c/butchers

21

kelly385•18h ago

Took me 6 hours to sort out a broken band saw blade issue that should have been 30 minutes

Honestly, I got a new band saw blade last week and it kept jumping off the wheel. Thought it was a tension problem, so I fiddled with that for a good 2 hours. Then I realized the blade was too long for my machine, but the supplier swore it was the right size. After another 4 hours of calling around and swapping parts, turns out the blade guide was slightly bent from shipping. Has anyone else had a new part cause way more trouble than it saves?

21

oliver_morgan•1d ago

I finally learned why a pig's diet matters way more than I thought

So I was reading this old meat science booklet my uncle gave me from the 80s, and it said that feeding pigs too much corn can actually mess with the fat texture in their bellies. Apparently it makes the fat softer and greasier, which is a nightmare if you're trying to do proper bacon slices. I tried an experiment last month with two different hogs from the same farm, one fed mostly barley and one loaded up on corn... the difference in how the fat held up on the band saw was night and day. The corn-fed one was almost sticky to handle. Has anyone else noticed a big shift based on what the farmer feeds them?

5

rileyp49•3d ago

Spent 6 hours fighting a hamstring tendon today on a pork shoulder

I kept hitting this tough silver skin right near the blade bone that just would not come clean no matter how I angled my knife. Anyone else have a trick for getting that stubborn layer off without wasting too much meat?

9

diana20•19d ago

Visited a farm-to-table butcher in Portland and it got me thinking about dry aging vs wet aging

I stopped by this place called Tails & Trotters last weekend and watched them break down a whole hog. They only do dry aged pork, which got me debating with the head butcher for like 20 minutes. He said dry aging gives better flavor and texture, but I feel like wet aging is more consistent and less waste. What do you guys prefer for your shop, dry or wet aging and why?

13

thompson.nathan•22d ago

Finally got the hang of breaking down a full hog without wasting anything

After 3 years in the shop I always left too much meat on the ribs and shoulder bones. Tried a different angle on my knife cuts last week and ended up with almost 4 extra pounds of trim from one 200 lb hog. Anyone else have a trick that changed how they work through a primal?.

1

amy_foster79•22d ago

Chat with an old school butcher made me rethink my knife setup

I was breaking down a beef quarter at a local shop in Portland last Tuesday and this guy who's been in the trade since the 70s watched me for a minute. He told me I was using way too much knife for the task, like I was grabbing a cleaver for everything. He showed me how he switches between a thin boning knife and a stiff one depending on the cut, and told me I was wasting energy fighting the wrong blade. Honestly, it hit different because I've been doing it the hard way for years without even thinking. Has anyone else had an old timer drop some simple advice that messed with your whole routine?

20

kevin_harris78•26d ago

Just learned pork shoulder yield math blew my mind

I was messing around with some numbers last night before a big catering order and I finally sat down and figured out the real loss on pork shoulders after trimming and cooking. Turns out you lose almost 40 percent of your raw weight between bones, fat cap, and moisture during a long smoke. I always just guessed and added a few extra pounds but now I know for a fact I need to start with like 20 pounds to get 12 pounds of pulled meat. I found this out from a chart on the AmazingRibs website that broke it all down by cut and cooking method. Blew my mind that I've been under ordering for years and never noticed until a customer complained about short portions. Anyone else ever actually weigh their trimmings to see what you're really selling?

21

wilson.sam•26d ago

Blew through a $400 primal this morning because I got distracted

Had a nice 80lb New York strip loin on the block around 6am, had my seam work all lined up. Then my apprentice asked me about knife sharpening and I looked up for maybe 10 seconds while talking. Came back and made a cut that went clean through the cap into the eye. Ruined the whole primal for portioning. Had to turn it all into stew meat and grind for the owner. He wasn't thrilled. Anyone else ever space out for one second and lose a whole piece of expensive meat?

22

wright.lisa•28d ago

Old timer told me I was washing my hands too much, and he was right

I used to scrub my hands 30+ times a day with that harsh antibacterial soap until a guy named Frank at the Detroit Meat Market said I was damaging the meat with residue. He showed me how to use a vinegar rinse instead, just a splash after each cut. Now I only wash with soap between animals, not every single piece. Anyone else had an old timer change their sanitation routine?

1

casey_harris•1mo ago

Had a whole beef tenderloin fall apart on me last Tuesday because I didn't let it rest long enough after trimming

I was rushing through prep at the shop on Western Ave around 4pm and started pulling the silverskin before the meat came up to temp, made the whole cut split right down the center when I went to portion it into 8oz filets - anyone else run into this with cold meat or was it just my bad knife angle?

30

diana20•1mo ago

Swapped from hand saws to a bandsaw for breaking down primals

I used to spend 20 minutes hacking through a whole ribeye with a hand saw, then I grabbed a used Hobart bandsaw off Craigslist last year for $300. Now I can break down a quarters worth of beef in under an hour without my shoulder screaming at me. Has anyone else made the switch and found their yield changed at all?

18

daniel_lane30•1mo ago

Ngl I hit 500 lambs processed in a single shift last Friday and I still don't believe it

Tbh I've been doing this 8 years and my average is around 300-350 on a good day. But last week we had a rush order for a big halal market and I just got into a zone. My saw hand couldn't keep up with me wrapping. 500 is wild. Has anyone else had a random day where everything just clicked way faster than normal?

22

mila_flores8•1mo ago

Tried dry-aging a prime rib in my home fridge vs. a dedicated aging fridge - huge difference

I hung a prime rib in my regular fridge for 21 days and got decent flavor but the humidity swings made the pellicle uneven and I lost a good 20% to trimming. Switched to a small dedicated fridge with a humidity controller and that same cut came out perfect with almost no waste last month. Has anyone else found that controlling humidity is the real game changer for home aging?

8

gavin_hill27•1mo ago

Talked to a retired pig farmer about slaughter timing and it messed me up

He said he always waits 3 extra days past market weight because the fat sets different. Ive been rushing hogs to kill for 12 years and never thought about it. Anybody else ever try holding them longer on purpose?

10

the_avery•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about blade angle when breaking down a whole pig?

I was working a whole hog last Saturday over at Johnson's Meats in Tulsa. Got halfway through the shoulder and the knife started fighting me. Fought with it for 20 minutes, messed up the seam, ended up with stringy scraps. Then my buddy comes over, tilts his blade maybe 5 degrees flatter, and slides through like butter. Now I'm wondering - is it better to stick with a steeper angle for cleaner cuts on bone-in work, or go shallow and risk more drag on the meat? What's your go-to?

8

dixon.spencer•1mo ago

I keep seeing people trimming ribeyes the wrong way

Everyone around here cuts the fat cap off completely before cooking, but leaving at least a quarter inch on there gives you way better flavor and keeps the meat from drying out. Has anyone else noticed their steaks come out better when you leave that fat on?

1

grayc27•1mo ago

I finally got a proper boning knife and it made my shift way easier

I dropped $85 on a curved Victorinox boning knife after using a straight one for 2 years. The difference in how cleanly I could get around the hip and shoulder joints on a pork carcass was night and day. Has anyone else switched knife shapes and noticed a big jump in how much meat you save?

15

anna_ross19•1mo ago

Overheard a cook say 'the silver skin adds flavor' and had to walk away

I was dropping off a delivery at a new restaurant downtown and heard one of their line cooks telling a new guy to leave the silver skin on a pork loin because it "adds flavor." I just stood there for a second holding my box of cuts, biting my tongue. Back in my truck I thought about it for a while and realized a lot of people honestly don't know the difference between fat and silver skin. They think chewy, tough stuff is gonna render down like marbling or something. It made me wonder how many home cooks are out there ruining good meat just because nobody ever showed them how to trim right. Has anyone else run into cooks or customers who insist on weird things about meat prep?

7

blairtaylor•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: I used to hate band saws in the shop, but after mine locked up mid-cut on a 40lb primal last Tuesday I had to hand bone it out

The blade snapped and threw the tension arm out of whack. Took me 2 hours to finish that side of beef with just a breaking knife and a boning hook. My wrist is still sore. Now I actually get why some old timers prefer hand work. Has anyone else had a machine fail that made you switch up your whole approach?

14

alicecooper•1mo ago

Customer in Denver told me my lamb chops were cut too thick and they were right

I've been cutting lamb chops at 2 inches for years because that's how I learned it. This one guy who works at a high-end place said they should be 1.5 inches max for even cooking. I tried it on my next batch and the sear to doneness ratio was way better. Anyone else get pushback on standard cuts from customers?

10

rileyp49•1mo ago

Shoutout to the butcher shop in Tacoma that still hangs their beef for 28 days minimum

So many places cut that time short to move product faster, but you can taste the difference in the tenderness and flavor. I had a customer bring in a ribeye from a chain grocer that was 'aged' for maybe 10 days, and it was like chewing leather. Who else is still doing proper dry-aging, or are we just giving in to the rush?

8

karen_west59•1mo ago

Just had a chat with a retired butcher from the old German market that made me reconsider my whole approach to beef aging.

He told me his shop used to hang whole sides for 8 weeks minimum in a specific 34-degree room with a brick floor, and that the 'sweet spot' for flavor wasn't about the time so much as the steady, perfect humidity, which is something I've honestly never focused on enough.

5

grace_allen•1mo ago

Serious question, ever have a customer ask for a cut that just doesn't exist?

Had this guy come into the shop in Green Bay last Friday, insisted I could give him a 'boneless ribeye roast' from the chuck. I tried to explain the muscle groups and how the ribeye is its own primal, but he kept pointing at the chuck roll saying it looked the same. He got real loud, said, 'My uncle was a butcher for forty years and he did it all the time!' I had to pull out the beef chart and show him the separation between the rib and the chuck. He left in a huff, didn't buy anything. It's frustrating when someone argues with you about the basic anatomy of the animal. How do you guys handle customers who are convinced they know your job better than you do?

14

samjohnson•1mo ago

Just realized how much the bone-in ribeye demand has shifted in my shop

Back in 2020, maybe 1 out of 10 customers at my place in Spokane would ask for a tomahawk or cowboy cut. Now, it's easily half of my ribeye sales, especially on weekends. I think all those cooking shows and social media posts really pushed the 'wow factor' cut. Has anyone else had to adjust their primal breakdowns to keep up with this?

12

kim693•1mo ago

An old timer told me my pork shoulder cuts were wasting too much meat

About five years back, a retired butcher named Frank came into the shop. He watched me break down a shoulder and said, 'Kid, you're leaving a quarter pound of good meat on that blade bone every time.' He was right. I was following the book cuts too rigidly. I started taking an extra minute to scrape that seam clean, and now I get an extra three or four portions from each shoulder. It's a small thing, but it adds up fast. Anyone else get a piece of advice that changed a basic cut for you?