Chatted with an old school butcher at a farmer's market last weekend

I was working a demo in Austin and this guy in his 70s just watched me for like 10 minutes. Then he says "you're cutting against the grain on the wrong side of the strip loin." I was sure I had it right but he showed me his trick with the fat cap as a guide. I mean idk if it's a game changer but I tried it on a few steaks and they did feel more tender. Any of you guys use a specific visual cue to find the grain on tough cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_owens25d ago

Did he explain exactly which part of the fat cap he uses as a guide? I always look at the direction of the muscle fibers themselves but old timers usually have some weird trick that actually works better.

sarah22925d ago

idk @harper_owens, old timers just eyeball it and somehow it works.