Know Your Cuts of Meat

I'm going to steal a Letterman segment for this week's food topic. Nothing can save you more money at the grocery store than knowing your cuts of meat and what to do with them. The key is not just knowing what types of meat to use, but what the purpose of the meat is within the dish that you are preparing. Not all meats are created equal. The old 10 pounds of feathers weighs more than an 8 pound brick doesn't carry over to purchasing proteins. A one pound T-Bone steak is much less meat than a one pound Sirloin. The meat quality is just as good and the lack of fat and bone means that you're actually getting a pound of beef. That doesn't mean that I don't purchase meat on the bone, it just means that you need to be aware of what you're buying.

Let's start with our bovine friends. The new "in" cut of beef is flank steak. I was at the grocery store the other day and this cut cost as much as sirloin steaks and almost as much as NY strip. It is a glorified flat roast. You have to carefully cook this meat and cut it correctly or you might as well eat the hooves. The same principle applies to paying $17/lb for filet mignon. At that point, go all in and get the T-Bone or Porterhouse for $12/lb. Sirloin is a great substitute for steak eaters in each instance, but NY and Ribeye will also work when on sale. If you're going to make hamburgers, just buy the 80/20. It will make a better burger and it is cheaper. No one wants chopped sirloin burgers (aka hockey pucks). Skirt steaks are great for all Mexican cuisine since you don't need as much meat with all the other trimmings. You can get two cuts for less than 1/2 pound, which will easily feed two. When shopping for a roast, always get a chuck roast. Those eye roasts and butt roasts will dry out every time unless your name is Emeril. No one wants to be the one to break out the salt shaker and ketchup when you serve them roast, so don't give them a reason to.

That glorious animal sometimes known as Wilbur has fewer cuts, but many uses. Your cheap and tasty friend is the Boston Butt. You can go with or without bones and this piece of meat will make the best pulled pork or carnitas that you could imagine. Season this thing well. You should have plenty of money left for seasoning as this cut is usually less than $2/lb. If the grocery store is having a sale on those thick boneless chops, get a few then slice them yourself for sandwiches. A center cut pork chop is worth every penny by the way. If you like T-Bones, save some cash and treat yourself to the pale pink T-bone. If you like Italian veal dishes but don't want to drop nearly $20/lb, slice your boneless chops thin, then pound them flat. You won't notice the difference when you use pork.

Chicken is pretty much chicken. All I can say is that you should all try the wonderful world of boneless skinless thighs. They have much more flavor and you can trim off any excess fat. These are especially good when grilled with Mexican spices for tacos or burritos. Other than that, try to purchase whole chickens on the cheap and dispatch them yourself.

On a side note, if you love pot roast and other homestyle dishes when the weather gets cooler, then you need to snag some lamb shanks or veal shanks sometime this fall. They take pot roast to a whole new level. We'll have a recipe sometime this fall for a nice Osso Buco. If you're really adventurous, head down to the butcher shop for pork neckbones to create an old world Italian sauce. Hopefully these hints will help when you find yourself hanging out at the butcher counter this weekend wondering what to cook. Due to the travel, we weren't cooking this weekend so there are no new recipes to share. Something will be ready next week for tailgate season after the Labor Day relaxation.

Restaurant Recap

If you don't feel like cooking for yourself this holiday weekend, then take the time to make the trip to Crest Hill/Joliet on Theodore Street and get into Merichka's. You'll know it when you see it, just off I-55 and Larkin is a wonderous old school restaurant. I'm sure they have some great dishes, and you can see the fresh cut steaks in the cooler as you wait, but all you need to know is how to order a poorboy and onion rings. You haven't had this type of sandwich before. A few of you were lucky enough last football season to have me prepare a similar version for tailgating, but nobody does it better than these guys. You start with a huge cut of tenderized sirloin, put it on garlic bread, then you have your choice of cheese and grilled onions. I just go for the steak on bread because it is already perfect. Personally, I order light butterine because they full monty is just coated in garlic butter. You absolutely need to pair this sandwich with onion rings for the full experience. They are the best onion rings that I can find in the tri-state area. So go down to an old neighborhood and experience real food amongst the older crowd. If you think I'm just messing around, we drove there two Fridays ago after work in a rainstorm. Sometimes these sandwiches just call your name.