cheaper cuts of meat

BitterAndTwisted

You've got a friend whose hubby is a butcher?

Pink.

Hi wannabee_in_credit,

This thread has lots of advice that should help:

cheaper cuts of meat

I'll add your thread to it later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

[Deleted User]

I am very lucky where I live in that although its not a big place there are not only a very good local butcher's but also a greengrocers and a 'wet' fish shop.a bit further down the road from the fish shop is an old-fashioned ironmongers where if you want you can buy a couple of nuts,bolts or screws for pennies instead of having to buy a whole packet from B&Qs.The lid of my slow cooker fell apart last year and I went into the ironmongers and he found me a wooden one with a screw thread that would go through the glass lid of my SC and the cost was 45p Lid fixed no worries .At the top of my road is also a cobblers /lawnmower shop where you can get shoes repaired and your lawnmower or shears sharpened.I love living where I do as almost anything I need is withing a five minutes walk and I don't have to go to the supermarket if I don't want to .recently though our little local bakers closed down as T&scos had undercut them so much that they just couldn't compete.I am a great believer in 'use it or lose it' and in Rainham where I live its a terrific place for the smaller shops

Badrick

I'm always on the lookout for cheap pork, as I make my own bacon and sausages and at the moment, I can buy supermarket pork shoulder cheaper than the back fat that goes in sausages. I just don't geddit. :doh:

JulieGeorgiana

Beef shin is amazing instead of casserole beef.
Brisket
Chicken leg portions
Pork Neck
Ham Hock (i get 2 lots of soup from one Hock, so 20 lunches for me)
Rabbit
Whole chicken
Chicken legs/thighs

I buy from a farm shop, the quality is so much better so you need less meat on your plate. Mine does cheaper sausages 80 for £5 but still good quality. Special packs where you get loads for £20 from good cuts to cheap cuts.

If you have a butcher friend... take advantage.

Word of warning... my local butchers costs an arm and a leg... only buy from someone if they are comparable in cost.

cat_smith

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Ham Hock (i get 2 lots of soup from one Hock, so 20 lunches for me)

Recipe please. My butcher always has them cheap and I have one lurking in the freezer, but can't seem to find a good recipe.

Mrs_P_Pincher

I cook my ham hocks as follows (all measurements and timings are approximate)

Soak in cold water. Throw water away. Put in saucepan with more cold water to cover, bring to boil, when it's boiling pour the water and scum away, dump ham hock in slow cooker, add quartered onions, carrot batons, sliced leek. Pour 1 pint hot veg stock (I use Knorr Stockpot) over it and walk away. I usually cook this overnight for 12 hours on low, but when I had one that was too big for the slow cooker I cooked it in a covered casserole at 150 C for about 4 hours.

When it's cooked the bone should just twist out. Take the meat off it and you have meat and veg. Any stock left over can be used as a base for soup.

Tasty!

wannabee_in_credit

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

You've got a friend whose hubby is a butcher?

I do. We haven't been friends a very long time and he's normally at work when we get together. But he's not a great conversation type of person and I've never gotten the nerve up to ask him more.
But I will now I have at least some background.

Was embarrassed to talk to him before and reveal myself as a complete fool when it comes to getting cheap meat.

JulieGeorgiana

cat_smith wrote: »

Recipe please. My butcher always has them cheap and I have one lurking in the freezer, but can't seem to find a good recipe.

I use a whole pack of green split peas (500g), onions, potatoes and frozen garden peas, a ham hock, veg knorr stock pots.

Bung it in the pressure cooker for an hour... the ham will fall off the bone. I put half back in, it'll fall off the bone. Stir, season and done.

The peas will turn stodgy and won't need pureeing, the garden peas will add texture and actual peas.

Sometimes I add leeks or carrots.

It's Yummy, I hope if you try it you'll love it.

Ps. Leftover ham Hock can be frozen and used next time. Add the bone too for extra flavour.

Stephen_Leak

A word of caution about really cheap minced beef. I used to use it, but found that it had such a high fat content, that it reduced down quite a lot. But, when I used minced pork or turkey, with a lower fat content, it didn't reduce down as much and I got an extra portion out of a 500g pack or mince. And it's usually cheaper than minced beef. And it's better for you.