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Unpopular opinion: Over-trimming fat takes the soul out of butchery
Lately, I see so many butchers giving in to the demand for super lean cuts, and I think it's a bad move. Fat isn't just waste, it's key for flavor and moisture (you know, like how a pork belly stays tender). In my shop, we used to leave a good layer on chops and steaks, and folks raved about the taste. Now, everyone wants it gone, and I've watched customers buy dry, bland meat because of it. I get the health concerns, but a little fat won't hurt, and it makes cooking way easier. We're butchers, not doctors, so we should trust our know-how more. Maybe if we explain how fat works in cooking, people would listen. It feels like we're losing part of our craft just to follow a trend.
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sagehenderson1mo ago
Wait, selling untrimmed cuts as a premium option now? That's wild to me, but I guess it makes sense if everyone else is cutting all the flavor away. It's just sad that what used to be normal is now some special, expensive thing. People forgot how to cook with good fat and now they have to pay extra to learn again.
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hugo_flores1mo ago
It's the same thing happening everywhere... we keep stripping away the messy, good stuff for something clean and simple. You see it with food becoming bland fast food, or furniture built to look nice but fall apart. We're taught to fear the rich parts that actually make life better, trading long lasting quality for something that seems safer right now. Explaining it might help, but people have to be willing to listen past the simple message they already know.
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