Battle of the Beef II: Liberated from the Locker
“If you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.”
Cantankerous old Chuck Crupper, of Chuck’s Locker down in Ivesdale, made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want anything more to do with the carcass I’d made him hang for three weeks, and I no longer trusted him to do right by this fine side of beef, for which he had absolutely no appreciation, so Big Red and I made a trip out there yesterday to liberate it from the locker.
Good thing I have a ten-foot cargo van, although I certainly never envisioned this use for it! The beef is stretched out in my van now (where the temperature is hovering just below freezing), so I’ll make a few trips out there today to keep it company and run the heat just a tetch. On Sunday afternoon we’re planning an old-fashioned gathering of the tribe (or the clan, or the little piggies, or whatever) to carve this beast and divvy it up. Knowing us, we’ll end up sampling some too, as well as copious quantities of adult beverages.
Fortunately, I remembered that a good neighbor of mine worked for many years as a meat cutter, so we’re bringing him out of retirement to guide us. Brandon and I have already had a lesson on cutting up beef from Chuck Stites at the UI Meat Sciences Lab (who has been no end of helpful, so he should not be confused with the cranky Chuck of Ivesdale), so we’re ready for the hands-on experience.
Stay tuned for the next installment: The Thrilla from the Grilla!
Tags: beef, butchering