Talked to an old timer about hanging beef the old way

Ran into Bill at the supplier yesterday, he's been cutting since the 70s. He was saying how they used to hang sides for 21 days minimum, no exceptions. I told him most of our stuff goes out in 10-12 days now because the restaurants want it yesterday. He just shook his head and said 'you're selling meat, not flavor.' That stuck with me all afternoon. Makes me wonder if I'm spending too much time on speed and not enough on what the customer actually tastes. Has anyone else tried pushing for longer hang times with their accounts?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb2623d ago

Hung out with an old timer named Frank last month at a pig roast. He told me about hanging pork in the 50s where theyd let it go 28 days in a root cellar. Said the mold would look like a fur coat but the meat tasted like nothing else. I asked how they kept it from spoiling and he just laughed and said 'we didnt worry so much back then.' Makes you think about what weve traded off for safety.

brown.gavin3d agoMost Upvoted

Did Frank ever mention how many people got sick from that method, or is that part of the story we don't hear?

andrew_rodriguez1d ago

Actually I've got to push back a little on the 28 day pork hang. Pork is different from beef. You can't push pork that long without serious risk, even back then. Beef has that thick fat cover and lower water content that lets it age safely for weeks. Pork's got more moisture and a different bacteria profile. Most old timers I've talked to say 10 to 14 days was the sweet spot for pork, not 28. That root cellar story sounds like one of those tall tales that gets better every time it's told.