The New York Times is broadening its meat horizons today, with an introduction to some of the best bargain cuts at the supermarket. Chefs are in on the gig—serving less elegant cuts of lamb as posh-sounding "T-bones." We've encouraged you to try new cuts of meat, and who knows? Maybe some beef deckle is in your future...
Cheap Meat: Of Beef Chuck Deckle and Lamb T-Bones
The author of the Times article, Jane Sigal, picked up some beef chuck deckle at her local supermarket. Deckle is one term for the layer of meat on top of the cow's ribs, and Sigal claims it's "tender and succulent" when braised. She quotes chef Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune, one of our very favorite restaurants in New York, as saying, "The low cut's the belle of the ball." Her point: Not only are these cuts cheap; they have more flavor.
Navigating this new sea of cheap cuts can be confusing, though. Lamb T-bones are really lamb loin chops; deckle might be mistaken for skirt steak. A friendly butcher is almost a necessity for telling you what, exactly, you're buying, as different cuts become fashionable and start showing up with unfamiliar names.
But this article was a good one for nudging us out of our comfort zone. And the recipes, like marinated beef tri-tip skewers and a pork top loin roast with asparagus, sound delicious.
• Read the article: It May Be Cheap, but It's Also Tasty, from The New York Times
Related cheap meat coverage from the Kitchn:
• Beef Shopping Guide: Cheap Cuts and Cooking Guide
• Consider Braising Cheap Cuts of Meat and Vegetables, Too
• What to Cook with Cheap Cuts of Meat
• Less Meat, More Flavor: Salt Pork
(Image: Flickr member Sung Sook, licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I've been writing a lot on my site lately about cheap cuts of meat. Pork neck has a lot of bone but also a lot of meat - I actually wrote a whole article on it where I weighed it before and then after cooking and picking out all the bones. Some very good value for the money at the 99 cents a pound I can get it for - especially if you are making stew, or want to make a broth.
The same place where I found this, I also found 3 chicken carcasses for a buck! Still lots of great meat left on them - each package of 3 yields just shy of a pound of meat. And of course here is another obvious thing to make broth with.
view Bushidoka's profile
Mmm...interesting, I hadn't known the English word for that cut of beef before.
I'm used to eating it Korean-style: cooked quickly over the stove, dipped in a mix of sesame oil/salt/pepper, and wrapped in a piece of romaine along with rice, dwenjang (bean) paste, sliced/spiced scallions, and a bunch of other stuff.
view nomnom's profile
I gotta be honest. I get intimidated by all the different names of cuts of beef. Because inevitably whatever I am looking for is called something different in the actual market. Then I start to feel like I'm an idiot when I ask questions about the cuts...
Anyone else have that problem?
http://www.margincomments.blogspot.com
view VirginiaWestfield's profile