I finally listened to my grandpa about trimming pork steaks his way

My grandpa always told me to cut pork steaks with a bias against the grain, like a full 45 degree angle, and I thought he was just being old and complicated. For years I did straight across cuts like everybody else, and they always cooked up tough and chewy no matter what I did. Last Tuesday I had a whole shoulder to break down and figured I'd try his method just to shut up the voice in my head. I trimmed about 8 steaks that way, each about 3/4 inch thick, and threw them on the grill. The difference was NIGHT and DAY - they came out tender and pulled apart with a fork, not like shoe leather. My wife even asked what I did different and I had to admit the old man was right after like 20 years of ignoring him. Has anyone else had a family trick they fought against forever and then it turned out to be the real deal?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_scott14d ago

Feel you on this one so hard. My mom tried to teach me to reverse sear steaks for years and I thought it was just extra steps for no reason, then I finally tried it and realized I'd been eating sad overcooked meat my whole adult life. It's humbling when the older generation ends up being right about something you've been stubborn about for decades.

wesley_hart14d ago

Same thing happened to me but with cast iron. I was always scrubbing it down with soap and water like a regular pan, and my grandpa kept telling me I was ruining it. Thought he was just being old school about it. Finally let the seasoning build up and now that thing is basically nonstick. Eggs slide right off without any oil sometimes. Took me way longer than it should have to admit he was onto something. Sometimes you just gotta swallow your pride and try things their way for once.