cheaper cuts of meat

Penelope_Penguin

leiela wrote: »

Every week i fall into the same old trap of buying the same old thing.

So i thought i'd ask you guys for help, im going to my freindly local butcher in a couple of hours and i thought i'd try some new things.

Anyone got any suggestions of any decent/cheapish cut's of meat and any idea's what i can make with them??

The only catch is i don't want anything Tooo fatty, so i can't get any of the really really cheap cuts.

Lamb shanks used to be cheap, but have become trendy and expensive now :rolleyes:

There are lots of turkey legs around atm. They're good slow-cooked

I'll add this to the existing thread we have on this subject.

Penny. x

leiela

maltesers wrote: »

Our local Somerfield are selling them for £1 - £1.50 rolled.

However, they are usually very fatty.

Too be honest, meat should be fatty - that is where the flavour comes from but we've all been brainwashed that it is bad for us.

It isn't about fats being bad Fats are essential for a healthy mind and body, however im athlete of sorts and i have to calculate my macro's (protien,fat,carbs) very carefully and it can be hard to get in enough protien without too much fat with fattier cut's of meat, generally speaking it's easier to get the protien in with leaner cuts of meat, then supliment the fats with nuts/olive oil etc if my fat quota needs it.

the meat doens't have to be SUPER lean, just not SUPER fatty

maltesers_2

In that case game meat will be mainly protein and you can add fat by adding a sauce. It's worth a try. If you don't like liver I wouldn't recommend pigeon though.

I think breast of lamb and belly of pork would be about 50% fat or more sometimes.

Raspberry_Swirl

Ham hocks haven't fallen fowl to trend and gone up in price yet and you can still get one for about £1.50 (well that's how much they are where i am!). This will easily feed 4 in a soup. Is also nice roasted, but doesn't go as far.

vanilla

We are a family of five, two adults and three children (that will eat anything).

We would have bought all our meat before from the supermarket but after watching Hugh i'm trying to use the butcher all the time but problem is i don't know the different cuts of meat or what meals they can make.?

I'm trying to get our food shop bill down but hubby is a real meat eater (would eat 8 saugages or three burgers, no babs at night, every night):eek: . I love using the slow cooker but don't have a clue what to ask the butcher for that is cheap?? I also don't have clue about weights and how much i would need to feed us lot.

Hubby does loves his steak (too expensive to eat nearly every day), pork chops and beef saugages. He loves his roasts as well but will give anything a try.

Any suggestions or tips would be great.:A

Pink.

Hi Vanilla,

There's an earlier thread that should help with cheap cuts of meat and how best to cook them so I'll add your thread to it to keep the ideas together.
Pink

Debt_Free_Chick

vanilla wrote: »

We would have bought all our meat before from the supermarket but after watching Hugh i'm trying to use the butcher all the time but problem is i don't know the different cuts of meat or what meals they can make.?

I strongly recommend that you get a copy of Hugh's Meat book from the library - if you can afford it, buy it. It will change your life as far as buying and cooking meat is concerned and one of the things he addresses completely is the "thrify meat cuts" issue - with his usual enthusiasm. I'd go as far to say that you will ONLY want to use thrifty cuts once you have this book.

My copy is well thumbed and splashed with fat & gravy, so I'll need to buy another copy soon .... and I've bought countless copies to give to others as gifts.

Get it - please

thriftlady_2

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

I'd go as far to say that you will ONLY want to use thrifty cuts once you have this book.

I agree absolutely Fillet and rump just don't appeal any more. It is a fantastic book. The pictures showing the different cuts are really useful too.

EssexHebridean

Another thumbs up for the RC Meat book from here too - it's superb, and so well used now! If I was only allowed to keep one recipe book (my god - that's my idea of a nightmare!) then it would probably be that one.

If you have a god local butcher then that's brilliant - as others have said go and TALK to him and use him for advice as much as product. Most good butchers are more than happy to talk to you about the cuts of meat, what to do with them etc. However, if like us, your only local butchers are a bit "three packs of something dodgy-looking marinated in an implausibly red sauce for £10" then have a look for your nearest farmers market. We've been buying all our meat from farmers markets for a few years now - it started off when friends introduced us to Borough Market in London - at the time we were living on a heck of a tight budget and going there was almost unbearable as there was so much wonderful stuff that we couldn't even dream of affording, but we got chatting to the guys on the stalls and they pointed us in the direction of some of the cheaper cuts. We eat far, far less meat than we used to but of a much higher quality, and it's far tastier too! Now we use two of our local markets on a monthly basis, and are just in the process of buying a whole lamb for the freezer - I intend to keep a diary of how we use him or her once it turns up to see exactly how many meals I get out of it and the rough price per meal for working that way.

Some of our favourite cuts are skirt of beef, lamb shoulder, mutton in pretty much any form, shin of beef......we tried pigs trotters for the first time this week and whilst delicious they are a little too fiddly for our taste. Liver and bacon is a favourite, and I can stretch a free range chicken further than I would have believed possible!

milkybars

During a wine-fueled conversation with a friend, I hazily remember him saying that in this country we import the back half of pigs but export the front half, due to an imbalance in supply and demand of the various cut of meat.

This got me thinking that there must be some cuts that are cheaper as they're not as in demand. However, up until a few months ago, I only ate poultry. I hadn't eaten other meats for 16 years, when I was too young to know about different cuts of meat. Thus I haven't a clue about pork or beef (haven't managed to try lamb yet but open to suggestions).

Which cuts are cheaper but just as tasty? Which should I be asking my butcher for?