ray136•5d ago

I finally figured out why my pork shoulder cuts were always a bit off.

I was watching a guy break down a hog at the county fair last weekend, and he kept pointing to a specific seam of fat. He said, 'If you follow that line, the muscle comes apart like it wants to.' I'd been forcing my knife through for years, which was making the meat look ragged. Tried it on a shoulder yesterday and it was a total game changer. Anyone have a different trick for finding that natural seam?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_taylor475d ago

What exactly was he pointing at? Was it that thick, shiny fat layer between the shoulder and the picnic, or something deeper inside the main muscle?

parker_price5d ago

So what about the actual knife you're using? @uma_taylor47 is right to ask about the spot, but a super sharp, flexible boning knife makes following that seam way easier than a stiff chef's knife. A dull blade will tear things up no matter how well you find the line. I learned that the hard way after ruining a good cut with a knife I thought was sharp enough. Getting a proper edge and the right tool for the job is half the battle once you know what to look for.

phoenix_grant345d ago

A sharp knife matters, but you can butcher a whole hog with a dull hatchet if you know the animal's build. The right spot is the real key, and a good butcher finds it by feel, not just by tool.