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Have you ever gone to the butcher and seen an inexpensive meat cut that looks perfect but you have not known how to use it so walked away? It can seem overwhelming with all the choices out there, but you might just be missing out on trying a delicious, cost-effective and versatile piece of meat.
These top tips by expert butchers will save you the next time you're in the market for meat, whether it be for a slow winter braise or a barbecue in the sun.
FLANK STEAK RECIPE
Flank steak with quick red wine gravy
Beef it up
Flank steak is a lean and inexpensive cut of beef that's sourced from the cow's lower abdominal muscles and is often used for braising. While it's perfect for shredding after cooking it low and slow, Adam Liaw, the host of SBS Food's The Cook Up, thinks it's also great marinated (where acid helps to break down the protein) then thrown on the grill.
This is the ultimate barbecue steak.
"This is the ultimate barbecue steak in my opinion," Liaw says. "I reckon if you've not had one, it looks like it's going to be tough because you can see that thick muscle kind of going through it, but you grill that to medium rare, rest it really well, slice it up, you got 10 friends around, and for 15 bucks you've fed 10 friends a really good steak."
Another cut that's synonymous with slow cooking is oyster blade steak, cut from the cow's shoulder. Owner of 3J's Butchers in Traralgon, Gippsland, Victoria, Joel Young, thinks this is the ideal two-for-one option. "You've got that nice line of gristle in there, which we can cut all the way off, so we get two flat iron steaks," he says. "The flat iron can be used for your warmer weather cooks, versus leaving (the gristle) in there and doing a slow cook that's going to really soften and start to break down."
Beef cheek in red wine sauce. Source: Kitti Gould
They're a one pot wonder when slow-cooked.
Cameron Bowyer, owner of family-run butcher in Seddon, Charles Street Butcher says, "beef cheeks and chuck steaks are traditionally a lesser cut of meat but are also one of the easier cuts to cook. They're a one-pot wonder when slow-cooked. I think if you keep low-heat staples on hand, like onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery, you've got the perfect base for pastas, ragus and stews."
BEEF CHEEK RECIPE
Beef cheek in red wine sauce
Can't eat beef? Try lamb or pork
Lamb meat packs in heaps of flavour, and while the leg is often preferred because it contains less fat and connective tissue than the shoulder, Young believes lamb shoulder is more versatile.
"The reason why people sort of steer away from this one is because of the difficulty of cooking it over here in Australia. It's sort of the standard barbecue chop, but it's so much more than that: it's a work muscle, it's from the shoulder, it's a lot more versatile. You can pull it, put it into salads, or treat it as a winter dish as well."
You can also try good old-fashioned sausages, but not just for your barbecue. Bowyer says, "You can never go past a pork and fennel sausage either. Take it out of skins and [cook] it with a tin of tomatoes to go with pasta."
Slow-cooked lamb. Source: Benito Martin
It pays to be a little creative in the kitchen and experiment with varying cuts of meat, but, if you're ever in doubt, just ask your local butcher for their tricks of the trade.
