Hot take: I think most butchers over-trim their steaks

Last Friday I was working a rush at the shop on Main Street in Nashville and trimmed a whole ribeye down to almost nothing because I was trying to make it look perfect for a picky customer. Right after I bagged it, the lady next to her grabbed the scraps off the cutting board and said "I'll take these for stew, they got more flavor anyway." That stuck with me. Now I leave a good quarter inch of fat on the cap and sell the trimmed bits separate. It actually made more money per cow and nobody complained. Has anyone else tried leaving more fat on their cuts or is it just me going against the grain?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_thomas2mo ago

Used to be one of those guys who'd trim every last bit of fat off like I was doing surgery. But a few years back I watched an old timer at a competition leave a thick fat cap on a ribeye and it came out way better than mine. That lady at your shop nailed it though, the fat is where the flavor lives. Now I keep a solid fat layer on and only clean it up a little for looks. Customers actually seem happier, especially the ones who know their meat.

the_evan2mo ago

That "fat is where the flavor lives" line is spot on. I've noticed the same pattern in a bunch of things, not just meat. Like with old tools or furniture, people sand down every scratch and refinish them until they look brand new, and they lose all the character. Sometimes the rough edges and imperfections are what make something actually good. Seems like everywhere we try to perfect stuff we just suck the soul right out of it.

alexw751mo ago

The old timer at the competition knew what he was doing. I did the same thing with brisket once, trimmed it too clean and it came out dry, next time I left a fat cap and it was way more tender. People who complain about a little fat on their steak usually just want a steak shaped like a cartoon anyway.