Spent two hours trying to get a clean cut on a full pork belly for bacon

The fat kept tearing no matter how sharp I kept the knife. Turns out the belly was partially frozen in the middle from our walk-in being too cold. Had to let it temper for nearly an hour before I could finish the job cleanly. Anyone else run into this with their cooler settings?

4 comments

4 Comments

sagecooper4mo ago

Why not just sharpen your knife more instead of blaming the cooler?

nguyen.blake4mo agoTop Commenter

Ugh, that's the worst. I mean, a sharp knife just skates right off frozen fat, it doesn't matter how good your edge is. Been there so many times, and it's always when you're already in a rush. Letting it temper is the only fix, but that wait feels like forever. Solid find on the cooler setting being the culprit.

nguyen.morgan4mo ago

So you've had your cooler freeze stuff solid before too?

michael_green441mo ago

One time I threw a whole brisket in there forgetting it was on max and had to thaw it with a hairdryer!