Old school butcher told me I was wasting time on my chuck roll breakdown

I used to break down chuck rolls by going after each muscle group individually, seam by seam. Took me forever and my yield was decent but nothing special. Then a guy who's been doing this 40 years watched me work and said quit hunting for the perfect seam, just cut across the grain at the right spots and let the meat tell you where to split. Changed how I approach the whole shoulder now. I rough out the big sections first then come back for the fine trimming. Saves me about 12 minutes per roll and my Denver steaks come out way more consistent.Anyone else get a tip from an older butcher that made you rethink your whole flow?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_green12d ago

Gotta push back on that a little, Kim Martin. I tried that "let the knife find its way" approach and ended up with ragged cuts and way more trim waste than when I stick to my seam work. Old timers have good instincts but they also learned in a time when a few extra ounces of trim going to grind didn't hurt the bottom line like it does now. I still do my chuck rolls boneless, working each muscle group separate, and I'm getting 84-86% yield on a consistent basis. That 12 minutes you're saving could be costing you real money in the long run if you're not careful with the Denver and flat iron sections.

kim_martin12d ago

Man that advice about letting the meat tell you where to split is gold. Older butchers have this way of making you realize you're overthinking everything. They've seen so many carcasses they just know the natural lines without having to chase them. I had a similar moment with beef clods once, old timer just said stop fighting it and the knife will find its way. It's humbling but it totally speeds things up and your yield actually gets better somehow.