Found a way to get better marbling on shoulder cuts after a trip to a small abattoir in Ohio

I was visiting a family-run place near Columbus last month and watched one of the old timers work a chuck shoulder. He told me it's all about the hanging time before you break it down, like 10-14 days instead of the typical 5. I tried it on a few shoulders back at my shop and the fat distribution was way more even. Has anyone else played around with extended aging on tougher cuts like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith_king4d ago

Got the opposite problem at my place - let one hang 16 days by accident and the fat basically melted off into a greasy mess when I cooked it. 10 to 14 sounds like a sweet spot.

jana_hart183d ago

Sucks when you nail a method then hit a wall like that. I did the same thing with a brisket once, pushed it too far and ended up with a weird texture. Your 16 day mishap lines up with what that old timer warned me about, he said you start losing moisture fast after 14 or so. It's frustrating because it feels like you're doing everything right and then it just doesn't cooperate. Marbling on shoulders is weirdly sensitive compared to other cuts in my experience. At least you know where that edge is now though, right?

nancycooper3d ago

My uncle used to wrap his shoulders in butcher paper on day 12 and it seemed to help.