Cheap but good meat?
Discussion
Just having started self-catering as a student I've quickly realised just how expensive decent meat is. What are the best sources of cheap but good meat?
At home we used to eat a lot of rabbit 'under the counter' from the character grocer and pheasant which the local shoot used to give but there doesnt seem to be much of that around.
I heard that some butchers often sell the less popular/unwanted parts of the animal away for peanuts, any recommendations for what to ask for (I'm not squeamish
) and recipes for them.
At home we used to eat a lot of rabbit 'under the counter' from the character grocer and pheasant which the local shoot used to give but there doesnt seem to be much of that around.
I heard that some butchers often sell the less popular/unwanted parts of the animal away for peanuts, any recommendations for what to ask for (I'm not squeamish
) and recipes for them.steveo29 said:
chickens lips are good for a soup 
ever tried offal
if your not squimish you should try it
There's offal and there's offal...I mean there's nowt wrong with a nice bit of liver and bacon, or some hot and spicy fried kidneys.ever tried offal
if your not squimish you should try itOn the other hand, lungs and tripe aren't really my cup of tea at all.
Squid is a really good buy, most of the time - especially from a big market.
Also, Waitrose are bringing back "lost foods" that went out of fashion when supermarkets came in at knockdown prices; I would google them and see how much what they are planning to sell costs at your local butcher - I would guess not a lot!
Leaving chicken out of things, as a general rule, the difference between expensive and cheaper cuts of red meat is how long they need to be cooked. eg Fillet steak is a quick job, leave to rest and away you go. Chuck steak needs longer.
My 2 c would be:
1. Fillet pork is surprisingly cheap in terms of quality.
2. Lamb shanks are great, cheap and easy. Plenty of recipes on the web but the key is to put them in a pop and chuck them in the oven for a good few hours.
3. Pork belly is the same. V Cheap and quite fatty. Usually sold as a rolled roast. Key is to unroll it, roast in the oven for a good few hours (fat renders away) then crisp the skin under the grill. Best roast pork ever, believe me.
4. Chuck or blade steak is great in a caserole. Season, flour, pan fry. Chunky vegetables, some herbs, stock and chuck it all in the oven for a good few hours and you're done.
5. Pork neck is used for making proper sweet and sour pork. (most likely need a butcher for this)
6. Pork ribs are great on a BBQ.
7. Offal is great if you like it (I do). Devilled lambs kidneys on toast, lamb's or calves liver with mash. Chicken / duck livers are great for making your own pate.
that should get you going for a start...
My 2 c would be:
1. Fillet pork is surprisingly cheap in terms of quality.
2. Lamb shanks are great, cheap and easy. Plenty of recipes on the web but the key is to put them in a pop and chuck them in the oven for a good few hours.
3. Pork belly is the same. V Cheap and quite fatty. Usually sold as a rolled roast. Key is to unroll it, roast in the oven for a good few hours (fat renders away) then crisp the skin under the grill. Best roast pork ever, believe me.
4. Chuck or blade steak is great in a caserole. Season, flour, pan fry. Chunky vegetables, some herbs, stock and chuck it all in the oven for a good few hours and you're done.
5. Pork neck is used for making proper sweet and sour pork. (most likely need a butcher for this)
6. Pork ribs are great on a BBQ.
7. Offal is great if you like it (I do). Devilled lambs kidneys on toast, lamb's or calves liver with mash. Chicken / duck livers are great for making your own pate.
that should get you going for a start...
Cheap cuts of red meat can be brilliant: blade and skirt steak, lamb shoulder & shanks etc - just need a decent amount of cooking time. Also look at mutton - apparantly it's undergoing a bit of a revival in the UK at the moment. Ask a good butcher about it.
For anything to do with meat, Hugh F-W is the man: try and get your hands on a copy of his "Meat" book.
ETA - Forgot about my username! See if you can get your hands on a large rooster: it should be very cheap and you can use it to make a proper Coq au Vin (recipe in Hugh FW's book).
For anything to do with meat, Hugh F-W is the man: try and get your hands on a copy of his "Meat" book.
ETA - Forgot about my username! See if you can get your hands on a large rooster: it should be very cheap and you can use it to make a proper Coq au Vin (recipe in Hugh FW's book).
Edited by Coq au Vin on Wednesday 24th September 23:04
Cactussed said:
Leaving chicken out of things, as a general rule, the difference between expensive and cheaper cuts of red meat is how long they need to be cooked. eg Fillet steak is a quick job, leave to rest and away you go. Chuck steak needs longer.
My 2 c would be:
1. Fillet pork is surprisingly cheap in terms of quality.
2. Lamb shanks are great, cheap and easy. Plenty of recipes on the web but the key is to put them in a pop and chuck them in the oven for a good few hours.
3. Pork belly is the same. V Cheap and quite fatty. Usually sold as a rolled roast. Key is to unroll it, roast in the oven for a good few hours (fat renders away) then crisp the skin under the grill. Best roast pork ever, believe me.
4. Chuck or blade steak is great in a caserole. Season, flour, pan fry. Chunky vegetables, some herbs, stock and chuck it all in the oven for a good few hours and you're done.
5. Pork neck is used for making proper sweet and sour pork. (most likely need a butcher for this)
6. Pork ribs are great on a BBQ.
7. Offal is great if you like it (I do). Devilled lambs kidneys on toast, lamb's or calves liver with mash. Chicken / duck livers are great for making your own pate.
that should get you going for a start...
I like these suggestions, guess it helps I like kidney My 2 c would be:
1. Fillet pork is surprisingly cheap in terms of quality.
2. Lamb shanks are great, cheap and easy. Plenty of recipes on the web but the key is to put them in a pop and chuck them in the oven for a good few hours.
3. Pork belly is the same. V Cheap and quite fatty. Usually sold as a rolled roast. Key is to unroll it, roast in the oven for a good few hours (fat renders away) then crisp the skin under the grill. Best roast pork ever, believe me.
4. Chuck or blade steak is great in a caserole. Season, flour, pan fry. Chunky vegetables, some herbs, stock and chuck it all in the oven for a good few hours and you're done.
5. Pork neck is used for making proper sweet and sour pork. (most likely need a butcher for this)
6. Pork ribs are great on a BBQ.
7. Offal is great if you like it (I do). Devilled lambs kidneys on toast, lamb's or calves liver with mash. Chicken / duck livers are great for making your own pate.
that should get you going for a start...
Many thanks 
Oxtail.
Slow casserole style recipies suit it. It's also much nicer to eat if prior to serving you lift the oxtail chunks out and pull all the meat off the bone and discard the bones. To do that you need to make sure you have slow cooked the oxtail until the meat is really falling off the bone...
Slow casserole style recipies suit it. It's also much nicer to eat if prior to serving you lift the oxtail chunks out and pull all the meat off the bone and discard the bones. To do that you need to make sure you have slow cooked the oxtail until the meat is really falling off the bone...
Don said:
Oxtail.
Slow casserole style recipies suit it. It's also much nicer to eat if prior to serving you lift the oxtail chunks out and pull all the meat off the bone and discard the bones. To do that you need to make sure you have slow cooked the oxtail until the meat is really falling off the bone...
Stewed with dumplings, yum! Slow casserole style recipies suit it. It's also much nicer to eat if prior to serving you lift the oxtail chunks out and pull all the meat off the bone and discard the bones. To do that you need to make sure you have slow cooked the oxtail until the meat is really falling off the bone...
Also shread the meat with some olives in a blender, makes a nice pate type thing which is great on toast or with a steak sitting on top.
Currently nestling in my deep freeze are lots of different economical cuts of meat. People have been guilty of only buying the better-known cuts like fillet, sirloin, leg etc, when the delights of a good roast can be found from other sources.
Lamb shoulder roasted on a relatively low heat for 5 hours, with rosemary, beef or lamb stock, onion etc. Will fall apart when you take it out.
Pale bone (beef) this is the other half of the rib bone that is cut off from a rib of beef as most know it. It is best served medium so to achieve this I usually start it in a pan to get good colour on all sides, then transfer to the oven for 25 mins, rest for up to 20 mins covered. Approx £2/kg
Pig's cheek - imagine all the chewing such a muscle does over a pig's life. Remove the muscle from the fat, brown all over and then braise in a stock. Pull out; rest, reduce stock, serve with buttery mash and greens.
Belly pork, flat piece, bone in, score, salt, oil, roast at 170 for 100minutes or so, you'll have great crackling. Try and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight prior to cooking as it helps the skin dry out for a good crackle
Chicken wings / thighs - I am not a breast man!! dry, tastless, expensive, full of water. Wings are delicious roasted simply with loads of salt, pepper, lemon and oil. Thighs are good de-boned and then cooked in a good saute pan skin-side down and untouched for twelve minutes in olive oil, salt and pepper, tuned over for 5 mins to finish, rest ad carve against the grain, serve on top of risotto or cous cous. So much flavour
The key to all of this is of course fat, which leads to succulence and flavour. A piece of pork fillet is a vehicle only for other strong flavours in my book, as it has little flavour of it's own. All the cuts above have great flavour on their own. Let us now how you get on!!!!
Lamb shoulder roasted on a relatively low heat for 5 hours, with rosemary, beef or lamb stock, onion etc. Will fall apart when you take it out.
Pale bone (beef) this is the other half of the rib bone that is cut off from a rib of beef as most know it. It is best served medium so to achieve this I usually start it in a pan to get good colour on all sides, then transfer to the oven for 25 mins, rest for up to 20 mins covered. Approx £2/kg
Pig's cheek - imagine all the chewing such a muscle does over a pig's life. Remove the muscle from the fat, brown all over and then braise in a stock. Pull out; rest, reduce stock, serve with buttery mash and greens.
Belly pork, flat piece, bone in, score, salt, oil, roast at 170 for 100minutes or so, you'll have great crackling. Try and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight prior to cooking as it helps the skin dry out for a good crackle
Chicken wings / thighs - I am not a breast man!! dry, tastless, expensive, full of water. Wings are delicious roasted simply with loads of salt, pepper, lemon and oil. Thighs are good de-boned and then cooked in a good saute pan skin-side down and untouched for twelve minutes in olive oil, salt and pepper, tuned over for 5 mins to finish, rest ad carve against the grain, serve on top of risotto or cous cous. So much flavour
The key to all of this is of course fat, which leads to succulence and flavour. A piece of pork fillet is a vehicle only for other strong flavours in my book, as it has little flavour of it's own. All the cuts above have great flavour on their own. Let us now how you get on!!!!
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