Shoutout to the old butcher who showed me how to feel for a good cut

About three years ago I was working at a small shop in Portland and this retired butcher named Frank came in. He saw me struggling with a ribeye trim and just walked over, no hello, nothing. He grabbed my hand and pressed it against the fat cap and told me to close my eyes and feel for the grain. Then he said "if it fights your fingers, it'll fight your teeth." That stuck with me more than any class I took. He also showed me how to check blade sharpness by shaving a tiny patch of hair off his arm which was wild. I still think about that guy when I'm stuck on a tough primal. Has anyone else had an old timer show them something weird like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

samjohnson1mo ago

Frank showing you that grain trick is pure gold. I learned something similar from a old timer at a restaurant supply place years ago - he told me to press my thumb into the fat cap and if it leaves a deep dent the meat is too soft, but if it barely dents you got a tough one. Middle ground is what you want. He also showed me how to run your finger along the edge of a boning knife to feel for microchips before you even look at it. That arm hair shaving thing is a classic though, I still do it when I'm in a hurry and can't find a test tomato.

murphy.linda1mo ago

Never thought about the fat cap test that way, thanks @samjohnson, I always went by feel alone before.

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hernandez.finley16d ago

Does anyone else notice how these little tricks for testing meat or blades are basically the same kind of pattern recognition we use in other stuff too? It's like when you're picking out a ripe avocado or even just judging if a handshake feels right, your brain is running that same "too soft, too hard, just right" checklist. I'm always surprised how often those simple tactile tests end up being the most reliable way to figure something out in the moment.