cheaper cuts of meat

I usually brown oxtail in a pan first and then add in my veg and stuff when I put in slow cooker. Little bit of flour at end to thicken gravy. Oxtail is already to go, I usually wash my meat though, do other people? Just put it in a big pan and brown it. You could roll the oxtail in some seasoned flour, brown in a pan, throw in some veg, onions, carrots, turnip, chunky cut and then put in some stock and cook on a low heat. Not sure for how long though as I usually do mine in the SC overnight. Someone else might oblige with the timings.

I'm sure you could use the stock you make from the bones in the casserole, no problem. Also, place it in fridge once it's cooled and you can then just lift of the fat from the top of it, easier than skimming it off with a spoon when it is still warm. HTH.

Ticklemouse wrote:

Al,

Go to www.beefyandlamby.co.uk

It has links on the left hand margin that take you the various cuts and how to ccok them

Thanks brilliant site even has videos on how to carve certain joints.

Yours

Calley

Hi,

Sorry to go off thread a bit. Does anyone know off hand what the current cost of oxtail is? Just curious, fancy getting some on Monday to do a casserole for myself and the kids. Thanks. Need enough to do one adult and two little ones, 4 and 6 with biggish appetites. Cheers for any info.

Smiley_Mum wrote:

Hi,

Sorry to go off thread a bit. Does anyone know off hand what the current cost of oxtail is?

Varies a lot - good local butcher is your best bet - (make sure your butcher does not fob you off with pieces taken only from the end of the tail, which tends to be scrawnier)

For example, Lower Hurst Farm has organic oxtail at £6 per kg (Although non-organic from local butcher may cost much less than that):
http://www.lowerhurstfarm.co.uk/store/results3.asp?MeatType=25

Recipe:
Oxtail and shin of beef daube with garlic, shallots and a touch of chocolate:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,21392-1961447,00.html

moneysavingplumber wrote:

Chicken is far cheaper per kg/lb if you buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself.

In my 'beginners cookbook' it suggests buying the chicken and getting the butcher to do this for you. My butcher sells a free range chicken for about £4, which is cheaper than free range in the supermarket. I haven't actually done this yet, but it makes sense and I will ask next time I'm there.

I'm gradually trying to get to grips with the butcher. I went in to order a turkey crown but I didn't know the difference between a crown and a boned/rolled joint so he took me into a back room and showed me the different joints and explained how to cook them. I didn't know anything about sizes/weights etc so I just asked for "enough for 4 people without too many left overs". When I collected it it was perfect!

On a related note, I went into a fishmongers and bought a large piece of smoked haddock and 2 very large salmon fillets for about £4.50. He then took the skin off for me (I'm squeamish ). A bit cheaper than Tescos and a lovely jolly chap.

We're trying to make an effort to go to butchers/fishmongers/farm shops when we can now. We can't always do it as it means giving up a Saturday morning to go shopping (yuk) but it does seem worth it. I used to buy value meat all the time but I've realised that although it can sometimes work out more expensive it's so much nicer. We just don't eat it as much so we stick within budget.