Why does nobody talk about how much water weight is actually in a fresh side of beef?

I was trimming up a 400-pound side yesterday and decided to actually weigh the drip loss after it hung for 2 weeks. Came out to almost 8% of the total weight just from moisture hitting the floor. Am I the only one who thinks that number is way higher than what anybody admits to?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles27910d ago

Totally feel you on this one. That 8% drip loss is no joke, and it always surprises me how rarely people bring it up when they're talking about whole animal weight. I mean, you hang a side for two weeks and you're literally watching pounds of moisture just run off into the floor drain, it's kind of crazy when you stop and think about it. Most folks just talk about the hanging weight and never mention what actually hits the scale after aging. That's a big chunk of change walking away in water (literally!). You're definitely not alone in noticing this, it's one of those things that drives me nuts too.

morgan_bailey939d ago

That bit about standing there watching the water drain is exactly what got me. I used to blow off the drip loss as no big deal but honestly that 8% adds up fast when you're paying by the pound.

juliashah10d ago

The real kicker is that nobody factors that 8% into their final cost per pound when they're bragging about how cheap buying a whole animal is. That moisture represents actual money lost, and it only gets worse the longer you hang the meat for better tenderness. Most people would be a lot more careful about their math if they had to stand there and watch that much water draining away.