c/butchers

The day I figured out I was trimming steaks backwards for 5 years

I was working a Saturday shift at the shop when a retired butcher came in for some chuck. He watched me trim a ribeye and just laughed. Said I was cutting against the grain before I even got the fat cap off, which makes the meat curl on the grill. Forty years of cutting meat and I never thought to flip my angle. Has anyone else had a random customer teach them a basic trick they somehow missed?

0 comments

hugoj86•5h ago

Pro tip: Stop trimming all the fat off chuck roasts before grinding

After 5 years of doing it the lean way, I watched a guy at Portland Meat Collective mix 20% fat back into his grind last month and the burgers actually held together without turning into hockey pucks, anyone else been overtrimming their whole career?

0 comments

schmidt.amy•15h ago

Old butcher told me to stop washing my cutting boards with soap... he was right?

I had this old timer come into the shop last month and he watched me scrub down my board with soap and hot water. He pulled me aside and said I was killing the wood and ruining the seasoning... something about how soap soaks in and leaves a film. I switched to just scraping and using salt and a damp rag for the past 3 weeks. The board feels different, almost smoother... has anyone else gotten this kind of advice and actually stuck with it?

1 comments

the_piper•1d ago

Just realized I was ruining my flank steaks for years

My buddy Dave who runs a smokehouse in Austin told me I was slicing flank steak wrong. He said I needed to go against the grain at a 45 degree angle, not straight across. I thought I knew better since Ive been cutting meat for 8 years. Last weekend I tried his method on a 2 pound flank and the difference was night and day. The meat was actually tender instead of chewy. Anyone else get stubborn about cutting technique and then regret it?

1 comments

price.jake•1d ago

Took me 10 years to figure out I was trimming briskets wrong the whole time

I used to trim my briskets with a straight edge knife and always fought with tearing the fat cap. Then this old timer at a competition in Austin showed me he uses a curved breaking knife instead. The curve lets you follow the muscle shape without digging in. I tried it on my next shift and cut my trimming time from 20 minutes down to 12. Has anyone else had a tool swap that completely changed their cut quality?

c/butchers

The day I figured out I was trimming steaks backwards for 5 years

Pro tip: Stop trimming all the fat off chuck roasts before grinding

Old butcher told me to stop washing my cutting boards with soap... he was right?

Just realized I was ruining my flank steaks for years

Took me 10 years to figure out I was trimming briskets wrong the whole time

Old timer at the shop told me to always chill my grinder plate before grinding and I thought he was full of it

Had to pick between a bandsaw and a handsaw for breaking down a whole hog last weekend

Spent 3 hours trying to fix a dull bandsaw blade before realizing it was on backwards

That time my band saw blade snapped mid-cut on a ribeye primal

Can't stand when people trim fat caps paper thin before aging

Hot take: band saw blades don't need to cost a fortune

Wasted $60 on a fancy bone saw that couldn't cut through a pork shoulder cleanly

Caught a rookie using a dull blade on a pork shoulder last Friday

Tried to save a brisket by trimming it cold and it was a disaster

Visited a local butcher shop in Denver and figured out why my steaks never looked right

Had a day last spring where the cooler died on a Friday at 4 PM in Nashville

Spent $80 on a fancy electric knife sharpener and it wrecked two of my good blades

Overheard a customer tell their kid that butchers just "cut meat" and I had to bite my tongue

That moment my walk-in cooler hit 50 degrees during a Sunday rib roast rush

Lost a $200 ribeye order when my fridge temp spiked last Tuesday

PSA: Saw a guy ruin a whole primal cut at a shop in Pittsburgh

Remember when you could hang a side of beef and nobody blinked?

Boned out a whole lamb last Tuesday and forgot to sharpen my knife first

Finally found a trick for getting clean boneless chicken thighs

Watched a guy at a farmers market butcher a whole pig with a pocket knife