Walked through a butcher shop in Jersey and saw something weird

I stopped into a small butcher shop near Newark last Saturday just to grab some sausage for a family cookout. What caught my eye was the whole ribeye section, they had the fat caps left on thick, like half an inch, and zero of them were trimmed or tied. The guy behind the counter told me most home cooks ask for it that way now because they think it keeps the meat juicier, but in my experience a steak that thick with that much fat just pools grease on the plate. Anyone else seeing this trend where people skip proper trimming at the shop level, or am I just old school about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_hernandez27d ago

Three weeks ago I would've been right there with you calling it lazy butchering, I always trimmed my own ribeyes down to like a quarter inch max. But then my buddy brought over some thick cut strips from a place in Bloomfield that does the exact same thing, left the fat cap on, and I'll be damned if it wasn't the best steak I've had in years. The fat rendered down and basically basted the meat while it rested, no greasy pool on the plate like I always assumed. Now I'm actually asking my local guy to leave it on for me, and I feel like a total hypocrite but whatever, taste wins.

skyler_adams27d ago

Man, same here. I used to think leaving the fat cap on was just lazy work, like the butcher couldn't be bothered to finish the job. But last month I grabbed a couple of ribeyes from a place in Clifton that does exactly that, thick fat and all. I figured I'd just trim it myself when I got home, but got busy and threw them on the grill anyway. That fat rendered down and kept the whole steak from drying out, best damn ribeye I've made in years. So now I'm the guy asking for it left on, and I feel weird about it too, but I can't argue with the plate coming back clean.