c/butchers

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

Checked out a butcher shop in Austin that dry ages everything in plain sight

Watched them break down a whole steer while I was waiting for my order and the head butcher told me they lose about 25% to trim on their dry aged cuts, has anyone ever actually tracked their loss numbers that close or do you just wing it?

Just visited a small butcher shop in Nashville that changed my trim game

I was down in Nashville last weekend visiting a friend and stopped into this little place called Porter Road Butcher. The guy behind the counter showed me how he trims a ribeye with a curved boning knife, pulling the fat cap off in one smooth strip instead of chopping at it. I've been doing it the hard way for years, hacking away piece by piece. He said it saves him about 30 seconds per steak and gives a cleaner edge every time. Has anyone else picked up a trick like that from just watching someone work?

Tried dry aging a ribeye in my home fridge for 14 days and got bile flavor instead of beef

I rigged up a dry aging setup in my old Frigidaire with a mini fan and a salt block. Let a USDA Prime ribeye sit for exactly 14 days at 38 degrees with 80% humidity. When I cut into it, the outer crust smelled like a barn and the meat had this bitter, almost bile taste underneath. I think my fridge had too much moisture fluctuation from opening it every day for the kids' snacks. Anyone else had a home dry aging project go sideways from humidity swings?

I finally told a customer to just go to the grocery store instead

Had a guy come in last Tuesday asking if I could French trim a pork shoulder for a BBQ competition. Told him it'd cost $25 extra and take 20 minutes. He stood there arguing that his uncle could do it with a fillet knife in 5 minutes flat. I handed him back his meat and said go let uncle handle it then. Anyone else just stop dealing with customers who think they know your job better than you?

Watch out for those pre-tenderized cube steaks from big box stores

I bought a case from a national wholesaler last month and after cutting into three of them I found bits of bone and gristle that the blade had just mashed right into the meat, so has anyone else noticed this junk sneaking into their deliveries?

The guy who asked me to age his beef for 60 days then complained it was too dry

Had a customer in Denver last fall insist I hang a prime rib for two full months, swore it was the only way. He came back yesterday, took one bite, and said it tasted like a dusty old shoe. Is there a right way to explain aging to people who think longer always equals better?

Old timer at the shop changed how I hang carcasses

Had a guy named Frank, must be 70 years old, come into my shop in Detroit last week. He watched me struggling with a side of beef on the rail and just said "you're fighting the weight, not using it." Showed me how to let the carcass swing into position instead of muscling it. Has anyone else had some old school butcher show you a technique that made you feel like you been doing it wrong for 10 years?

Can we talk about that cow I messed up at the county fair demo in October?

I was doing a live breakdown in front of 40 people and my knife slipped on the sirloin because I didn't check the steeling rod first, has anyone else learned a tough lesson from a public demo gone wrong?

TIL dry-aging beef at home is way easier than I thought

I always figured you needed a fancy setup but after reading a forum post I tried it in my spare fridge with just a fan and some salt blocks. Took 21 days and the flavor was incredible, has anyone else done it with just basic gear?

Found out primal cuts lose way more weight than I thought during dry aging

I was reading a meat science paper last night and saw that a whole primal can lose up to 30% of its weight just from moisture evaporation over 45 days. That adds up fast when you're paying $4-5 a pound for good beef. How do you guys price your dry aged stuff to account for that loss without scaring off customers?

Bone dust buildup on my band saw blade cost me 45 minutes yesterday

I was breaking down a side of beef and the blade started smoking after maybe 20 cuts. Stupid me forgot to scrape the bone dust off the drive wheel between sides. Took me forever to figure out why it was slipping because I kept checking the tension and guide blocks. Had to pull the whole blade off, clean the wheels with a wire brush, and reset everything. Anyone else deal with this on high volume days or is it just me being careless?

Called BS on dry-aging in a bag for months, but tried the Umai bags last week and now I get it

The $40 starter kit felt too good to be true but after 14 days that ribeye had a nutty flavor I couldn't argue with, has anyone else had good luck with those bags or is it just a phase?

Finally got my dry-aged ribeye hit right after switching from wet-aging

I pushed it to 45 days on a batch from a farm in Vermont. The crust came out perfect in the case and the trim loss was only 18%. Anyone here mess with different aging times for specific cuts?

TIL after 25 years that I've been sharpening my boning knives the wrong way this whole time

Asked an old timer at the shop last week and he showed me how to use a ceramic rod instead of a steel - has anyone else made that switch and noticed a difference in how long the edge holds up?

Brisket from last Sunday looked perfect on the outside but turned out dry inside

I got a whole packer from my supplier 3 weeks ago, trimmed it right, cooked it low and slow for 14 hours at 225, and the bark was beautiful but the flat was like sawdust. This is the third time this month I've had this problem with their choice grade briskets. Anyone else seeing a drop in quality from their distributors lately?

Took me 3 hours to break down a pig that should have been 45 minutes

I had a 200 pound hog come in last Saturday that was still warm, not chilled enough. The fat was slippery and the connective tissue wouldn't separate clean. I kept fighting with the shoulder seam and finally had to switch to a boning knife with a stiffer blade. By the end my wrist was shot and I was behind on everything else. Anybody else run into this with a fresh kill vs one that's been hanging for a day or two? How do you handle it when the meat just won't cooperate?

Tried boning out a whole ribeye versus my usual striploin

I got a deal on a whole ribeye last week from the supplier, figured I'd give it a shot. Boning out that spinalis and the cap was way more annoying than I expected, took me almost 20 extra minutes per primal. Compared to a striploin which I can break down clean in under 5 minutes with almost no waste. Any of you guys prefer one over the other for retail cuts, or is it just me?

Spent 4 hours trying to get a clean break on a pork shoulder for a special order yesterday, what was I missing?

A lesson from an old timer at the St. Paul meat market

About 15 years ago, I was working the counter and this older guy, a retired butcher, watched me struggle to break down a pork shoulder. He didn't say anything for a while, just watched. Then he leaned over and said, 'Kid, you're fighting the bone. Let the knife find the seam.' He showed me once, his hands were steady as a rock. I still think about that every time I pick up a boning knife. Anyone else have a simple piece of advice that just stuck?