I rarely trim fat for reasons mentioned...One of the two butchers I use always has a surprised look when I buy Strip Loins and tell him there is no need to trim...Same with Brisket, no trimming...I know it is anti-YAWYE, but heck we don't eat Brisket or Steak everyday, FAT is darn TASTY and fat with a coat of Rub and all Crispy like is AWESOME!...As far as the Toothpick deal, I learned in Culinary School to use an Instant Read Thermo' for everything I cook...Bread, Cakes, Meat, I cook everything to temp, with time as just a guideline. So I have always used the Thermo Probe to test for tenderness as well...Come to think of it, the only thing I use Toothpicks for is Holding Bacon on ABTs and Moinks...We use Flosser's after meals...JJ