Ask a Butcher! For Reals.

[Khaldun]

I remember this issue from when I lived in London. I was always surprised at some of the cuts--things that get separated here in the US are often left together, sometimes giving you a fatty cut sitting on a lean one, etc. Also you just plain couldn't get certain cuts of pork, beef or lamb.

[cmlancas]

One thing I can't seem to find unless I buy a whole chicken and cut it up myself, is split breasts with skin and ribs.  They're awesome on the grill.

People really underestimate just how much flavor is in the ribs/cartilage/etc., when they choose to cook boneless chicken on the grill.

Plus, the ribs provide an extra layer of protection against chicken drying out.

[Sky]

Unless I'm grilling chicken for sandwiches, it's GOT to be complete with skin+bones.

My MS family roots, I always eat the crisped skin, which is convenient as my fiancee hates the skin. If mom's over, she gets senrority.

[Khaldun]

This all goes double for stew. If you're stewing and the protein in the stew doesn't have bones (and other stuff) you are totally missing the point.

[Bunk]

Panko is the best thing that ever happened to me.  Well, maybe not the best but certainly quite nice.  Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are great in green Thai currey.  That's THAI curry not TIM Curry.   Just checkin'. 

I love green Thai curry, but the fat content of the coconut milk scares me away from eating it too often. I make Indian curries and vindaloos frequently though - usually either chicken thighs and potatoes, or chick peas and cauliflower.

[Lantyssa]

It's okay to make Thai curry without coconut milk.  It's not something they use much in Thailand.  (Which I fucking loved, as I hate coconut.  Made me appreciate Thai curry.)

[Numtini]

You can get reduced fat coconut milk and it also comes in small cans, the size of those little cans of tomato paste.

I can't imagine a green curry without coconut milk.

[cmlancas]

Indian, curry, and Thai, oh my!

How do ya'll prepare your curries?  In the past three years I've become a huge fan of super-spicy Indian curries and sweeter Thai ones.

Also, anyone cooking with lamb?  And if so, which part/methods?

[Nevermore]

Pretty much like this, although in my family we always use a bigger bone-in leg, slightly lower heat (325 iirc) and obviously a longer cook time.  That also means we don't add the potatoes right away so they don't get over done.  The lemon is the key to the Greek preparation; it takes away a lot of the gaminess that a lot of people don't like.

[Paelos]

I like grilling lamb shoulder. They can be a little fatty, but they have the absolute best lamb flavor, imo. Added bonus is that it's pretty forgiving and nowhere near as expensive as other cuts.

I grill them in a greek style. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill to medium, then i top them with a squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of oregano, and some chopped garlic.

[Khaldun]

Cooking with lamb in general? I go pretty simple: in the summer, butterfly a leg or shoulder cut, marinate briefly in lemon, garlic, oregano or mint, salt, pepper, then on the grill. Takes a bit of monitoring since a butterflied piece always has some uneven or thick spots.

Winter I'm really partial to lamb shank very slowly cooked with white beans & a tomato sauce with a breadcrumb and cheese crust.

Sometimes I do lamb kebabs--if I'm going to mess around with a spicier or more distinctive sauce or marinade, that's when I'll try it. I also like lamb in dishes like moussaka and other casseroles, and there's a Greek lamb stew called stifado that works well with lamb, though I think it's actually better with beef.

[Ingmar]

Roll leg in olive oil*, insert slivers of garlic all over it, profit.

*And salt and pepper. And possibly some herbs of your preference.

[Lantyssa]

Pretty much like this, although in my family we always use a bigger bone-in leg, slightly lower heat (325 iirc) and obviously a longer cook time.  That also means we don't add the potatoes right away so they don't get over done.  The lemon is the key to the Greek preparation; it takes away a lot of the gaminess that a lot of people don't like.

I'll have to remember that.  I've never been a fan of lamb when I've tried it.

[Nevermore]

So with all this talk about lamb I thought about roasting up a leg this weekend.  What the fuck happened to the price of lamb?  The 2.5 lb lamb shank I saw today cost over $18.   

[Cheddar]

What is a tri-tip cut?

[Paelos]

So with all this talk about lamb I thought about roasting up a leg this weekend.  What the fuck happened to the price of lamb?  The 2.5 lb lamb shank I saw today cost over $18.   

That's why I buy shoulder chops.

[MisterNoisy]

What is a tri-tip cut?

Tri-tip, explained

Great chili meat.

[01101010]

This thread makes me hungry each time I open it. I assume it also makes vegetarians cry.

Any input into steak tartar? Best or only parts to use? Where to get? I have always been curious as I am a "as raw as you can legally put it on my plate" order guy.

[ezrast]

I assume it also makes vegetarians cry.

It's oddly fascinating, actually.

[Cheddar]

What is a tri-tip cut?

Tri-tip, explained

Great chili meat.

I heard it is good for grilling, also.  Any idea what they call this on the east coast?

[Khaldun]

For tartar, the first thing is you have to be able to trust your butcher! (Maybe we should ask our butcher how to know when a butcher is trustworthy...)

In general, I think most people would make it from tenderloin even though that doesn't have a lot of flavor, simply because it's soft and easily chopped and has a sort of clean, basic beef flavor. The flavor in tartar often should come from the sides anyway--chopped raw onion, egg, capers, etc.  I've had it made from skirt as well but that needs either some kind of tenderizing before chopping or some kind of marinade because it's too tough otherwise. Cuts with good marbling don't seem to me to be right for tartar--it's a waste to not cook them and get the fat involved in the flavor more fully.

[cmlancas]

So with all this talk about lamb I thought about roasting up a leg this weekend.  What the fuck happened to the price of lamb?  The 2.5 lb lamb shank I saw today cost over $18.   

Prices in general are getting ready to go way up.  Commodity prices are on the rise again (and you'll see significant jumps by next year at this time).

[cmlancas]

What is a tri-tip cut?

Tri-tip, explained

Great chili meat.

Maybe some who has more experience with tri-tip (I'm east coast and a Floridian at that) can explain to me why the caption to the picture says "with the grain."  Butcher rule one says to always slice against the grain, so I'm doing a little .

A fairly informative article though -- very interesting that it's becoming the chili meat of choice.  Are folks using a chili grind for this, or are they slicing/cubing?

[Khaldun]

For anything that I'm doing that requires ground beef (I make my chili with ground beef and chunks of pork sausage removed from the casing), I like to rough grind a mix of short rib, tri-tip and maybe one ribeye steak. You just use a ladle to take off the excess fat at the top of the chili near the end of cooking--but you want some of that fat for flavor. This goes double for a hamburger. I simply don't buy preground beef anymore, ever.

[MisterNoisy]

Maybe some who has more experience with tri-tip (I'm east coast and a Floridian at that) can explain to me why the caption to the picture says "with the grain."  Butcher rule one says to always slice against the grain, so I'm doing a little .

A fairly informative article though -- very interesting that it's becoming the chili meat of choice.  Are folks using a chili grind for this, or are they slicing/cubing?

I have no idea about chili competition types, but I use both for chili - half ground in my grinder and half cut into cubes with some pork and just a little bit of slab bacon ground up to get some fat in there and add a bit of smokiness.  I'm with Khaldun on not buying ground beef anymore.

[cmlancas]

For anything that I'm doing that requires ground beef (I make my chili with ground beef and chunks of pork sausage removed from the casing), I like to rough grind a mix of short rib, tri-tip and maybe one ribeye steak. You just use a ladle to take off the excess fat at the top of the chili near the end of cooking--but you want some of that fat for flavor. This goes double for a hamburger. I simply don't buy preground beef anymore, ever.

Ever try using one of these instead? http://www.beefretail.org/CMImages/BeefRetail/recipeimages/1033_7-BonePotRoast.jpg

This roast looks like the second cut to me.  You'll find a nice chuck eye at the bottom, a top blade (chicken) steak at the top, and the middle is what we used to merchandise as boneless short ribs.

Also, costs a lot less.  :)

[Ingmar]

I never knew tri-tip was a just-over-here thing.

[Lantyssa]

Maybe some who has more experience with tri-tip (I'm east coast and a Floridian at that) can explain to me why the caption to the picture says "with the grain."  Butcher rule one says to always slice against the grain, so I'm doing a little .

Californians. vov

[Ingmar]

By the way on that with/against the grain thing, I have no idea why that wikipedia picture is with the grain. As far as I've ever seen tri-tip is sliced just like anything else.

[Sjofn]

I never knew tri-tip was a just-over-here thing.

I had never heard of it before moving here, but I had assumed that was me being meat ignorant, rather than a here-specific thing! Now I know. It was both. 

[Bunk]

Indian, curry, and Thai, oh my!

How do ya'll prepare your curries?  In the past three years I've become a huge fan of super-spicy Indian curries and sweeter Thai ones.

You really need to look up a proper recipe for all the spices, but my basics for Indian vindaloo curries are something like this:

Caramelize half an Onion and some garlic in a pan.
Mix all your dry spices together - if possible use the spices whole, lightly roast them and then grind them.
I typically use a mix of Cumin, Corriander, Cardamon, Fenegreek, Tumeric, and chilli flakes. I may add a bit of cloves.
 - you really need to look for proper recipes for balance in the spices, though I tend to wing it.

Dump the onions and garlic in to a mixing cup and add the spices, then add a small amount of white vinegar. Not too much or it overpowers everything. Enough to allow you to blend everything. Blend it in to a paste with a stick blender.

Then I brown my meat, add the whole glob of paste, and add chicken stock. Finally, add whatever else you want to make it hearty - potatoes, chickpeas, and cauliflower all work. Simmer for a hell of a long time, and warn your significant other well in advance.

[Khaldun]

I'll look for that cut, would save some buying-of-multiples. Though I like being able to mix the grind a bit to get the right texture and flavor. Also if I buy short ribs w/bone in, I can use the bones for stock 

[Cheddar]

I never knew tri-tip was a just-over-here thing.

I had never heard of it before moving here, but I had assumed that was me being meat ignorant, rather than a here-specific thing! Now I know. It was both. 

Cali side of the family tipped me off and I am required to find some before the September visit.  Hoping to run a couple practice grill sessions before they visit; hopefully I dont have to special order it.

Gonna talk with the local butcher and see if I can get a cut from him.  Otherwise its off the the intarwebz!

[cmlancas]

For tartar, the first thing is you have to be able to trust your butcher! (Maybe we should ask our butcher how to know when a butcher is trustworthy...)

Sorry, I missed this.  Tenderloin is most common, but I've heard of people using round meat as well if they're grinding it themselves.  Personally, I wouldn't eat anything that comes out of a supermarket grinder raw (ESPECIALLY not ground beef -- the temperature warning is there for a reason) unless I watched them wash it first.  But even then, consuming raw or undercooked meat can make you sick -- you see the consumer advisory warning everywhere.

So if I were going to do it, I'd purchase something from a reputable butcher who's willing to work with you and clean the cutting block before he or she cuts it for you.  Then, I'd take it home and grind it myself.

I really advise against tartar in this day and age.  There's a lot of risk out there for one food item that can make you very, very sick.  And you'd only have yourself to blame for it. 

[Signe]

Unless you ate it last night and died this morning.  Then you could blame cmlancas because he just wasn't in time.