A customer in Portland asked for a cut I'd never done before

He wanted a Denver steak from a chuck roll. I told him it wasn't a real cut. He showed me a diagram from a 1970s meat manual he had. We spent 20 minutes in the shop breaking it down his way. The yield was way better than I expected. Anyone else had a customer teach them a classic method?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivangrant4d ago

Reminds me of the old baker who taught me to proof sourdough in a linen-lined basket.

max8089d ago

That's a cool thing about people who really know their craft, they carry this old knowledge around. I mean, it happens everywhere, not just butchers. My barber has these old clipper techniques from his granddad that nobody teaches anymore. Makes you wonder how much good stuff gets lost just because it's not the current way of doing things.

patt639d ago

Had a guy come in asking for a Delmonico cut from the ribeye. I was ready to argue, but he pulled out an old textbook. We followed his method and got three perfect steaks instead of the usual two. That book is now behind my counter. You never stop learning in this job.