Finally got my primal breakdown time under 20 minutes

I mean, a year ago I was taking like 35 minutes on a beef hindquarter, just kind of feeling my way through. I watched this old guy at the state fair competition last fall, and he was just so smooth and didn't waste a move. I started practicing his flow in the cooler on slow days, focusing on keeping the knife on the bone. Now I'm consistently hitting 18-19 minutes, and my yield is way better. It's a small thing but it feels good. Anyone else have a little trick that just clicked for them and saved a bunch of time?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_paul15d ago

The state fair competition is what gets me. I saw those guys once and they looked like they were moving in slow motion, just perfect cuts. You went from watching to doing it in 18 minutes. That's a crazy fast jump. Honestly, I'd still be back at the 35 minute mark just hacking away.

uma_martinez15d ago

That's a huge improvement, nice work.

joel_butler8d ago

But what's the real rush to get under 20 minutes? Speed isn't everything if you're just working in your own shop... taking your time can mean cleaner cuts and less chance of messing up a good piece of meat. That smooth competition style is for a stage, not necessarily for every day. Sometimes going slower and being careful actually saves you more money in the long run by not ruining anything.