I'm a Butcher, it's Summer time, and that means grilling season. AMA

I'm having a dinner party, and I wanna grill extra well-done, butterflied steaks with sides of ketchup. What's the best cut for this?

lol i am hoping this is a joke question, and if it is you have succeeded in making me laugh.

What's the best cut for the most bang for my buck?

By far steaks from the hip. It's called about 4 or 5 different names, it's known as:

Shell Sirloin

New York Sirloin

Top Butt

Top Sirloin

then the most tender part is from the back of it called a Short Cut Rump Steak.

Picture: http://rusticrootsdelivery.com/images/P/Sirloin-Steak.jpg

Right now Choice grade is $4.99/lb at the supermarket i work, and the Black Angus we offer is $5.99/lb. I actually cut up a whole hip into chunks today that are marinading in my fridge. I cooked up a couple pieces quick for dinner tonight and oh... my... god... Probably the most underrated cut of beef out there.

edit: formatting

Thanks, follow up, do you have all your fingers?

Yep :)

Top sirloin cap steak is fantastic and comparatively pretty cheap. Rub with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne and you get pretty close (maybe better) than Central Cal Tri-tip.

Really tasty stuff.

100% agree. I work at a warehouse with a butcher shop and this is my go to steak. Also delicious as a roast done on the BBQ or traditionally.

yep spoon roasts make fantastic oven or pot roasts

What is your favorite cut of meat?

Probably a very well marbled rib eye. Preferably done in a cast iron skillet, it's amazing

Never used a butcher much. Do I just walk in and ask for whatever cut I want and you will go cut it fresh? Or do you do all the cutting in the morning and once its gone, its gone?

How can I use a butcher to get the best cut at the best price?

It all depends, if you want something special that i don't have in the case, say something cut thicker, or a certain size roast, i will cut it to order for you. But say i have 10 boneless rib eye steaks in the case that would last me all day, i cant really go cutting more just to cut something "fresher". We tend to cut as we go along throughout the day. We cycle cut so we try to cut as stuff is being bought while still keeping the case full, so you the customer gets a fresh product, and we can still maintain a low level of shrink (The amount of product that gets thrown away from being past the sell by date). However not all supermarkets are like this, some run the case down to purposely have next to nothing left in it by the end of the night where as we keep it full all day.

My company Hannaford Supermarkets has an exceptional meat program and our standards are heads and shoulders above our competitors.

Also you can always talk to your butcher to get an idea of the best cut for what you are trying to make. For sales, check the flyer :)

I love seeing posts like these where I can tell that the person has a genuine love for what they do. Have you ever heard of the big Texan? I just recently went there and had a filet or something like that... Anyway the meat was so tender... Do you have any tips on how to get it to be that tender? I seriously cut it with my fork.

Thanks, and ya i have heard of it. There are 2 things you can do, first is obviously the higher the grade the more tender its going to be. Prime is the best, Choice is below that still great quality, and Select is below that.

Second would be you can needle your beef to take a lower quality and make it better.

But if you buy a Top Sirloin/Strip, T-Bone/Porterhouse, Rib Eye, or especially Tenderloin/Filet, and cook it properly, you can't go wrong. Tenderloin is going to give you the easiest fork tender results.

Needle your beef?

Meat Needler?

You only do this to cheapo cuts to make it tender right? Not a good filet.

filet you wouldnt but you could do it to anything

what is the best kind of beef to cook on a charcoal bbq (burgers, steaks, etc)

For burgers it's ground chuck all the way. People now a days are all about 90% hamburger, hell there is 97% fat free out there. That stuff is like cardboard, if you want good flavor from your burger, you need to be using something around 80%, 85% is the leanest i ever use or recommend. If you can get a place to grind you some boneless chuck, from the Chuck Eye Roll, you'll be using the best you can.

If you're lazy like me, Bubba Burgers in your frozen meat section are the best frozen patty you can find. Some people will snarl at using a frozen patty, but the taste speaks for its self.

For steaks it's Shell Sirloins as i mentioned in another comment.

Thanks for the answer, which country do you work in usa or canada

USA

Thanks again i was wondering as i live in Canada so i was unsure as to what bubba burgers are

http://bubba-burger.com/

What are other names for chuck? I never see chuck roasts at my store.

I dont know of any really. This time of year you probably wont find them easily in the meat case. But you can probably find boneless chuck steaks, Chuck eyes, or they may have the Primal outback to cut you some.

How often do you say, "Ahhh, fresh meat!" ?

often, but mainly as an innuendo to the clerks

[deleted]

It's more hype than anything. But overall it is a consistently better breed of steer. It's said to have a better flavor as well. Though honestly, most black angus you'd pick up in the supermarket is interchangeable with beef of the same grade. Cow to Cow is the biggest factor.

Now something that is really special is Kobe Beef, expensive as hell, but soooooooooo good.

I like a tasty piece of meat on the grill. Sometimes, when I take it off, it looks like I tried to make a tile for the Shuttle's heat shield. It's now completely carbonised.

This is not a good thing. How can I get the meat to be thoroughly cooked [certainly chicken] without burning it to a crisp and without it being raw on the inside?

Thanks for being an awesome butcher!

You're cooking with your grill turned up too high, or your meat to close to the heat source. I always cook with a lower flame and a longer period of time. High Heat searing is only meant for a quick sear with a red center, and takes some practice to get right.

Remember, you can always cook a steak more, but you can't uncook it if you've cooked it too much. Also a MEAT THERMOMETERS ARE YOUR FRIEND i cant stress this enough. cooking times are a guideline. Here are the internal temps to know when your meat is done:

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

do any smells you enounter at work ever bother you?

Nah, not anymore.

When i was a clerk, the drains if they hadn't been cleaned in a while used to turn my stomache, and cleaning the rendering barrels that we store the fat that is trimmed off in. They're pretty rancid smelling if you aren't accustomed to it. it's always entertaining watching a new clerk handle those tasks

do you get paid well? how did you learn to butcher?

The pay is good, apprentice probably starts around 14-16 dollars/hour depending on where you are, and you can expect to probably be around 17-20/hour easily. Guys who have been in it a long time are around $28-35/hour.

You basically learn by starting as a clerk, and jumping at the opportunities when they come up. Not something people normally walk into or go to school for or anything.

you deserve every penny-that's not a job just anyone can do. (i could definitely never do it!) what's the worst part about the job?

Carpel Tunnel... haha

other than that when i have to be up at 4AM to do the morning shift. but over all there really isn't anything i don't like about it

do you butcher all kinds of animals? birds and fish?

Pork and Beef mainly.

My current company doesn't allow the processing of Poultry due to cross contamination fears/liability. However, i can properly break down a whole chicken or Turkey, and have even boned out whole turkeys for Turduchens (glad i dont have to anymore it's a pain in the ass.

We also do some lamb, but very rarely, most of that comes in pre-cut sadly now.

Fish is handled by the seafood department.

Why is skirt steak so expensive now? I used to buy it at a local market for $2/lbs in like 2007, now I can't find it for less than $8. Did you guys finally catch on that people like this cut?

TV and restaurants. baby back ribs used to be .69 cents a pound.... the I WANT MY BABY BACK BABY BACK BABY BACK..... Boom $5+/lb

Is there something I can use as an alternative other than flank steak? I like making marinated steak for burritos with flank/skirt steak but it's so expensive now that I don't make it nearly as often as I'd like. Would I be able to ask for a different type of steak cut thinner and use that?

I came here to ask this same question. I hope we get an answer.

its pretty unique so not really. anything comperable costs just as much

Why do people get pissy when I order a steak well-done? I have tried it several ways and it is by far my favorite, followed by medium well Pittsburgh.

Because people attribute well done steaks as dry, and overdone. The truth is if you cook it correctly a well done steak should still be tender, juicy and delicious.

But it's mainly personal preference on how you like your steak at the end of the day. It's your money, get your steak cooked how you like it. Not everyone likes their steak bleeding after its cooked.

Does anybody actually punch the meat, ever?

it doesnt come In hanging on rails anymore. but we do punch the boxes on occasion when we get pissed lol

How do you feel about the meat cutting industry going away from supermarkets? Most supermarkets now are slowly going to getting precut meats. I'm a produce manager at a major chain in N.C. and my brother is a market manager at a competing chain in the same state. His company still use meat cutters while my company switched over to precut meats.

It's depressing. The quality is hit or miss, and the customization aspect will most likely fade away. Though in contrast, having cutters can also be a selling point if the company leverages it right. Only time will tell.

Agreed. We still have a fresh meat case, but it's only specialty made stuff and product that can be cut with knives. I know my brother is finding it harder to find cutters. It drives him crazy when he trains someone just for them to quit or get fired. Wasting all that time to train someone from start, but he has no choice since there are rarely anyone with experience to hire anymore. Also, what state are you in? Hannaford use to be in N.C. but left because they couldn't get a good foot hold here.

Massachusetts. Hannaford is leaps and bounds above it's Delhaize (Parent company) counterparts in the south. i lived in virginia for 4 years and was really not impressed with the meat quality i saw down south sadly.

Also i feel that frustration, it's a dying trade, its hard to keep kids interested in it. There are few willing to work that hard for their money and dont appreciate the trade anymore.

In your opinion, what is the best cut to use for Beef Jerky (bang for buck as well as price irrelevant)?

Top Round, is what is used most often. and is normally around $2.99/lb to $3.69/lb depending on the market area and sales.

Flap Meat is also excellent (also known as sirloin tips) Suppose in that case you could use Skirt Steak as well.

Had a marbled steak last night. Turned out to be full of thick very tough fat that was undible. If looking for a fine piece how is this done properly?

A lot of people make the mistake of seeing lots of lines of fat in the steak as "marbling" when they are actually looking at things like sinew, gristle, and silver skin in some cases.

These are Kobe Beef Rib Eyes which have Excellent marbling http://www.kobemidwest.com/rib%20eye%20marbling.jpg

Notice how besides the large band of fat (which doesnt go away after cooking but adds flavor) it has a good amount of thin fat running through it. Marbling is normally hair line lines of fat running through the beef

I will take contrasting pics tomorrow at work of well marbled vs a shitty cut lol.

What is the best meat to grill a salt-crusted?

Ribeye, or Top Loin/Strip Steak.

Also i saw a pretty cool technique where a restaurant mops thier grill with salt water so the grill becomes crusted in salt, i tried it once and it was pretty good, but not sure how healthy that is for the metal on the grill...

Hmm. Decisions, decisions. I've got it! What's the best meat joke you butchers have out there?

If i think of any i will post some but i've always liked this slogan

http://greymatter.heyrocky.com/files/images/603_large.jpg

Though i would never say that slogan to an attractive woman... there are exceptions haha.

What different animals have you had the privilege of slicing up?

On a daily basis it's pork and beef, with lamb thrown in there at times, but i have butcher up a whole deer once, and have found someone to do it with on the side when this years hunting season rolls around.

My immature mind wants so badly to ask you to "cut my meat," but I am above that...... I hope.

Excuse me Sir/Madam, but i take playing with my meat very seriously and get extreme satisfaction from doing so :P

The butchers at my local market are all jolly, husky guys, who shoot the shit all day and love to cook. Is this true all around?

NOPE.

For everyone of those, there is another that is a miserable prick.

I like cooking pork shoulder on my charcoal grill - mostly because I like messing with it for hours. It just seems way better when it takes all day to cook. What is the beef equivalent to this?

Brisket. Also you should invest in a smoker as well. I bought a 79 dollar one from lowes last year and love it.

I prefer to use Pork Butt for my pulled pork, 11 hours on the smoker at 210 to 225 and mmmmmmmmmm

I'm currently a doing an apprenticeship in butchery, do you have any advice for me?

dont slack on clerk dutys. most apprentices upon becoming one only want to cut meat and neglect clerk duties, dives me up a fucking wall. Also focus on your knife skills they are the key to success.

If I buy ribeye from a grocery store ( I avoid it, but sometimes the sale price is to good to pass up) how long should I age it in the fridge? And, related, do I need to trim the dried fat off?

I don't age mine, and really am not that knowledgeable on the subject, sorry.

There isnt really anything wrong with getting them from the grocery store. Unless you're buying from a super specialty place, all the meat is most likely coming from Swift, IBP, Excel, National, or Nabraska Beef.

As long as you're buying choice grade or higher from the supermarket you should be getting a pretty good quality steak.

I wanna venture into raw/partially raw beef types of food. My local japanese restaurant serves delicious Beef tataki which is just very slightly seared beef on the outside, and completely rare, if not raw, on the inside. What would you recommend for someone who wants to explore really rare/raw beef cuts and food?

go to a trusted location you need to be sure there is no cross contamination to be as safe as possible. your best bet would be to buy like a whole cryovac tenderloin and cut it yourself to ensure proper preperation. But obvious legal stance is the consumption of raw meat is potentially dangerous no matter what lol

What's the best cut of ribs for bbqing? Any tips or recipes to share for ribs?

St. Louis or Baby back ribs in my opinion. St Louis has a lot more meat on them.

As far as techniques, I dont have anything good really, though i do plan on working on one this summer, it's on my list of things to throw in the smoker.

Have you ever killed a cow?

does with my car count? lol jk but no, pig yes.