This was originally written for Homestead Living Magazine in the August 2024 issue and in that issue was titled “Butcher’s Cuts – Transforming Tough and Uncommon Cuts of Meat into Mouth-Watering Meals.”
The Other Cuts
I would think that most of the readers of this great magazine are either raising their own meat or have access to locally grown and raised meat so no need to preach. Maybe, however, you are having a hard time convincing new customers to commit to a share of beef or pork. Barriers like “I don’t have a freezer big enough” and my favorite, “I don’t even recognize some of the cuts the butcher and farmer left me with!”
We have an opportunity to support our local, smaller family farms, take better care of the environment, and provide a healthier life for our families. The meat isn’t sitting in a plastic bag for 9 months abiding its time before it ends up on the grocery store shelf. We can also spend hours discussing the economy of buying shares of livestock. Why then is there a resistance? I would say, we have to continue to communicate the value of what it is we do as growers of food and take on the responsibility of educating our potential buyers on the aforementioned merits and also equip them with approachable recipes that are familiar enough and can instill a bit of confidence in cooking the “other cuts.”
The Butcher’s Cuts
When harvesting beef, tradition has it that there were butcher’s cuts, cuts that the general public would not typically eat or know what to do with. These were cuts the butchers would take home and feed their own families with. The hanger steak and the beef cheeks were such cuts. Although now en vogue at a lot of restaurants, the hanger steak is that visceral cut that hangs inside the animal. It does not age very well so would not go through the hanging process like the rest of a side of beef. Cut it out, trim it up, and use it in your next fajita, carnitas, or stir fry. At our home we have a tradition where we do a simple marinade of soy and lime juice and quickly grill and slice thin against the grain served with tortillas and the rest of your favorite accompaniments. Although a touch chewy, the hanger is rich and delicious. The cheeks are another such “butcher cut.” Some grind the cheeks and add herbs, etc. and stuff into raviolis, while we at our home love to braise as a bourguignon style meal. With loads of depth of flavor it also makes for a great conversation at the table with guests when you share the meals’ origin. I would bet that most have never eaten or experienced anything like it.
The Chuck
The flat iron steak is another cut you will see in restaurants, and it is also priced on the trendier side. That cut is taken from the chuck roast, which you or your customers probably have several of wrapped in your freezer and maybe are not sure what to do with. I say skip the flat iron cut, and keep the chuck. The chuck roast is SO versatile and once you or your customers feel comfortable with a few more recipes, you will never want to give it up again. The chuck can take on smoke like a brisket, certainly can be a Sunday pot roast, or made into beautiful sandwiches. You can also make the traditionally-latino Birria with the chuck. Your families’ taco Tuesday will never be the same.
Smoked Chuck Roast
- 1 chuck roast (about 3 lbs)
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons favorite “beef-style” rub (added – our Blacksmith Trading Co Beef Rub is the best)
- about 15 oz. homemade beef stock (although 1 can Beef broth would be OK)
- small handful favorite mushrooms, sliced or 1/2 can cream of mushroom soup (about 5 ounces total)
- 2 medium onions (sliced into half rings)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Sprinkle your kosher salt and rub all over both sides. Now place that pan with the chuck roast in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Set up your smoker for cooking indirect at about 225-240°F and if your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up. Once the smoker is ready and the dry brining is done, place the meat in the smoker. Maintain 225 to 240°F for the entire cook time. Let the chuck roast smoke along until it reaches about 145-150°F and then move it to a foil pan filled with the stock and mushrooms.
When the meat reaches 175°F, you’ll want to wrap it up or just place a piece of foil tightly over the foil pan. This will allow the liquid to create steam and braise the meat to make it more tender. Let it stay wrapped and cooking until it is fall apart tender. There is plenty of fat to keep them moist even when you cook them to these extremes to tenderize them. The meat is ready to slice and eat as is, with a side of mashed potatoes, or with some grilled onions, sauerkraut, provolone, a little mustard on griddled sourdough bread.
The Brisket
Among meat people, the brisket is legendary. We have all seen or heard of the “Texas-style” BBQ brisket, typically with just salt and pepper and smoked for 12-16 hours under low heat. The pink ring, the pepper-crusted exterior, sliced thin against the grain is what makes beef focused BBQ the best.
Not everyone has the ability, patience or desire, to cook low and slow like you see at the BBQ competitions. So what then? Your share of beef probably came with a couple of briskets and you aren’t sure what to do with them. You can grind into burger or you can pickle them to make pastrami or corned beef.
Home Cured Pastrami (adapted from Charcuterie Cookbook)
1, 5 pound brisket with big and heavy fat removed.
1 gallon water
1 1/2 cup kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 oz pink salt
1 T pickling spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
5 garlic cloves
Combine all above in a stock pot, bring to a boil, let cool completely.
Place brisket into a 2 gallon ziplock bag and dump cooled brine, seal and set for 3 days, rotating each day. After 3 days, discard brine, rinse brisket, pat dry (I like to place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet) and then sprinkle equal amounts of coriander seeds and black peppercorns ( 1 T, smashed with mortar and pestle or something) over the entire brisket.
Smoke on your grill (150-200 degrees) or in the oven at the same temp for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature is 150 degrees.
Once smoked, place in 1 inch of water in a pan that a lid can fit over top (or if you don’t have you can eventually cover with foil) bring to a simmer and then place into the oven at 275 degrees for another 2-3 hours. Ready to slice and serve!
At this point you can wrap tightly and store. Serve with a side of horseradish as part of a charcuterie board or as the best reuben.
Short Ribs
We absolutely love short ribs. They too are rich, and decadent and are virtually impossible to goof up, that is, if you have a little patience (see the trend here?).
Short ribs are defined as being 1.5 inches thick and although you would typically have the option of getting boneless, typically the cuts would be bone-in. These cuts take on a long and gentle braise and most recipes include the classic mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery, and virtually any number of ways to go from there. You can caramelize over high heat with salt and pepper to start and then braise in your oven with the veg and maybe a cup or two of wine and some beef stock and let the oven take care of the rest at 325 degrees for about 3 hours.
The close brother of the classic short rib is the flanken-style rib. These are short ribs cut across the bone to about ¼ inch thick and if marinated in an Asian-style marinade would be called kalbi. A lot of butcher shops have a tray of these out, soaked in teriyaki or some other marinade ready to send home for a quick grill and tasty meal.
Top, Bottom and Eye of the Round
The “rounds” as I call them are harder to find in the grocery case. It is a very economical cut, however because of their leanness, these cuts don’t contain enough fat for added flavor.
The top round can certainly be sliced into half inch strips and marinated with a favorite rub or sauce and then dehydrated for some awesome jerky, you can also slice even thinner and cook quickly on a griddle for a homemade cheesesteak, French dip or one of our favorites, a “Chicago-style” sandwich loaded with giardiniera (pickled vegetables, as the name implies for the garden!) Because there is so little fat, if you let the cooked slices sit in its own sauce, or broth, it will stay flavorful and juicy for a long time.
The bottom round was traditionally used as a chicken fried steak. It was pounded, either by hand in the kitchen, or by a butcher with their cuber machine.
The eye of the round can be used for the above and is one of the only cuts to be used in Italian-style salumi known as bresaola. Bresaola is a cured bottom round that when finished and cut thin upgrades your charcuterie game. A touch of lemon juice/zest and some olive oil and you will be so happy.
Chicago Style Beef
- 5 pound sirloin tip roast or round
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
Tie your roast up and coat with olive oil combine all of the roast’s spices and herbs together and rub on the roast. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450 and place seasoned roast on a roasting rack and roast for 20 minutes
After 20 minutes reduce the heat to 325 and roast for another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 125.
Once your target temperature has been met, remove from the oven and let your roast rest for 30-40 minutes covered.
Once cooled, refrigerate overnight before slicing thinly against the grain. Once sliced you can chop your roast beef into even smaller pieces.
Growing or buying a share of a beef, pig, lamb or other animal does not have to be an intimidating experience. Given a few recipes and techniques, we can feed our families well and aren’t limited to the cuts that the supermarket provides, rather, we can feast on the “other cuts” as well.
