My Beefy Bug Bear

One of my recent annoyances is the dumbing down of cuts of beef sold in supermarkets. What I mean by this exactly is the way “they” have decided that we are too stupid to know what the various lumps are called and therefore wouldn't have a clue as to what to do with them. 

How dare they? Oh but hang on, “they” may well have a small point here. 

I know there are many of you out there who actually don't know what to do with the different cuts of beef, and there are so many. Maybe like me you have sat down at somebody's dinner table and fought your way through a Brisket that they've cooked the same way you cook a Fore Rib, wishing you either had teeth like a Pit Bull or at the very least that there was a dog sitting under the table. 

But how has this come to be? Whose fault is it? As I write this there is a little voice inside me whispering that this could be a classic case of the “Chicken or Egg” situation. Many of you will be shouting “Blame the parents” and maybe many will be thinking wistfully back to Home Economics Classes and the sad fact that this lesson is woefully under taught in Secondary Schools; my two have recently done the 3 terms that I think is the minimum length stated on the curriculum. Please let me know in the comments section at the end of this post if this is wrong so I can amend it. 

When I was at school, a girls’ school, there were no Cooking Lessons, they told us, “If you want to learn to cook ask your mother” So I did and my father too. But what if I had no one to ask or they didn't know either? Then the obvious answer is to ask the Butcher, after all he is the main meat man. But people don't ask him, which is such a shame, he loves telling anyone and everyone about his meat, it's his passion and besides it pays his bills. Apart from the obvious reason of the convenience of mooching up and down the pre-packaged meat aisle at the local supermarket, mindlessly picking up something that looks good, a very expensive way to shop I might add, why have we abandoned our local butcher with all his knowledge and usually his witty banter and gay repartee? (you don't get much of that in Tescos et al)

Obviously time constraints and convenience play a huge part but I think mainly we are embarrassed by our lack of knowledge; who hasn't stood in a butchers and panicked, finally stammering out, “...oh a pound of sausages please” instead of that special joint for a special day, then charged back to the anonymity of a plastic boxed “Roasting Joint” in the nearest supermarket?

Which brings me nicely to my Beefy Bug Bear. How on earth are people supposed to learn how to recognise, understand and therefore cook beef successfully when all the beef sold in supermarkets, apart from the really well known pieces like Fillet, Rump, Topside etc. is labelled in such a loose terminology? Roasting Joint is one, oh and my favourite? Frying Steak! Have you any idea how many steaks there are you can fry? Loads, loads and loads; I don't know about you but I want to know which bit of the beast I'm cooking, is it Chuck, Skirt or maybe Flank? This is so important because it does make a difference both in texture and flavour.  Also “they” seem to think that all we want is bright red beef, what's that about?

A well hung piece of beef is not scarlet. In their wisdom the supermarkets inject it with nitrogen to make it look “pretty”.  Hanging beef is essential to mature it, ensuring that it is tender and flavourful; try poking it with your finger it should dent easily and not bounce back. A good indicator of the meat having gone through this process is the colour; as a guide if it is a similar colour to a British/European passport the chances are it has been hung for at least 14-21 days. Don’t be worried about the thought of it hanging around that long, this is done under strict conditions and is in no way harmful, quite the opposite.  

So do try your butcher next time, the best thing is just to tell him what your occasion is, a roast, a meal for two but quick to cook, a BBQ, a one pot mid-week meal for ravenous teens. Ask what the cheap cuts are, you'll be amazed how easy to cook and how far a pound of shin of beef can be stretched to feed a family of four. He'll love telling you, sharing his knowledge, as you will when one of yours asks you what to do with a bit of beef one day. Find a good butcher and not one with lots of pre-packed meat but one which also sells the local produce of other small enterprising food producers like eggs and cheese. My two local butchers even know where the cows come from…although one didn’t know which field.

 This piece will tell you all that you need to know about the joy that is Shin of Beef. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/feb/03/how-cook-perfect-beef-stew

So use your butcher or lose him; ask him what's particularly nice that week, ask him how to cook it. Get on his good side and you may, just may, get offered that beautifully aged and hung piece of Hanger Steak he was keeping back for his dinner. It's not known as “Butcher's Steak” for nothing you know.

Follow this link to a good site for explaining different methods of cooking different meats, there is a lot out there to help you, it took me seconds to stumble over this one purely by typing in “How to cook British Beef” 

http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/meat-guide

Clare

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