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c/butchersriley_westriley_west10d agoProlific Poster

Reading an old meat science book and the fat trim numbers shocked me

I picked up a used copy of 'Meat Cutting and Processing for Food Service' from 1985 at a library sale. It said a standard beef ribeye roast should have the fat cap trimmed to exactly a quarter inch thick. My shop has always aimed for an eighth inch, which is what most customers want now. That old book made me think about how much leaner cuts have gotten over time. Do you still see places keeping that much fat on retail cuts?
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3 Comments
tylermartin
Wow, that's wild! My butcher still does quarter inch.
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finleyf88
finleyf8810d ago
Yeah, but that's not really a butcher thing, it's a cut thing. A quarter inch is just a really thin steak, like for sandwiches or something. Most real steaks for grilling are cut at least an inch thick, otherwise they cook way too fast and get tough. Your guy is probably just doing that for specific requests.
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rowan_roberts49
Damn, that's a huge difference. @tylermartin is lucky his butcher still does that, I feel like most places trim it way down now.
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