Just realized my old boss was right about trimming fat cold vs warm

He told me to always trim fat while the meat is still cold from the cooler, said it gives cleaner cuts and less waste. I ignored him for 6 months thinking warm meat cuts easier, but after ruining a whole ribeye roast with ragged edges I finally tried his way. Cold fat definitely trims way cleaner, but doesn't the cold make it harder to see the grain for separating muscles?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia1mo ago

Oh jeez, I gotta push back a little on the warm vs cold thing. You're right that cold fat trims cleaner, but the grain thing is actually easier to see on cold meat if you know what to look for. The muscle fibers stand out when the meat is cold and firm, they don't squish together like when it's warm. If you let the meat sit on the counter for 5 minutes after trimming, the surface will soften just enough to see the grain clearly before you cut. I learned this the hard way too, wasted a whole brisket trying to separate the point from the flat when it was too cold. So keep the meat cold for the fat trimming, but give it a quick rest before you start separating muscles.

mason_jackson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Man I totally hear you on that. I went through the exact same thing last summer when I was messing around with a couple of pork shoulders. I kept trying to separate the muscles while they were still chilled from the fridge and it was a nightmare. Everything just felt stiff and I couldn't get a clean line on the grain. Finally I tried leaving it on the counter for like 10 minutes and it was night and day. @the_olivia your point about the fat trimming first makes so much sense too because I used to just try and do everything at once and ended up with messy cuts. That 5 minute rest trick you mentioned is a game changer honestly. I still mess up sometimes but way less than before.