meatshop101.com

weinoo, that book is on the list, thx for the mention! E Turner

Thanks guys, very glad to be here! Eric

This practice has been around for quite some time actually, but what I've noticed is that, as more retailers go to pre-packaged meats (cut and packaged elsewhere), the more you see this 'saltwater' solution added to the meats. It's often referred to as a marinade but also acts as a preservative of course. I also am not so attracted to this stuff. Although I haven't noticed that it greatly affects the flavor in beef and pork especially, I have seen many instances where, for example, a red meat product will emerge from the refrigerator a full 2 weeks after I bought it just as red as the day I put it in there, and THAT is a creepy feeling, and you know fresh meat just doesn't behave that way. As far as removing the solution, I know that soaking certain meats for a little while in milk or buttermilk is known to effectively remove any added flavor from additives/salt and so forth, but I have never tried this with red meat, primarily with salt cured meats like country ham. Also it is my understanding that these saltwater/vinegar solutions affect the meat on a cellular level, so I'm not sure that it's possible to completely reverse its effects. I would suggest asking your butcher what he carries or can get in the way of all natural products with no additives or solution. You will of course pay extra, but you may find it worth it for the peace of mind. Good luck! E Turner

Thanks so much, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible here. I will check out your book recommendation now. All the best, E Turner

Hey All, I am a retired butcher from the south, and it's been hard for me to say goodbye to the trade. Virtually every butcher with whom I ever worked testified that meat cutting is a trade that "gets in your blood." This was true for me as well. Anyway, I have a website that I launched a while back, but then circumstances took me away from it for a time. I'm getting back to it now, and it is proving to be the next best thing to being back on the butcher block for me. Also the prospect of giving meat consumers some truly useful tips from a true 'insider' is very appealing to me and gives me the feeling that I still have all those customer relationships going that I made over the years. When I first launched, I was fortunate enough to be picked up by Beef Magazine, who ran an article about the site and my bio. If interested you can see it here. And of course, the most valuable thing of all for me and the future of Meatshop101 is input, so please feel free to visit and let me know what you think! All the Best, E. Turner