c/butchers

Changed my mind about dry aging beef at home

For years, I thought setting up a dry aging fridge was just for big shops with fancy gear. Then, a buddy who runs a small farm in Vermont convinced me to try a small, cheap setup in my own basement cooler. I got a basic wire rack, a small fan, and a simple humidity gauge for under $80. I hung a whole ribeye sub-primal for 35 days, checking it every week. I was sure it would go bad or get a nasty crust, but the result was the best steak I've ever cut. The flavor was deep and nutty, not funky, and the meat was so tender. It taught me that with careful control and patience, a small operation can do this work just fine. Has anyone else had a good result with a simple home setup, and what cut did you start with?

Finally got the hang of breaking down a whole lamb without a guide

Three years ago at my first job in a small shop in Billings, I could barely handle a shoulder without making a mess. Last week, I took a whole lamb from the cooler and had it fully broken into primals in under 25 minutes, all by feel. My boss, Carl, just nodded and said 'looks clean' which is high praise from him. Anyone have a favorite cut they like to save for themselves from a lamb?

Finally got the hang of that tricky lamb shoulder seam after watching a guy in Melbourne do it on his phone.

I was struggling to separate the shoulder from the neck cleanly for months, but after seeing a video of a butcher in Victoria use the tip of his boning knife to find the seam first, I tried it on three lambs yesterday and saved at least 15 minutes on each one, so has anyone else found a specific video or demo that finally clicked for a cut you'd been butchering the hard way?

Finally figured out why my pork shoulder cuts were always a bit off

I was watching a video from a shop in Kansas City and saw them start at the arm bone, not the blade. I'd been going blade-first for a decade. Anyone else get stuck in a method like that?

My band saw blade snapped mid-cut on a 40-day dry-aged ribeye yesterday

It made a sound like a gunshot and sent the whole primal flying into a rack of sheet pans. What's your go-to move when a tool fails at the worst possible moment?

Spent $250 on a new electric knife sharpener that ruined two of my good blades

I bought a brand name sharpener last month thinking it would save me time on the block. It overheated on the second blade and took the temper out of the steel, making them useless. I lost a boning knife and a cimeter that cost me over $300 together. What do you folks use for keeping your edges right without messing them up?

Just read a USDA report that said a huge amount of ground beef gets recalled for E. coli

I was looking at some food safety stuff online the other day, and I found this report from the USDA's FSIS. I mean, I knew recalls happen, but the number for ground beef was way bigger than I thought. The report said ground beef makes up over 40% of all E. coli recalls for beef products. That really hit me because we grind a lot in-house at my shop. It made me double-check our whole process, from how we clean the grinder parts to the temps we keep everything at before grinding. I always focus on the big cuts, but this made me see the ground stuff as its own big risk. Has anyone else seen this and changed how they handle their grinder setup?

PSA: Found out the hard way about a new USDA rule on imported beef

I was reading the trade update from the American Meat Institute last week and saw a note about a change for imported primal cuts. Starting next month, all beef coming in from two specific countries needs an extra stamp on the chine bone for traceability. I almost missed it because it was a small paragraph. Has anyone else had to adjust their ordering or paperwork for this yet?

My band saw blade snapped right before a big custom order in Boise last Thursday

I was cutting a 14-bone prime rib rack when it popped, so I grabbed my spare blade, finished the job in 20 minutes, and now I keep two sharp spares ready at all times, does anyone else have a go-to backup plan for equipment failure?

Am I the only one who switched to a ceramic steel for honing?

After using a standard steel for years, I tried a ceramic one last Tuesday and the edge on my boning knives is noticeably keener and lasts longer. Anyone have a preferred brand they stick with?

I finally had to process a whole elk for a hunter last Thursday, and the sheer volume was overwhelming.

It took me and two helpers 14 hours straight, but the hunter tipped us $400 cash. Anyone else ever get a massive single order that just dominates your whole week?

A customer in my shop last month asked for a specific cut on a pork shoulder that taught me something new.

I was sharpening my boning knife on a ceramic rod for years before a guy in Omaha set me straight.

He watched me for about 30 seconds at a regional meet and said, 'You're just polishing the edge, not resetting it.' I'd been using a 15 degree angle when the knife was made for 20, so I was basically rounding off the tip every time. How do you all figure out the right angle for different blades, especially older ones without any markings?

Switched from a 6-inch boning knife to a 9-inch for breaking down beef primals

I always thought a shorter blade gave me more control, but my boss in Chicago handed me his old 9-inch Dexter last month and said 'try it on that rib section.' The extra length and weight made the long cuts through the chuck and loin so much smoother and faster, with less sawing motion. Anyone have a favorite brand for a longer boning knife they'd recommend for a busy shop?

Tried a different way to hang a side of beef and it was a mess

We usually hang from the aitch bone, but I tried hanging from the pelvis on a big Angus side last week. The whole thing shifted and nearly dropped at 6 AM. Anyone have a better method for heavier carcasses?

I finally got the new band saw blade dialed in after a month of fighting it.

The difference in my pork loin yields went from 15% trim waste down to maybe 5% after I stopped using the old tension gauge and just went by the sound of the blade hum. Anyone else have a weird trick for setting up their saw?

Am I the only one who sees folks over-trimming their ribeyes?

Had a guy come into the shop yesterday asking for a 'completely clean' ribeye, meaning he wanted all the fat cap and deckle removed. I explained that a good half inch of that fat is flavor and keeps the steak juicy, but he insisted. I trimmed it to his specs, but it felt like a crime against beef (you know, in a professional sense). How do you all handle customers who want a cut prepared in a way that you know will hurt the final product?

My uncle told me to stop using a steel on my boning knives and I should have listened

He ran a shop in Spokane for 30 years and always said a ceramic rod was the only thing for a thin, flexible boning blade. I thought he was just set in his ways. I kept using my steel, and after about six months, my go-to 6-inch curved boning knife just would not hold an edge. It felt dull after breaking down two hogs. I finally bought a cheap ceramic rod he suggested, and the difference was instant. The steel was actually rounding over the fine edge on that soft steel. Now I use the ceramic for boning knives and keep the steel for my stiff cimeter and breaking knives. Anyone else run into this with their flexible blades?

Just read that a full beef carcass can lose up to 3% of its weight just in the first 24 hours after slaughter

I was flipping through an old meat science textbook from the 90s and that number really stood out. It's all from moisture evaporating off the surface before the crust even forms. How much extra trim do you guys usually account for when you're figuring your yield on a fresh side?

I used to think dry aging at home was just a fancy gimmick

My buddy in Cincinnati convinced me to try a 45-day ribeye in a mini fridge setup, and the flavor was INSANE, nothing like the wet aged stuff we usually get. I was totally wrong, it's a game changer for special cuts if you can control the temp and humidity just right. Anyone have a good source for those smaller aging bags that don't cost a fortune?

Am I the only one who sees guys using a boning knife for everything, even breaking down a 200lb hog?

I watched a new hire at the shop in Tulsa last month try to separate a shoulder with a 6-inch flexible blade and it took him 45 minutes, when a proper cimeter would have had it done clean in five.

Vent: A regular at my shop in Boise asked for a 'bone-in, skin-on, air-chilled' chicken breast last week, and it's the third time this month.

Hot take: my bone saw's motor gave out halfway through a 400-pound hog last Friday

The thing just smoked and stopped, right in the middle of a big custom order. I had to finish the breakdown with a hand saw, which added about two hours to the job. What's a good heavy-duty brand that can handle that kind of steady work?

Honestly, I was sure that dry-aging in a regular fridge was a total waste of time until I tried it with a whole ribeye for 28 days.

Ngl, the flavor and texture convinced me after a customer said it was the best steak he'd ever had, so has anyone else had a simple method surprise them like that?

Had a massive freezer failure on a Friday afternoon in July

The compressor on our main holding unit gave out, and we lost about 300 pounds of primals before we caught it. We had to scramble to move everything to our backup space and call in a rush order for the weekend's custom cuts. What's your backup plan for when the cold chain breaks?