Gound meaat
Went with the Wife to store, today. Went Sams Club. She waanted hamburger meat. Went over to select a chuck roast and have ti ground coarse. "Butcher" said he couldn't do it. Policy won't allow it. ...
Forum Discussion
Local Butcher Shops??
Is there such a thing anymore? Everything I have seen in recent years from Costco/WalMart on down to the small local grocery with a meat department brings in kryovac packaged portions from the process packing houses and cuts the chunks into steaks, chops, etc.
As a teenager working as an apprentice meat cutter in my fathers butcher shop everything was brought in in quarters and halves. Beef, hogs, mutton/lamb everything was bought in quarters or halves and "broken down" right in the shop and displayed in the case. All the lefts (beef only) were boned out by hand and thrown in the grind tub to make burger.
Everybody now days wants 100 percent lean burger, supposed to be so much better for us, but the fact is flavor in beef comes from the fat not from the lean, period. Why do you think they wrap fillets in bacon? trying to give the ultra lean cut some flavor that's why.
Speaking of which, if you want really good cooked flavor in your ground beef grind super lean cuts and add hog back fat for the fat content, 80/20 or even 90/10.
While I am at it another gripe about modern day meat processing is the lack of aging. Back in the day a half or quarter was brought into the shop and hung in the walk-in for 5-7 days before a knife was ever applied. The meat aged for flavor and also dried up the excess water content so you ended up with a dry firm cut not the soft squishey steaks you get today.
Water equals weight, guess why meat isn't aged now days. Just try to "brown" a pound of ground beef in a skillet, yea right, boil it maybe.
Later
Tinbender
Is there such a thing anymore? Everything I have seen in recent years from Costco/WalMart on down to the small local grocery with a meat department brings in kryovac packaged portions from the process packing houses and cuts the chunks into steaks, chops, etc.
As a teenager working as an apprentice meat cutter in my fathers butcher shop everything was brought in in quarters and halves. Beef, hogs, mutton/lamb everything was bought in quarters or halves and "broken down" right in the shop and displayed in the case. All the lefts (beef only) were boned out by hand and thrown in the grind tub to make burger.
Everybody now days wants 100 percent lean burger, supposed to be so much better for us, but the fact is flavor in beef comes from the fat not from the lean, period. Why do you think they wrap fillets in bacon? trying to give the ultra lean cut some flavor that's why.
Speaking of which, if you want really good cooked flavor in your ground beef grind super lean cuts and add hog back fat for the fat content, 80/20 or even 90/10.
While I am at it another gripe about modern day meat processing is the lack of aging. Back in the day a half or quarter was brought into the shop and hung in the walk-in for 5-7 days before a knife was ever applied. The meat aged for flavor and also dried up the excess water content so you ended up with a dry firm cut not the soft squishey steaks you get today.
Water equals weight, guess why meat isn't aged now days. Just try to "brown" a pound of ground beef in a skillet, yea right, boil it maybe.
Later
Tinbender
