Old timer at the shop told me I was overtrimming...

I started cutting about 8 years ago and I used to trim everything super clean, like I was trying to make it look perfect for a magazine. One day a retired butcher named Frank came by the shop and watched me work on a whole ribeye. He just shook his head and said, 'Son, you're leaving half the money on the floor.' He showed me how I was cutting away too much of the deckle and leaving almost no fat cap. I felt like an idiot because I thought clean meant better, but he explained that customers actually want some of that fat for flavor when they cook it. Now I leave a quarter inch of fat on most primal cuts and my yield went up maybe 10 percent just from that one change. Has anyone else had an older butcher call them out on something that seemed small but really mattered?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.susan4mo ago

Is it really that serious though? A little extra fat on a ribeye isn't gonna make or break your business unless you're running a high volume shop and every ounce counts. I've seen guys go crazy over a quarter inch of fat like their kids are gonna starve, and honestly most customers don't even notice because they trim at home anyway. You might have been leaving money on the floor but you were also probably giving people exactly what they wanted if they're picky about lean meat. Old timers love to act like their way is the only way, but I think there's a middle ground here.

miawalker4mo ago

Wait, do you think the old timers actually know what they're doing with that trim or are they just stuck in their ways? Because I've seen guys leave a full half inch of fat on a ribeye and call it "the right way," then watch the exact same cut sit in the case for three days while the trimmed ones fly out. If customers are happy paying the same price for less fat, isn't that just good business even if it goes against tradition?