Cuts of meat and what to do with them

[Nestof3]

These are the cuts of meat I serve typically:

 

chicken breasts

chicken thighs

whole chicken

 

ground beef

stew beef

kabobs

filet mignon/tenderloin (the only beef I buy if we have steak, which isn't often)

roast

 

I often see meat cuts on clearance, but I really have no idea what cuts are good for what.

 

Could you share some of your favorite meals that involve a cut other than what I have listed?

[Onceuponatime]

I sometimes buy ground turkey or ground pork, now it is often cheaper than ground beef.

 

I use it in many of the same ways I use ground beef.

 

We also occasionally eat pork chops and pork roasts which I notice are not on your list.

[LisaKinVA]

You can cut up any roast and use it as stew beef or kabobs. I also slice roasts thinly and use it in a beef & broccoli recipe, or as fajita meat. I don't usually pay attention to the cut, unless I'm using it for steak (or making a real roast). For the most part, one cut can be substituted for another in a recipe.

[hsingscrapper]

If you find pork loins on sale, they can be cut into chops.

 

My favorite way to fix boneless pork chops is to seriously bust up cheese crackers (cheez its or similar). Coat chops in dijon or spicy brown mustard then coat with cracker crumbs. Using preferred frying medium, fry until done being sure to flip halfway through. Serve with favorite side. Mmmmm makes me wish I had some chops. :drool5:

Edited August 28, 2012 by hsingscrapper

[ElizaG]

We have a fondness for cube steaks here. My favorite recipe is to sprinkle them with salt & pepper or steak seasoning and cook them on both sides under the broiler, with sliced onion and mushrooms scattered around the edges of the pan. Then make gravy with the pan juices, and serve with mashed potatoes and peas (or other vegetables of your choice).

 

Not a gourmet meal, but it's quicker and healthier than the drive-through. :)

[justLisa]

I like baby back pork ribs :drool5:

[Annie G]

We have a fondness for cube steaks here. My favorite recipe is to sprinkle them with salt & pepper or steak seasoning and cook them on both sides under the broiler, with sliced onion and mushrooms scattered around the edges of the pan. Then make gravy with the pan juices, and serve with mashed potatoes and peas (or other vegetables of your choice).

 

Not a gourmet meal, but it's quicker and healthier than the drive-through. :)

 

I've never had cube steak like that- I have to try it! Sounds much easier than the breaded and fried version we usually have!

Edited August 28, 2012 by Annie G

[Nestof3]

My husband says his mom's always had these little strands in them that bothered him, but I don't remember this with my mom's.

 

Is there a trick to picking it out?

 

We have a fondness for cube steaks here. My favorite recipe is to sprinkle them with salt & pepper or steak seasoning and cook them on both sides under the broiler, with sliced onion and mushrooms scattered around the edges of the pan. Then make gravy with the pan juices, and serve with mashed potatoes and peas (or other vegetables of your choice).

 

Not a gourmet meal, but it's quicker and healthier than the drive-through. :)

 

I've never had cube steal like that- I have to try it! Sounds much easier than the breaded and fried version we usually have!

[Truscifi]

I like either flank steak or skirt steak, marinated, grilled, and sliced for tacos or fajitas. I also buy chicken leg quarters when they are on sale and boil them to make & can stock, then shred and freeze the chicken for quick dinners later.

[melissad2]

I love cube steak as well! I use a chuck roast in the crock pot with carrots, onions and potatoes...the leftovers make yummy beef stew. I use pork butt in the crock pot too either shredded with BBQ sauce or sliced with some cabbage and beans.

[ElizaG]

My husband says his mom's always had these little strands in them that bothered him, but I don't remember this with my mom's.

 

Is there a trick to picking it out?

Ours sometimes have those, but not always. I think it happens when the original piece of meat had some connective tissue attached, and then it got cut up by the machine. Sort of like when you grind hamburger in a food processor, and that stringy stuff wraps around the blade. :tongue_smilie: I don't think it would be easy to pick them out beforehand, though. We just put up with them.

 

Cube steaks aren't a specific cut of meat, just a bunch of off-cuts, so the quality is variable. Sometimes the butcher gets really cheap and tries to mash a few tiny bits together into one "steak," which falls apart while being cooked. That bothers me more than the stringy bits. But we still enjoy them. They're also good for breakfast, pan-fried with sunny-side up eggs and hash browns. But of course, real steaks would be better. We can get marbled tri-tip steaks here, which are easy to cook & my favorite mid-priced supermarket meat. :)

[Rivka]

Do you not eat pork? We eat a lot of grilled or sauteed boneless pork chops (marinated in beer, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a bay leaf), and we like pork tenderloin (rubbed with garlic, rosemary, and kosher salt and oven roasted). We also like a sauteed ham slice.

 

With beef, I usually buy top sirloin for steaks or to cut up for a stir fry. Sirloin is less tender than the tenderloins you buy, but it's also got a stronger flavor that we really like. I can usually get sirloin for $6.99 a pound, so we can have steak a lot more often than if we bought tenderloins. New York strip is another good cut for steaks, but it tends to be a lot more expensive and I don't think the flavor is that much better.

 

I like Italian turkey sausage for spaghetti sauce, but I don't like plain ground turkey. Not flavorful enough.

[Nestof3]

Ours sometimes have those, but not always. I think it happens when the original piece of meat had some connective tissue attached, and then it got cut up by the machine. Sort of like when you grind hamburger in a food processor, and that stringy stuff wraps around the blade. :tongue_smilie: I don't think it would be easy to pick them out beforehand, though. We just put up with them.

 

Cube steaks aren't a specific cut of meat, just a bunch of off-cuts, so the quality is variable. Sometimes the butcher gets really cheap and tries to mash a few tiny bits together into one "steak," which falls apart while being cooked. That bothers me more than the stringy bits. But we still enjoy them. They're also good for breakfast, pan-fried with sunny-side up eggs and hash browns. But of course, real steaks would be better. We can get marbled tri-tip steaks here, which are easy to cook & my favorite mid-priced supermarket meat. :)

 

Wow! Thanks for all the information!

[Nestof3]

I don't really cook it, but I don't have any issues with it. My mom makes pork tenderloin that's delicious. We do have ham biscuits sometimes.

 

I love turkey sausage, but I have been unable to locate a nitrate-free source. I made a really good dish with leftover turkey sausage, scallops, black beans, corn, salsa, rice and diced greens. I'd love to have it again if I can find nitrate-free sausage.

 

Do you not eat pork? We eat a lot of grilled or sauteed boneless pork chops (marinated in beer, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a bay leaf), and we like pork tenderloin (rubbed with garlic, rosemary, and kosher salt and oven roasted). We also like a sauteed ham slice.

 

With beef, I usually buy top sirloin for steaks or to cut up for a stir fry. Sirloin is less tender than the tenderloins you buy, but it's also got a stronger flavor that we really like. I can usually get sirloin for $6.99 a pound, so we can have steak a lot more often than if we bought tenderloins. New York strip is another good cut for steaks, but it tends to be a lot more expensive and I don't think the flavor is that much better.

 

I like Italian turkey sausage for spaghetti sauce, but I don't like plain ground turkey. Not flavorful enough.

[Nestof3]

I like either flank steak or skirt steak, marinated, grilled, and sliced for tacos or fajitas. I also buy chicken leg quarters when they are on sale and boil them to make & can stock, then shred and freeze the chicken for quick dinners later.

 

I have never bought those cuts of beef. Thanks!

 

And, great idea on the chicken quarters. I really need to stock my freezer with shredded chicken. Mmmm -- enchiladas perhaps.

[Nestof3]

Thank you for the roast tips.

 

You can cut up any roast and use it as stew beef or kabobs. I also slice roasts thinly and use it in a beef & broccoli recipe, or as fajita meat. I don't usually pay attention to the cut, unless I'm using it for steak (or making a real roast). For the most part, one cut can be substituted for another in a recipe.

 

We eat a lot of pot roast. I make it out of chuck roast. I can usually get two roast meals out of one and then sometimes stretch it to stew. Just depends on if dh has gotten enough sleep. If he hasn't, he sits and eats roast til he's sick or I take it off the table. :glare:

 

I marinate round steak for stir fry. Or I'll cook it on low heat for a long time and make stroganoff.

 

We get a Pike's Peak roast (Kansas City cut beef not east coast) and I'll either use it as a roast or slice it thinly for bar-be-qued beef.

 

Here are lots of ideas:

http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes.aspx