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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?
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skylerp311mo ago
Honestly, following the book cuts is the right way to go for consistency and food safety. That extra minute you spend scraping adds up in labor costs, and most customers won't notice a slightly cleaner bone. Sometimes the waste is just part of doing business the proper way.
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adamgreen1mo ago
Wait, you're okay with just leaving meat on the bone? That's a crazy amount of waste over time. Customers might not see it, but your food cost sure will.
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grace5081mo ago
Used to be on your side about scraping every last bit... but @skylerp31 has a point about labor adding up. That extra time really does cut into any savings from the extra meat. The waste looks bad on paper, but so does paying someone to pick at bones all day. Sometimes the right way just costs a little more.
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