Got roasted by an old butcher for my beef trimming technique

I've been cutting meat for about 3 years now and thought I was doing alright. Then an old timer who's been doing it 40 years watched me trim a whole striploin. He told me I was leaving way too much fat cap on and that I was costing myself money with every cut. I used to leave about a quarter inch of fat all the way across. Now I trim it down to an eighth inch on the top and take more off the sides. The guy showed me his numbers and said I was wasting about 15 cents per pound. Over a whole week that adds up quick. Has anyone else had a veteran call them out on something basic like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

val97423h ago

My dad's been a butcher for 35 years and he'd tell you that quarter inch is just fine. I actually agree with @david_walker97 on this one because not all fat is bad. That extra fat protects the meat during storage and keeps it from drying out on the grill. The old timer might have been right about his numbers, but if your customers are happy and the meat cooks well, that 15 cents is probably worth it for quality. I trim down to about 3/16ths myself and nobody has ever complained.

ray61323h ago

Man that's a tough lesson to learn but at least he was straight with you. Some of those old timers will just talk behind your back instead. Sounds like he actually wanted to help you get better.

waderamirez1d ago

Got schooled by a 20 year meat cutter on my knife grip once, totally embarrassing lmao.

david_walker971d ago

Oh man @waderamirez that's rough, but honestly the real pros have such weird little tricks. I've always thought gripping higher up on the blade works better for precision though, not sure why everyone pushes the pinch grip so hard.