone else noticed how many people buy them just because they saw a video online instead of asking what's actually good for their meal?
Guy who trained me 20 years ago in Brooklyn swore up and down that salting the board instead of the steak would give better crust. Tried it on a ribeye last Tuesday for the first time since he said it and yeah, he was totally right. Anyone else heard that trick or was my mentor just weird?
Back when I first started cutting meat, my grandpa told me to never trim a ribeye too close to the bone. He said the fat cap is what gives it flavor and you'll mess up the whole steak if you get too aggressive. I ignored him for like 3 months and ended up with a bunch of complaints from customers saying my steaks were dry. Now I leave a solid quarter inch on there and people actually ask for me by name at the counter. Anybody else get advice from an older butcher that turned out to be spot on?
I used to think hand cutting was always slower until I broke down 200 pork shoulders in 8 hours with a breaking knife and realized I was overcomplicating things... anyone else find a certain cut just goes faster by hand?
Harry, the 70 year old retired butcher who still hangs around our shop, told me to swap blades on my bandsaw after 20 hours of use. I blew him off for three weeks because I thought I knew better. Finally changed it yesterday and my pork chops came out twice as clean with half the waste. Any of you guys on a regular blade rotation schedule or just when it starts smoking?
I was hauling a 200 pound hog from a farm outside Austin back to my shop last Tuesday. Hit a bump near the exit and heard a thud in the back, looked in my mirror and saw the tailgate had popped open. Somehow the tarp I'd thrown over it got snagged on a tie-down hook and held everything in place like a giant sling. I pulled over shaking, re-secured the whole thing with two extra ratchet straps, and now I double check my load every time I get on the highway. Anyone else got a close call story with a load going sideways?
I was driving through Nebraska last Tuesday and grabbed a ribeye from a place called The Meat Block. Every steak in their case had a thick fat cap still on it, maybe a quarter inch on some. Most folks I know would trim that down to almost nothing before wrapping it up. But after cooking it, I started thinking maybe they're onto something keeping that fat on for the sear. Has anyone else tried leaving the fat cap on thick and noticed a difference in flavor?
I spent years trimming steaks the way my first boss showed me, just hacking off every bit of fat. Then I watched a woman at a farmers market in Portland who took 3 minutes to trim a single ribeye, leaving this perfect strip of fat on the edge. I asked her why and she said that fat is flavor, not waste. Now I leave a 1/4 inch cap on most cuts and it actually sells better. Has anyone else had a mentor totally change their trimming method?
I've been cutting meat for about 12 years now, mostly at a shop in rural Ohio. I started noticing around 2018 that the pork shoulders we were getting felt different. They were bigger but had way more water content. You'd open a cryovac and a puddle would come out. The texture changed too, it got softer and almost mushy when you'd try to slice it. I think it's the breeding, with farms pushing for faster growth and leaner pigs. The fat cap got thinner and the intramuscular fat dropped off. We had to change how we dry rub and smoke because the meat would dry out faster. Now I look for heritage breed pork when I can find it, the difference in how it holds up on the cutting board is night and day. Has anyone else seen this swing in their regular supply?
Been at this 5 years and a retired butcher who shops at my counter pulled me aside last month. Said I was taking too much fat off the eye and losing yield on every single loin. He showed me his old method, just a thin cap left on. I ran the numbers and I was losing about 30 cents a pound on average. Anyone else get schooled by an older butcher on something you thought you had down?
I used to make do with those cheap throwaway knives from the restaurant supply store. Finally dropped $45 on a decent flexible boning knife last month and it paid off in one morning breaking down a whole pig. The difference in control around the joints and the lack of hand fatigue really surprised me. Has anyone else found that one tool that made their weekend prep a lot easier?
Been cutting at Jones Meats in Portland for 8 years now. Customers keep asking for no fat on their steaks. Problem is they don't understand the fat cap keeps it moist during cooking. I trim to about a quarter inch and tell them to trust the process. Anyone else have this argument daily?
I had this one guy last Saturday, he watched me trim a whole strip loin and told me I was wasting flavor, then another lady insisted I take every bit of silver skin off... who's right here?
I finally broke my personal record of 10,000 pounds of beef put through on a single month... and honestly it kinda bothered me. That number means I'm rushing through 300-plus carcasses a month, and I started wondering if the quality is slipping. Everyone talks about volume like it's the goal, but I swear my yield percentage dropped by 2% compared to when I was doing half that. Anyone else feel like hitting big numbers makes you cut corners you'd never take before?
Honestly, I've been running the same bone saw at my shop in Portland for about 14 months now and the blade play is getting ridiculous. I noticed it last Thursday when I was breaking down a half pig and the cuts started wandering by almost half an inch on the backbone. I keep the tension adjusted and clean it every shift, but the guide rails just feel sloppy now. Is this just normal wear for a mid-range saw or should I be looking at a different brand? Has anyone else had their saw start drifting after that many months?
I threw a prime ribeye in my dry aging bag at 38 degrees for 3 weeks straight. The crust came out darker and the fat had this nutty flavor I never got from a wet aged steak. I used a Umai bag and a standard fridge in my garage. Anyone else notice a bigger texture change after the 2 week mark?