c/butchers

2

lucasw84•2d ago

Heard a guy at the supplier say 'beef is dead' and it got me thinking

I was picking up some boxes of gloves last Wednesday and overheard this older butcher talking to the counter guy about how nobody buys primal cuts anymore. He said his shop went from selling 20 whole ribeyes a week to maybe 3, and it's all ground beef and stew meat now. Made me realize I've been seeing the same shift at my store too, more customers asking for cheaper cuts and less of the expensive stuff. I think it's not just about the economy, people are getting more creative with chuck and round. Has anyone else noticed their customer orders changing like that?

6

the_holly•4d ago

The moment I realized I'd been cutting chuck rolls all wrong for 10 years

I had this big order for chuck steaks last week and my wrist was killing me after just a few cuts. My buddy Jake, who's been at this longer than me, watched for a second and said 'you're fighting the grain, man, not following it.' He showed me how to angle the blade with the muscle fibers instead of across them, and the knife just glided through like butter. Made me wonder how much time I've wasted muscling through cuts the wrong way. Anybody else have a moment where a simple tweak to your technique made a huge difference?

17

emma_rodriguez30•5d ago

I compared dry aged to wet aged ribeyes and dry aging won by a mile

I picked up two USDA Prime ribeyes last month from the same cow - one dry aged 28 days from a shop in Portland and one wet aged from my regular supplier. The wet aged had that metallic taste and lost more moisture during cooking, while the dry aged was beefy and tender all the way through. I know a lot of folks here prefer wet aging for the higher yield, but has anyone else found the flavor difference worth the extra cost?

1

betty_perry24•6d ago

My old mentor was wrong about dry-aging at home

I started dry-aging my own beef about 8 months ago and everyone told me I needed a dedicated fridge with a fancy humidity system. Well I tried a cheaper setup in a spare fridge in my garage using just a small fan and a salt block on the bottom. After 35 days the ribeye I pulled had a deep nutty flavor and a perfect crust that rivaled anything I've bought from a shop. Has anyone else tried a simpler approach like this and gotten good results?

32

jake747•7d ago

Just got back from a meat processing class in Omaha

Saw a guy there use a bandsaw to split a whole hog in 90 seconds flat. Anyone else ever ditch the cleaver for power tools on big jobs?

9

jordan_henderson13•8d ago

Old timer told me I was wasting good fat trimming briskets

About 5 years ago a retired butcher named Earl watched me cube a brisket and said I was cutting off too much of the fat cap. He showed me how leaving a quarter inch on there helps keep the meat moist during the long cook. I changed my whole trimming style that day and my briskets came out way better. Any of you guys get a piece of advice that completely flipped your method?

7

adam_baker•9d ago

Vent: that old timer at the supply house gave me bad advice on aging beef

An old butcher named Pete told me to hang a prime rib for 45 days in my regular cooler, no special setup. Well, it came out with a nasty sour smell and I lost $380 worth of meat. How do you tell someone their advice is outdated without burning a bridge?

19

corah75•9d ago

Had a chat with a retired butcher named Sal at the farmers market on Saturday

He told me he NEVER used a bandsaw for breaking down primals because he said the heat ruins the texture around the bone, and now I'm questioning my whole $3,500 investment in a new one, has anyone else gone back to hand saws and noticed a difference?

7

paige166•13d ago

I think aging beef at home for too long hurts more than helps

I was at a butcher meetup in Nashville last month and heard a guy say he dry ages his prime rib for 60 days at home. In my experience, anything past 30 days in a home fridge just gives you more trim loss and a funky smell. The flavor change is so small it is not worth the meat you throw away. I get that some folks like the bragging rights, but has anyone else found the sweet spot is way shorter than the internet says?

3

fisher.thomas•14d ago

Big mistake at the county fair demo - how I almost lost two fingers

I was doing a live breakdown at the Johnson County Fair last August, showing folks how to break down a hog. Had this new crowd watching, kids up front, the whole thing. Got in a hurry cutting through the shoulder and my knife slipped right off the bone. Took a chunk out of my thumb, blood everywhere, demo over. The old timer who runs the sausage stand next to me said I was rushing because I was showing off. He was right. Now I force myself to slow down even when people are watching, no matter how many eyes are on me. Has anyone else caught themselves getting sloppy in front of a crowd?

19

jordan_hill•14d ago

Bought a whole case of pork shoulders that were all blade burn

Picked up a case of 8 pork shoulders from a new supplier last month. Saved about $15 per case compared to my usual guy. Turned out every single one had blade burn, dark dry spots all over the muscle. Had to trim off at least 2 pounds per shoulder. Ended up losing around 40 pounds of usable meat total. Not worth the savings when you factor in the waste and the extra labor. Anybody else run into this with cheaper suppliers?

10

flores.emma•15d ago

Rant: The day a customer showed me how to break down a hog and I changed my whole approach

I used to just hack through bone with a cleaver no matter what part I was cutting. Then last fall a retired farmer came into my shop in Des Moines and watched me struggle with a shoulder. He said "son, you're fighting the animal instead of working with it" and showed me how to find the natural seams with just a boning knife. Took me maybe 20 minutes longer than my usual way but the meat came out way cleaner with less waste. Now I teach all my new guys to look for those seams first. Anyone else have a customer who taught you something you still use every day?

34

adam_baker•15d ago

That time a customer asked me to trim the fat off their ribeye

Had a guy come in last Saturday, pointed at a beautiful dry aged ribeye and told me to cut every bit of fat off. I tried to explain that's where the flavor is, but he just said 'I don't eat that stuff.' Walked out with a lean piece of meat that looked like a shoe sole. Anyone else get requests that make you question why people buy steak?

31

wood.uma•16d ago

Hit 10,000 pounds of trim this week and my wrist is screaming

Been keeping track for about a year now. Never thought I'd actually hit that number. Feels good but also kind of crazy. My right wrist has been killing me for the last two months and I'm wondering if it's the repetitive motion or just getting older. Anyone else deal with this kind of pain after a big stretch of heavy trimming?

18

abby_cooper•19d ago

Warning: That 'certified organic' lamb I got from the farmer's market in Portland had liver flukes crawling out of it

I was breaking down a whole carcass from a local farm last Tuesday and found these little flatworms in the bile ducts, and after calling the supplier they admitted they haven't been deworming this season, has anyone else seen this with pasture-raised animals?

13

nina_hall48•19d ago

Saw a whole pig breakdown change at the county fair last fall

I was at the Smith County Fair in Ohio last September, watching a demo by an old timer named Earl who still breaks down hogs with a hand saw and bone knife. He showed me how he trims the belly for bacon, and I realized my electric bandsaw was wasting nearly 3 pounds of meat per pig. Has anyone else tried going back to manual tools for certain cuts to save yield?

19

the_oliver•19d ago

Appreciation post: old school cutting boards from a shop in Brooklyn

I was at G. Esposito's in Brooklyn last spring and noticed they still use those thick edge grain boards from the 90s. The owner said they've lasted 30 years and just need a good sanding every few years. Made me switch from buying cheap boards to hunting down something built to last. Anybody else got gear that's older than your career?

22

beth_park•21d ago

Appreciation post: That old timer who showed me how to sharpen my boning knife right

I had this guy named Frank at my first shop in Denver back in 2018. He grabbed my hand and made me feel the burr on the edge, said I was rushing my stones. He showed me that ten slow passes beats thirty fast ones every time. That little change saved me from having to replace my knife after every big order. Has anyone else had a coworker who just quietly fixed your bad habits without making a big deal?

9

thea602•21d ago

Found out most beef aging claims are fake. Checked my supplier.

Was reading a report from some food science blog last night. Said 90% of "aged" beef at restaurants is just wet-aged in a bag for a week. Called my main supplier today. Asked how long they hang their primals. Guy said 3 days. Called it "aged." Made me mad. You guys run into this with your distributors?

25

ryant50•22d ago

Stopped by a local butcher shop in Portland last week and noticed they hang their primals different than us

I was picking up a special order for a customer and saw they hang their beef ribs with the chine bone still on. We always take it off in our shop. Makes me wonder if we're losing some flavor or moisture by trimming too early. Anyone else hang theirs a specific way?

1

charles_baker28•25d ago

Unpopular opinion: I used to think a boning knife was just a boning knife.

For years I used a cheap, stiff one for everything, but after a shoulder injury last fall I switched to a flexible Victorinox. The difference in how it moves around joints is huge and my hands don't ache as much at the end of the day. Anyone else find a specific tool change made a big difference for them?

19

tessaperry•25d ago

That new band saw blade cost me $80 and it's already dull

I got talked into a fancy 'premium' blade at the supply house last month, said it would last twice as long on bone-in cuts. Used it on a side of beef yesterday and it was struggling by the third primal. Now I'm out the cash and had to swap back to my old one mid-job. Should have just stuck with the regular brand I know works. Has anyone found a blade that actually holds up on heavy work?

8

mileslane•26d ago

A guy at the market said he never hangs his beef past 21 days

I was picking up some short ribs at the farmer's market in Springfield and got talking to the guy at the next stall. He runs a small shop and said he never hangs his beef longer than 21 days, calls anything past that a waste and a risk for off flavors. My old mentor always pushed for 28 to 35 days for that deeper funk. This guy swears the sweet spot is 14 to 21 max, says the texture is perfect and the loss is way lower. It got me thinking about how much we all stick to what we were first taught. What's your shop's standard hanging time for a side of beef?

6

felixm29•28d ago

Vent: My shop's pork shoulder waste hit 18% last quarter

I was doing our usual trim and scrap count for the quarter, just going through the logs. When I added up the pork shoulder numbers, the waste came out to 18% of the total weight we processed. That's a jump from our usual 12-14%. I think the new supplier's cuts are coming in with way more excess fat caps than before. Has anyone else seen a sudden spike in trim from a specific cut?

28

beth_park•1mo ago

Talked with a farmer at the market about his pigs and it changed how I see my pork cuts

I was at the Saturday farmers market in Springfield and got talking with the guy who raises the heritage breed pigs I buy. He mentioned he feeds them a specific mix of acorns and barley for the last 60 days before processing. I always knew diet mattered, but tasting the difference side by side with a standard pork chop from my usual supplier was huge. The fat was sweeter and the meat had a deeper, almost nutty flavor. It made me think I should be telling my customers more about where the animal came from, not just the cut. Has anyone else started asking their suppliers more detailed questions about feed and finish?