I was breaking down a whole lamb in my garage in Austin last week and the auger just seized up halfway through. Turns out the motor on that cheap model can't handle anything with bone in it. I spent an hour cleaning out the jam and had to finish the leg with a cleaver. Has anyone found a decent home grinder that actually handles small bones without burning out?
I was at my shop in Portland last Saturday trying to split a 200 pound hog and the blade kept wandering on me. The meat tore instead of cut clean, wasted about 15 pounds of good shoulder and belly. Has anyone else found a reliable way to fix blade tracking mid-job without stopping every 5 minutes?
I've been cutting for about 6 years now and always thought those grinder attachments were just a gimmick for home cooks. Last month I had a lamb shoulder that was too beat up to sell as a roast, so I figured why not try it on a whim. I borrowed my buddy's KitchenAid grinder plate setup and ran that thing through with some pork back fat. The burgers I got out of that mix were better than anything I've bought pre-ground from the store. Cleaned up way easier than I expected too, just some cold water and a stiff brush. Now I'm wondering if I should just grab my own grinder or keep borrowing his. Anyone here use a standalone grinder versus the attachment?
Last weekend I had 8 bone-in pork shoulders to debone for a big catering order. I figured it would take maybe 3 hours max, but I kept fighting with the blade catch on the shoulder blade, and my knife kept slipping on the fat cap. After the first 4 shoulders I realized I wasn't breaking down the connective tissue around the knuckle joint first, so I was literally sawing through muscle instead of separating it cleanly. Ended up taking me almost 9 hours total to get all 8 done and trimmed. Any of you guys got a faster method for working the blade out of the shoulder joint without tearing up the meat?
I used to always push boneless chuck roasts because they're easier to trim and pack. Then about two months ago a regular customer brought back a boneless roast saying it was dry and bland compared to what she expected. She specifically asked for bone-in next time. So I tried cooking a bone-in chuck roast myself at home and damn, the collagen and marrow really did add way more flavor and moisture. Has anyone else noticed a bigger difference than you'd expect between the two?
This older woman comes up to my station in the shop and insists I'm holding my knife wrong for the flat cut. Proceeded to grab my wrist and try to guide my hand while I'm holding a 10-inch scimitar. Pretty sure I haven't laughed that hard since my first deer season.
Finally figured out I was going against the grain from the start. My knifework was fine but I was fighting the meat the whole time. Has anyone else spent way too long on a stupid simple cut?
For years I always used a 14 tooth blade on my saw for breaking down primals. Got it in my head that tighter cuts were safer. Then about 6 months ago I helped out at a shop in Nashville and the head butcher there handed me a 10 tooth blade. He said I was overworking the motor for no reason. Tried it on a whole ribeye and the cut was smoother and way faster with way less dust. I still swap back for boning work but now I mostly stick with the 10 tooth. Anybody else run thicker blades for primal breakdown or am I the odd one out?
I hit 500 briskets trimmed last Saturday and decided to weigh the fat I'd saved from the last 50. Turns out I was tossing about 2 pounds of usable fat per brisket that could have gone into tallow or sausage. Anyone else ever track their trim waste and change their approach?
I run a small shop near Pittsburgh and for months I was tossing out trim that looked fine but had that dull gray color on the edges. Customers don't want to see that even if it's still good. A guy from a bigger operation told me to wrap it tighter in the paper and add a second layer of butcher wrap. He said air exposure is what does it. Tried it on about 40 pounds of chuck trim last week and every piece stayed bright red. Anyone else deal with this or got a better way?
I always went boneless for years. Figured it was easier for the customers. But I lost so much yield from trimming and the meat just didn't hold together as well. Switched to bone-in chuck about 6 weeks ago. The flavor is way deeper, the roast stays juicier during cooking. Only downside is a few old timers complain about the bone taking up weight. But I'd say 8 out of 10 customers prefer it now. Anyone else notice a big difference with bone-in roasts?
He said a 1.5 inch thick New York strip holds juice better than my usual 1 inch cuts, and after trying it for a month my regulars at the shop started asking for the thicker ones specifically-anyone else adjust their standard cut after a chef or old timer called you out?
That extra fat and silver skin I was paying for was eating into profit every week, and after running the numbers on a Wednesday I realized I was basically throwing $200 a month in the garbage. Has anyone else seen a bigger jump from just changing how you break down the primals?
I visited that little butcher shop in Portland last month, the one on SE 12th, and they swear by wet aging everything in cryovac for 21 days minimum. Says it's more consistent and less waste. But I've always been a dry aging guy myself, even if I lose 20% trim on a primals. What do you all think works better for a small shop with limited cooler space?
I bought a shiny electric grinder from a big box store last month thinking I was upgrading my setup. First batch of chuck roast went fine but as soon as I hit some tough sinew the motor started smoking and grinding to a halt. Two more tries and the blade was dull, the auger was stripped, and the whole thing was toast. Total waste of money and I lost about 15 lbs of good trim meat in the process. Anyone else had luck with old school hand crank grinders for tougher cuts?
I was working a late shift at a small shop outside Omaha back in 2018, just a kid trying to learn the trade. This old butcher named Hank came in to drop off a side of beef, and he saw me struggling to figure out where the fat cap thinned out. He just grabbed my knife hand and showed me the grain pattern on the round, said "you don't cut what you can't see, son." That one 5 minute lesson changed how I approached every primal since. He retired a year later and I never got his number to thank him proper. Anyone else have a mentor who dropped knowledge on you like that and then just walked away?
Ngl, I didn't think we'd hit that number until I looked at the scale after Thursday's shift. Honestly, that surprised me because we normally top out around 700 pounds for a busy week, but the holiday orders changed everything. Has anyone else hit a weird milestone like that that made you re-evaluate your workflow or storage setup?
Walked into this little butcher shop off Hawthorne and they still had a hand-cranked grinder bolted to the counter, no computer in sight for orders. Am I the only one who misses that slower pace before everything went digital?
Tried a bimetal blade from a different supplier after using the same brand for 7 years, and it exploded during a quartering job on a steer, has anyone else had luck switching blade types?
Bought a fancy electric slicer from a restaurant supply store last month and it jammed up on the second shoulder I put through it, anyone else had luck with the manual Berkel models instead?
I dropped $600 on a high-end grinder back in 2021 at a supply place outside Denver, thinking it would make my sausage prep way faster. After 3 uses, I realized my old manual crank does a better job without smearing the fat on warm days. Who else has a fancy tool they regret buying for their shop?
I dry aged a ribeye primal for 21 days in a spare fridge. No humidity control. Lost almost 35% to trim loss. The smell was bad. Get a dedicated aging setup or use dry bags instead. Anyone else ruin a good cut this way?
I was at a BBQ comp in Kansas City last summer and watched a guy cut right with the grain on a prime packer. Ruined a whole $120 piece of meat in like 2 minutes. My old mentor taught me to always look for the muscle lines before you even pull it off the smoker. Has anyone else noticed more people skipping that step lately?
Ran across a post from a guy in Texas who said he saves all his fat scraps for tallow instead of tossing them, so I tried it with about 15 pounds of brisket trim last month. The tallow came out clean and worked great for frying potatoes, anyone else do this or just stick to rendering lard?
Last month I took a whole animal butchery class at The Local Butcher in Denver and totally messed up the first side. I kept cutting against the grain on the shoulder because I rushed past the seams. The instructor had to stop me and show the whole class where I went wrong. Has anyone else had a moment like that where you just froze and made things worse?