+ 18 Tips from a Meat Cutter
Hello fellow gym rats,
I figured I'd write a post on how to chose meats. I'm a former meat cutter who worked for a major chain and wanted to give you guys a few tips. First there really is a difference in one grocers meat compared to another.
I worked where I did because I knew this and took pride in my job. I will only eat meat from 2 grocers in the city where I live, because I know how the other markets "process" their meats.
Beware of packaged meats that are in plastic trays with film over them, (foam is OK) This is usually very low grade meat that is atmosphere modified (pumped with gas) and has water and other non meat ingredients added. That's right you're paying for beef but getting water! I have seen steaks with up to 30% water added. Now think about that for a moment and what you pay now for a good cut of beef!
There are some like this that can stay on a store shelf for up to 6 MONTHS without any noticeable change of color. Meat shouldn't last that long. Period. Probably the worst quality meat is from the worlds biggest retailer (W@lmart) which uses genetically modified cattle (gene splicing/cloned) and also puts tons of additives, fillers and gas in it's meat.
Studies suggest that the effect of it in your body causes a sort of confusion (your body goes "what the IS it?") and is being linked to all sorts of illnesses. Also, in cloning the structure of the meat can be damaged at a gene strand level. Therefore your body has a hard time knowing what to do with it. Not to mention that the nutrients are very different (way less). Basically...it looks the same but isn't.
So how do you tell real meat from Frankenstein meat? you ask the Butcher.
Real meat starts to oxidize very quickly (a few hours from the time it was cut) especially if one piece touches another piece...in a package of two steaks for example. If one piece overlaps another when you get it home it will have a dark brown color to it. You want this! Most people think that the redder the better, and dark red or slight brown is bad. This is false. This SHOULD happen to your meat, it is perfectly fine and still delicious it just has no additives or preservatives in it.
ALWAYS pick meat that does this, it will be real meat, you will actually get the protein and nutrients that the cut is supposed to have and you will get exactly what you paid for. =)
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Good post man! I buy all my steak from a farmer abt 20 miles out of town and it’s all grass fed and I can tell a huge difference in taste, flavor and tenderness compared to steaks bought at Wally World which is the closest grocery store to my house. Good info to have thanks for posting!
Makes sense. When i go hunting and get a deer and age it for 28 days the meat isnt red its more brown but delicious and 100% organic. Freezer full of Deer, Rabbit, Salmon and Striped Bass all 100% wild. Great read Aay!
Oh yes, that has to be good eating there!
Great info, than you
And thanks again, useful info
Since you wrote up a nice advice piece I have one for you. If you need anything that has to do with asphalt like a driveway or something else done watch the prices of diesel once it hits really low pay for the job to be done at that time oil gets filtered into gas then that’s filtered to diesel then that’s filtered into asphalt oil. After 9/11 when gas prices went through the roof they re-filtered diesel 2times cause they could get more money selling diesel the a barrel of asphalt oil I had a few bad years of work back then. It’s a random tip but hey like my wife always says everyone likes a tip
Nice man +1
Great info!
Thanks a lot for sharing
interesting. No wonder that Walmart burger stays red no matter how long it sits in the fridge.
Good info thanks
Thanks for this. Would be grateful for new updates
Great contribution bro!!
Awesome tips! My dad’s been a butcher his whole life and I didn’t know about the water/gas filler stuff. He has always said no plastic trays though. I just didn’t know why.
You should do a mini-series. Best cuts, grades, what to look for when picking a rib-eye (and other cuts for that matter) the bang for your buck of chuck-eye, etc.
you’d be surprised how many people don’t even know about hanger steak let along how great it is!
Thanks man! ++
That is great info. I go to a grocery store that still has butchers and can cut to my specs and they're always happy to do so. I never buy meat from a place that doesn't have a butcher.
I share, man.
I personally always go to the butcher of my trust.
I know him well and I know where the meat comes from.
When I have no money, I prefer to buy the farmer's eggs, which are cheaper and have clean proteins.
I am of the opinion that you should not save on food, it is for the sake of our health.
The meat in the big discount stores is all contaminated, unchecked.
RustyhookerNice info!!
Thanks for sharing brother.
What are your thoughts on the grades of beef? I probably treat myself to a nice steak maybe 2-3 times a month and costco seems to be one of the only retailers that carries prime grade steaks.
Informative, thanks for the post.