c/butchers

Always swore by a 12 inch chef knife for breaking down primals, then watched a guy use a 10 inch scimitar at a demo last weekend.

He got through a whole side of beef in like 15 minutes without swapping blades once. Made me realize my preference was just habit, not speed. Anybody else find a knife shape that changed the way they work?

Tried dry-aging a ribeye in my home fridge for 21 days and got mold instead of flavor

I had this idea to dry-age a prime ribeye at home after watching a guy do it on YouTube... sealed it in cheesecloth and set it on a wire rack in my fridge. Checked on day 10 and saw green fuzzy spots, not the good kind. Turns out my fridge is too humid and I didn't have enough airflow. Threw away a $45 steak and learned the hard way that you need a dedicated setup with controlled humidity. Has anyone here built a cheap dry-aging chamber out of a mini fridge without breaking the bank?

Heard a guy at the farmers market say wet aging is a scam - got me thinking

I overheard this home butcher at the Saturday market in Portland telling his buddy that wet aging in a cryovac is basically just letting meat rot in its own juices. He said dry aging is the only real way to get flavor. But I've been doing wet aging for years (mostly for my beef cuts) and my customers never complain. Is there actually a big difference in taste or is this just another one of those old school vs new school debates? How many of you bother with wet vs dry aging in your shop?

Finally got the hang of breaking down a whole hog...

After about 8 months of trying, I finally did a whole breakdown without needing to check my cheat sheet once. Did it yesterday at the shop over in Lancaster and the shoulder seam just popped right where it was supposed to. Anyone else remember that first time it all clicked?

Old timer told me to always cut doors with the hinge side up. Called BS and tried it his way.

Met this old butcher at a shop in Philly, must of been 70, and he swore cutting with the grain of the meat was a complete waste. Told me to always go against the grain for steaks no matter what the cut looked like. Laughed it off for months until I ruined a $200 ribeye last Wednesday by following the usual way. Tried his method on a chuck roast this weekend and it came out way more tender. Feel like I owe the guy a beer. Anyone else get stubborn advice that turned out right?

Wasted $200 on a fancy deboning knife I barely use

Bought a $200 Japanese deboning knife after some forum hype. Thing is, I'm still reaching for my old $30 Victorinox every day at the shop in Chicago. The fancy one just sits in the drawer because it's too delicate for heavy use on beef ribs. Anyone else drop cash on a tool they regret?

Just realized I've been sharpening my boning knife wrong for years

I was at a little meat shop in rural Tennessee last month, watching this old butcher break down a whole hog. He offered to sharpen my knife while I watched, and I thought "sure, whatever." He pulled out a simple stone, not even a fancy electric sharpener, and showed me how he keeps a consistent angle by drawing a line on the blade with a marker. I had been rocking the blade back and forth like a fool, never getting a true edge. That one trick changed how I think about sharpening completely. Has anyone else had an old-timer teach them something simple that made a big difference?

That one Tuesday where everything went sideways with a half cow

Last month I had a half cow come in from a farm up near Harrisburg, and it was the worst day I've had in 12 years of cutting. The guy brought it in still warm, said he shot it 2 hours ago, and I spent 4 hours trying to get a clean break on the ribs. Has anyone else dealt with meat that's way too fresh to break down right?

That old timer who told me I was ruining pork shoulder

Been working at a shop in Portland for 3 years now. Last month this guy in his 70s comes in, watches me trim a shoulder for like 10 minutes, then just says 'you're cutting away all the good fat kid.' I thought I knew what I was doing but he showed me how leaving that fat cap on gives you way better pulled pork. Ever since I tried it his way I haven't looked back. Anyone else have a customer who called you out and turned out to be right?

Finally got my first whole hog breakdown right after 3 tries at the shop

Been practicing on pork shoulders for months but last Saturday I finally broke down a whole hog at Miller's Supply in under 90 minutes without ruining a single roast. Felt like everything just clicked when I found the natural seam between the loin and belly on that second side. Any of you guys remember a moment where a cut finally made sense after struggling with it for a while?

That customer who wanted me to save every scrap of fatback

Had a lady in here last Tuesday who insisted I keep every single piece of fatback from her pork shoulder, said she was gonna render it down for soap. I bagged up maybe 4 pounds of it for her, but then she got mad I didn't save the bloody paper wrap too. Anyone else run into folks who don't get what's actually usable and what's trash?

Why do people keep trimming the fat cap off brisket before smoking?

I swear every third backyard cook I see on YouTube or Instagram is hacking off that whole fat cap like it's a crime. Man, you need that cap to render down and keep the meat moist during a 12 hour smoke at 225 in my Oklahoma Joe. Why would you expose the flat to direct heat like that? Has anyone else had luck convincing people to leave it on?

Spent 45 minutes trying to get a clean spiral cut on a pork shoulder last weekend

Turned out my boning knife was just slightly dull on the tip and it threw off the whole angle, has anyone else had a simple tool issue eat up way more time than it should have?

Found a better way to sharpen my boning knife after 15 years

I always used a standard whetstone for my boning knives, but last week at a shop in Nashville a retired butcher showed me his rod technique. He just runs the blade along a ceramic rod at a specific angle after every few cuts instead of a full stone session. Has anyone else tried this approach and noticed their edges lasting longer between actual sharpenings?

Had a chat with a farmer last week that changed how I think about beef

I was breaking down a steer for a guy near Des Moines, and he got real serious and asked me why I trim every bit of fat off the primals. Said we've been breeding for lean beef for 50 years and now everyone wants marbling back, but we're still cutting like it's 1985. It hit me different because he pulled out his phone and showed me his granddad's butcher notes from 1942 that talked about keeping the fat cap on everything. Has anyone else had a farmer or old timer make you question how you trim?

Brisket point vs flat separation myth?

I keep hearing people say you gotta separate the point and flat before smoking. But I found something at the 2023 American Royal meat science symposium that said keeping them together actually retains 15% more moisture. I tried it on my last 3 briskets from Creekstone Farms. Came out way juicier. Anyone else ditch the separation rule?

Just learned how much fat a prime ribeye actually has compared to other cuts

I was reading an old USDA meat guide from the 90s my boss has in the office. It said a prime grade ribeye can be up to 40% fat by weight before trimming. I always knew it was a fatty cut, but that number really hit me. I pulled a few from the case yesterday and just looked at them differently. It explains why they cook so well and stay so juicy, but also why some customers get sticker shock when we trim it down to what they want. That's a lot of product loss right there. Makes you think about pricing and how to explain the value to folks. Anyone else run into customers who don't get why a trimmed ribeye costs so much more per pound than the untrimmed price?

Vent: I used to sharpen my knives on a cheap stone, then tried a proper 1000/6000 grit combo

For years I used a basic hardware store stone that cost maybe fifteen bucks. My knives were okay, but they never felt truly sharp. Last month I finally bought a good Japanese water stone with two grits. The difference was night and day after just one session. The edge it put on my boning knife was so clean it went through silverskin like it was nothing. Anyone have a favorite brand for their sharpening setup?

Tried a $30 boning knife from the supply catalog vs. my old one, the difference in breaking down a whole hog was insane.

Update: My shop's sausage yield jumped from 68% to 74% after switching to a different grinder plate

We used a standard 3/8 inch plate for years, but after a demo from a rep last month, I tried their 'coarse emulsifying' plate on a batch of bratwurst. The fat distribution is visibly better and we're losing less during stuffing. Is the plate really that big of a deal, or did I just get lucky with that particular pork shoulder?

Watch out for that new 'quick cure' pork belly method going around

I saw a video last week from a guy in Denver showing how to cure pork belly for bacon in just 48 hours using a crazy high salt and sugar ratio. Tried it on a 10-pound piece, following his numbers exactly. The outside was like leather and the inside was still raw, completely ruined the batch. I lost about $80 in meat and a day's work. The old 7-day cure with Prague powder #1 is slow, but it works every single time. This shortcut just doesn't let the cure penetrate properly. Has anyone else run into this and found a safe way to speed up the process without wrecking the product?

Just cut my 10,000th steak and it felt weird

I keep a tally sheet on my block, mostly for fun, and I hit that round number yesterday on a 16 oz ribeye. Some guys say counting like that takes the craft out of it, but I think seeing the number makes you respect the work more. Where do you stand on tracking your output versus just focusing on each cut?

Serious question, has anyone else switched from a standard boning knife to a scimitar for breaking down whole lambs?

I mean, I was using my usual 6-inch boning knife for years, but my buddy let me try his 10-inch scimitar last week. The difference was crazy. The longer, curved blade just followed the contours of the carcass so much better, especially around the shoulder and ribs. I got through two whole lambs in about half the time because I wasn't fighting the knife as much. Idk, maybe it's just me, but I'm seriously thinking about buying one now. For those of you who use them, is there a specific brand or blade flex you'd recommend?

TIL the hard way that a dull boning knife is more dangerous than a sharp one after I needed three stitches last week.

I was rushing to break down a side of pork at the shop in Cincinnati and my blade slipped off some silver skin, cutting deep into my palm because I'd put off sharpening it for a month.

Just found out how much beef we actually waste in the US each year

I was reading a USDA report from last month and it said about 20% of all beef produced in the US gets wasted somewhere between the farm and the plate. That's a huge amount of product just gone. It made me think hard about how we handle trim and portion control in our own shops. What's one thing you do to cut down on waste in your cutting room?