Old school butcher showed me why cold fat trims cleaner

Guy at Schweitzer's in Philly told me to chill my fat cap for 15 minutes before trimming. Tried it on a ribeye roll and the fat came off in one clean strip instead of that ragged mess I usually get. Anyone else have a weird cold meat trick that stuck with you?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_webb8d agoProlific Poster

that cold trick works like a charm, I started doing it after a buddy showed me on pork bellies. I throw mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes just until the fat gets that firm snap to it. Makes a world of difference when you're trying to get those nice even layers for bacon or whatever. I was skeptical at first but now I won't trim without it, especially on warmer days when everything gets sticky.

ward.piper8d ago

oh man, that's a good one. i actually do something kinda similar but with my knives instead of the meat. i'll rest my blade on a frozen ice pack for like 5 minutes before i trim anything fatty, especially if my hands are warm. the cold metal just glides through the fat without that tugging feel where it sticks to the blade and makes those ugly little tears. maybe it's just me but i noticed a huge difference doing that, especially on pork shoulders where the fat cap is real thick and soft.