the_sean•8d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a customer say all beef is the same and I had to walk away

I was working behind the counter last Saturday when this guy comes up and says to his wife, 'just get whatever, it's all the same beef anyway.' I had to just turn around and pretend to check something in the cooler for a minute. I mean, we source from three different ranches within 50 miles of here, and the difference between a grass-fed shoulder and a grain-finished ribeye is night and day. Even something simple like a chuck roast can vary a lot depending on the animal's age and feed. I've been cutting for about 12 years now and I can tell you, marbling, color, even the smell changes from one supplier to another. Has anyone else had customers say stuff like that and just had to bite your lip?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry7d ago

Honestly I used to be one of those "beef is beef" people myself. Then a buddy who's a butcher had me do a blind taste test of a cheap steak vs a nice dry aged one and I felt pretty dumb after. Now I can't unsee the differences in fat and texture.

the_sam7d ago

Oh man that blind taste test thing is brutal right? I had a similar wake up call when I started buying meat from a local farm. I thought I was just paying extra for a label but the difference in flavor was so obvious I couldn't ignore it. Now I'm that annoying friend who talks about marbling and pasture raised stuff at cookouts. Did the texture change throw you off the most or was it more the flavor difference?