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Chat with an old-school butcher changed how I handle beef fat

Tbh I was at a shop talk in Philly last month and this retired guy named Sal was going on about how he never trims his ribeye caps. He said he leaves about a quarter inch of fat on every steak and lets the customer decide what to cut off. I always thought you had to trim it clean for presentation but after trying it on a few orders I swear the flavor stays way better. Plus I get less shrinkage on the grill which means happier customers. He also told me to render the trimmings separately for tallow instead of tossing them. Has anyone else tried leaving more fat on their cuts or am I just late to this?

3 comments

3 Comments

david_palmer11d ago

Yeah that's a good point @dylan_ward, I mean different cuts really do need different handling. I messed around with leaving extra fat on a sirloin once and it turned out tough and chewy, not worth it. For ribeye though, I've been leaving about a quarter inch like Sal said and it works great because the fat cap gets crispy on the grill. But yeah, if someone's ordering a leaner cut or they're the type who picks around the fat, you gotta adjust. Rendering the trimmings is the real hidden gem here, I've been saving my fat for a couple weeks now and making tallow for roasting potatoes. It's not something you see talked about much but it's simple and saves money.

dylan_ward11d agoMost Upvoted

Gotta push back a little on Sal's advice... leaving a quarter inch of fat is fine for some things but it's not a one-size-fits-all rule. If your customer is someone who likes a leaner steak, that extra fat can get rubbery and greasy on the plate and they'll just send it back. I've been running my own crew for a while and I've found that different cuts need different handling, like you leave more on a ribeye but trim a New York strip closer to the bone. Sal's right about rendering the trimmings though, that's solid advice you don't see enough in these home kitchens.

perry.jesse11d agoMost Upvoted

I mean, is it really that deep though? You're out here talking about getting a steak sent back because of a quarter inch of fat. If someone's that picky, they probably shouldn't be ordering a ribeye in the first place, you know? Like, it's a well-known fact that ribeye has that fat cap, it's part of what makes it a ribeye. If they want a leaner cut, they should order a filet or a sirloin and stop complaining. But I guess that's just me, I've had customers try to send back perfectly good steaks because the fat wasn't to their liking and I just tell them that's the cut, not my fault. Don't get me wrong, trimming closer on a strip makes sense, but acting like a quarter inch of fat is some kind of crisis feels like overthinking things a bit.