c/butchers

Went back to my old shop after 12 years, the block room shook me

Stopped by the place I apprenticed at back in 2011, the one on 5th and Main. The same wooden block still had my initials carved near the edge, but now it's got a band saw right next to it and they break down whole hogs with a power cutter. Nobody hand-saws briskets anymore, and even the oldest guy there, Dave, admitted he only uses his bone saw for show. I get the speed thing, but that rhythmic knife work is what taught me feel, not just force. Anyone else miss the click of a cleaver on a worn block over the hum of a motor?

2 comments

dixon.willow•5d ago

The difference in pork color after switching to dry aging, 14 days felt like a different animal

I run a small shop near Columbus and started dry aging some loins last month. Did a 14 day run on one and compared it to the wet aged stuff I had in the cooler. Night and day, the dry aged loin had this deep burgundy look vs the pale pink I was used to. The texture changed too, it firmed up enough that my knife work got cleaner on the cut. I thought it was just about flavor but the color shift blew me away for a shorter aging window. Customer said it looked like a completely different species when I showed them side by side. You guys see that kind of color change at 10 days too or is my cooler humidity messing with things?

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webb.val•5d ago

Chicken debone order change cut my time by half

I used to do drumsticks, thighs, then the whole breast and always fought with the carcass. Switched to removing the backbone first with heavy shears and pulling the breast meat off in one piece. Now I hit about 4 minutes per bird instead of 8, and my knuckles stopped hurting. Anyone else rearrange their cut order and see a big jump in speed?

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riverp37•8d ago

Question about losing that first layer of fat on briskets

I've been cutting briskets for a few years in St. Paul and noticed the fat cap gets noticeably thinner after it sits in the walk-in overnight, even before trimming. Is that just moisture loss or something else at play? I had a regular ask why his packer looked so much leaner after 2 days in his fridge, and I wasn't sure what to tell him. Anyone else see this change and know what actually causes it?

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wrenstone•9d ago

Pro tip: skip the boning knife, go with a curved scimitar for chuck rolls

Swapped my straight boning knife for a curved scimitar at the shop on Main Street last month, and trimming chuck rolls took me from 8 minutes to under 5 with way less waste, anyone else find the angle makes that big a difference?

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palmer.henry•9d ago

Swapped my carbon steel for a plastic scraper, wish I did it sooner

Used to think a good butcher block needed a metal scraper to really clean it, so I spent years gouging the surface and soaking boards in water to hide the marks. Last month a guy at the local supply shop in Omaha told me to try a stiff plastic scraper and just wipe with a damp cloth after each shift. Anyone else make the switch and notice their boards last way longer?

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leo_campbell•10d ago

I finally spent $180 on a proper scabbard sharpener and it hurt less than I thought

Been using the same cheap steel my grandpa left me for years, figured that was good enough. But last month I got tired of fighting rolled edges on pork shoulders every single Saturday. So I bought one of those electric sharpeners with the leather wheel attachment, $180 total with shipping. First pass on a brisket knife felt weirdly smooth, like it actually cut through paper towel without snagging. My question is, for you guys who use stones or belts, how long do you wait before you trust a new sharpening setup on your good knives? I mean, I still flinch every time I touch it to the blade.

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taylor.jessica•11d ago

Finally switching to a jigsaw for breastbones after a buddy insisted

My friend Mike, who runs a shop down in Austin, kept telling me for months that a jigsaw with a fine blade beats a handsaw for splitting breastbones clean, and I figured he was just lazy. After butchering a tough old hen last Tuesday and fighting that bone for 20 minutes, I grabbed his spare saw and finished the next one in under 5 with zero splintering. Has anyone else made the switch from handsaws to power tools for this cut, or do you stick with the old way for a reason?

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ivan_hayes29•14d ago

That $900 vacuum stuffer was a mistake, my wrist still hates me

Bought a fancy vacuum tumbler/stuffer combo back in March thinking it'd speed up my sausage days. Cost me $900 and it jams every time I try to push anything with decent fat content. I'm back to hand cranking my 5 pound batches and honestly the old way is faster. The vacuum part works fine for marinating but the stuffer tube clogs on peppercorns and coarse grind. Anyone else dump big money on gear that just sits in the corner now? What's your go-to budget stuffer that actually holds up?

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dakota_rivera•15d ago

Tuesday nearly broke me, then the rib order saved the week

Last Tuesday started with a walk-in cooler that was 8 degrees too warm and a delivery that put the ribeyes where the strips should go. I spent two hours re-fabricating a whole case of short ribs because the trim was all over the place, and my knife hand cramped up by noon. Then a regular asked me to French a rack for him and actually watched the whole time, said it was the cleanest job he'd seen in town. That one moment made the whole day worth it, and it got me thinking about how a single good cut can reset everything. Anyone else have a day where one customer's reaction flipped the whole shift?

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noahs82•19d ago

Comparing a hand crank grinder to my electric one changed my whole workflow

After 6 months of using a $40 electric grinder for my pork sausage, I tried my buddy's old hand crank model at his shop in Portland last Tuesday and the texture came out way more even, so now I'm wondering if I should switch back for small batches or just accept the slower pace, has anyone else noticed a big difference between the two?

1 comments

rose_hart31•20d ago

Wet aging vs dry aging for my pork loin roast, dry won by a mile

Last month I had to pick between wet aging a pork loin in cryovac for 10 days or dry aging it in my walk-in for 2 weeks. I went with dry because I had extra space and wanted that nutty flavor. The crust formed was insane, and the inside stayed tender like butter. Have any of you tried dry aging smaller cuts like pork, or do you stick to beef only?

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spencer_johnson22•20d ago

An old timer at the shop made me question my whole knife routine

He watched me sharpen for a minute and said "you're polishing, not cutting," then showed me his 20 dollar stone from 1985 that puts my 120 dollar kit to shame, so now I'm wondering how many of my habits are just habits.

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nelson.finley•21d ago

Why does nobody talk about the time sink of sharpening by hand?

I kept hearing everyone swear by hand sharpening over electric grinders, so I ditched my machine for a good stone setup back in March. It took me THREE full weekends to get my chef's knife and two boning knives actually sharp enough to do a whole lamb shoulder without fighting the blade. I watched every video, tried the sharpie trick, the angle guides, everything, and I still ended up with a burr that would not come off clean. Finally realized my stone was too soft and I was spending 40 minutes per knife when a harder stone would do it in 10. So now I feel like I wasted a whole month of Sunday afternoons on something that should have been a quick skill check, not a project. Has anyone else found that hand sharpening takes way longer than the hype makes you think, or is it just me and my bad stone choice?

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karenw90•23d ago

Went from bone saw to handsaw for lamb racks, never going back

Used to fight with the electric bone saw for years, always tearing the meat up and leaving bone dust everywhere. Tried a basic 12-inch handsaw last Tuesday on a whim after my coworker Dave kept nagging me about it. Anyone else ditch power tools for the old school stuff and find it's actually easier?

1 comments

kim.wren•24d ago

Saturday rush left me with 12 whole tenderloins to break down by noon

Last Saturday the pre-orders just kept coming in, I sold out of strip loins by 10am and had to pull two full carcasses from the cooler to keep up. What's the busiest single day you've had where you almost ran out of product?

1 comments

leo238•25d ago

Why do people still sell pre-tied roasts with the string buried in the fat?

I've seen three shops this month do it and it drives me nuts. When the string is hidden under the fat cap, it cooks into the meat and customers have to pick it out at dinner. Last Thursday a regular brought back a rolled shoulder because she found twine in her slice. It takes an extra 30 seconds to tie it on the outside and it saves everyone the hassle. Am I missing some reason folks do it this way, or is it just laziness?

1 comments

sean_murray•25d ago

Saw a whole lamb breakdown at a small shop in Asheville that changed how I trim

I stopped into a family run butcher shop off Tunnel Road last Saturday just to grab some sausages. The guy behind the counter was breaking down a whole lamb right there, and he left the fell on the leg until the very last cut before tying it. I always stripped it off early to save time, but he said it keeps the meat from drying and gives you a better grip for the final shape. I tried his way on a rack this morning and the yield looked noticeably cleaner. Anyone else ever hold off on trimming fat and fell until the end?

1 comments

the_seth•25d ago

Six months ago my pork chops were dry, now they actually hold juice

I started tracking brine times and temps in a notebook back in March after a customer at my shop in Dayton said my case cuts were prettier than what I cooked at home. Turns out I was oversalting and rushing the rest. I switched to a 4 hour wet brine, pat dry, then rest on a rack in the walk-in for 2 hours before searing. The difference showed up about three weeks ago when a regular asked what I did different. I pulled a chop off the grill and it didn't weep clear juice all over the cutting board. The color went from gray to pink inside, crust got that dark brown crackle. Anyone else keep a log on their own test cuts, or do you just eyeball it and hope?

1 comments

sagey69•25d ago

Spent 45 minutes chasing a weird smell, turns out it was my own apron

Wednesday I kept catching this funky odor while breaking down a side of beef, thought maybe the walk-in had an issue or a drain was backing up near the Chicago shop. Another guy even came over and sniffed around the block saw, we both checked the gut rack and the grinder, nothing. Finally I looked down and realized I'd spilled some marinade on my sleeve that morning, so the smell was just me all along. Has anyone else had a mystery scent that turned out to be something dumb like your own shirt or a forgotten rag in your back pocket?

1 comments

caseyw12•28d ago

Brand new grinder seized up on my second shift, back to hand cutting

Picked up a shiny new grinder at the supply house in Portland last Tuesday, and by Friday it was smoking on a 40 pound pork batch. Turned out the auger housing was warped from the factory, so I pulled it apart, filed down the burr, and finished the order with a manual cleaver. Has anyone else gotten a dud from a big name brand right out of the box, or am I just cursed?

1 comments

ivan_hayes29•28d ago

Old timer at the counter taught me more in 5 minutes than my whole apprenticeship

Back in 2019 I was working a Saturday shift at a shop in Boise and this retired guy comes in for a pork shoulder. He watched me start trimming it and just said "you're fighting the grain, son." He showed me how to feel for the direction with my thumb instead of looking, then had me flip the blade angle. I still do that check every single carcass I break down now. Anyone else pick up a trick like that from a stranger that just stuck around forever?

1 comments

matthewperry•1mo ago

My supplier swore by aged beef, I doubted him for months

Our rep from the meat house in St. Louis kept pushing 45 day dry aged ribeyes on me, said the flavor would sell itself. Finally ordered a case last Tuesday and they moved in two days flat at $6 more per pound than my usual cut. Anyone else had a supplier tip that sounded crazy but actually paid off?

1 comments

gonzalez.anna•1mo ago

Swore by my old boning knife for 8 years. Tried a new one. Huge mistake.

Had this worn-down Victorinox that I'd sharpened into a toothpick. Felt like an extension of my hand. Bought a fancy new German steel blade last month. First cut on a pork shoulder and I nearly took off my thumb. The balance was totally off. Has anyone else regretted a tool upgrade that bad?

2 comments

jamesmason•1mo ago

Rant: Spent $150 on a fancy boning knife and it chipped after 2 months

I dropped some cash on a high-end boning knife from a well known brand back in October. It felt amazing in the hand at first, super sharp out of the box. But after maybe 60 days of normal use breaking down chickens and pork shoulders, a small chip appeared near the tip. I talked to a older butcher at the shop who swears by $40 Dexter knives that last him years. So is the premium stuff just marketing hype, or did I get a lemon? Anyone else had luck with cheaper blades holding up better than the expensive ones?

1 comments