Author Topic: Odd meat cuts  (Read 7052 times)

JZinCO

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Odd meat cuts
« on: April 12, 2016, 10:41:11 PM »
Not being the one to let things go to waste, the last time I went in on a cow with some friends, I ended up with a bunch of odd cuts (heart, liver, etc). I've got some deliciousness in the crockpot tonight. It's my first attempt at making lengua tacos.
It got me to thinking that I could satisfy my inner curious cook and save some money by asking for unpopular cuts from the butcher. Being cajun I grew up on boudin blanc as a kid but I'd love to try to make some boudin noir (blood pudding) though I think it would be difficult to source pig blood..

Does anyone do this? any recipes to share or tricks to get what I want? Could I go to a butcher or see if I can buy direct from a slaughterhouse?

Steve Rogers

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2016, 07:02:00 AM »
I personally really enjoy the liver and heart from the cow. They are both filled with many great vitamins as well. Below is a link for cooking the heart which helped me. Hope these help!

 http://blog.ruhlman.com/2011/08/how-to-cook-beef-heart/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46321/beef-heart-stew/

http://thenourishedcaveman.com/beef-heart-steak/

limeandpepper

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2016, 09:53:42 AM »
Yessssssss I like offal. Occasionally I see these cuts at a supermarket, market or butcher for a great price. Failing that you can always ask. They may have it but just not on display.

Here's a recipe for stir-fried lamb heart. I have also tried chicken hearts, but I haven't cooked them to my satisfaction yet. Marrow is great. Pig tongue, ears, stomach, intestines, and blood cubes can also be tasty if prepared well - I've had these in meals from my hometown, but I haven't bought and cooked them myself yet.

JZinCO

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2016, 09:55:51 AM »
I personally really enjoy the liver and heart from the cow. They are both filled with many great vitamins as well. Below is a link for cooking the heart which helped me. Hope these help!

I completely screwed up the heart and it was not tender enough ( I rushed it). I ended up throwing up.. what a waste. I'll have to retry with your links sometime. It was always my first time with beef heart (only heart I'd ate much of before was fish).

thd7t

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2016, 09:58:06 AM »
Not being the one to let things go to waste, the last time I went in on a cow with some friends, I ended up with a bunch of odd cuts (heart, liver, etc). I've got some deliciousness in the crockpot tonight. It's my first attempt at making lengua tacos.
It got me to thinking that I could satisfy my inner curious cook and save some money by asking for unpopular cuts from the butcher. Being cajun I grew up on boudin blanc as a kid but I'd love to try to make some boudin noir (blood pudding) though I think it would be difficult to source pig blood..

Does anyone do this? any recipes to share or tricks to get what I want? Could I go to a butcher or see if I can buy direct from a slaughterhouse?
You may be able to get pig blood from an Asian grocery. I have seen it in Vietnamese groceries a number of times.

GuitarStv

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2016, 10:04:33 AM »
My wife's dad gets pigs blood from a local farmer's market when he wants to make Phillipino blood pudding stuff.

JZinCO

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2016, 10:28:53 AM »
Thanks. That gives me hope.

I'll check out the asian market in town here next week.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2016, 04:30:48 AM »
Friggin' love liver. Would hardly call that a 'strange' cut.

JZinCO

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2016, 12:09:32 PM »
Friggin' love liver. Would hardly call that a 'strange' cut.
Love it too.
Liver is odd in that it is occasional. Dressed beef yields about 490 lb/head and only produce <30lb of variety meat (offal). I'm guessing that less than 6% of meat consumption is variety.
So not only is liver and odd cut by mere proportion of an animal but also odd by meat sales numbers. So, pick your interpretation of odd.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2016, 12:19:20 PM »
Friggin' love liver. Would hardly call that a 'strange' cut.
Love it too.
Liver is odd in that it is occasional. Dressed beef yields about 490 lb/head and only produce <30lb of variety meat (offal). I'm guessing that less than 6% of meat consumption is variety.
So not only is liver and odd cut by mere proportion of an animal but also odd by meat sales numbers. So, pick your interpretation of odd.

Touche.  Point to you!

JZinCO

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2016, 12:32:40 PM »
Back to the topic, what's your favorite way of making liver? I remember seeing an awesome jalepeno popper recipe I want to try.

ketchup

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2016, 12:36:40 PM »
1) Grind up liver/heart and mix it with the ground beef. 
2) Don't tell your girlfriend you did it.
3) Profit!

Metric Mouse

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2016, 12:40:34 PM »
I soak in milk for a few hours to leach most of the bitterness out of it, and then season, flour lightly and fry with onions. Since I only eat a few pounds a year I don't really bother to get more creative than that.

Curbside Prophet

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2016, 01:28:52 PM »
These are not "strange cuts" anymore but I love ox tail, beef tongue, and beef cheeks.  Sweetbreads are also good.  I'm not a fan of liver/heart as I don't like the mineral taste.

Cyaphas

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2016, 03:13:01 AM »
Back to the topic, what's your favorite way of making liver?

I fry up thick cut bacon. Leave half the grease in the pan. Fry up a couple of chopped onions in the bacon grease with some seasoned salt. Chop up the bacon and mix it with the sauteed onions. Set that aside. Dip the liver in flour on both sides and sear both sides in what is left of the bacon grease. Throw the sauteed onions and chopped bacon back on top of the liver and voila! BREAKFAST!

Adventine

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #15 on: April 16, 2016, 03:44:52 AM »
My wife's dad gets pigs blood from a local farmer's market when he wants to make Phillipino blood pudding stuff.

Mmmm, dinuguan. Although to be more precise, it's a blood stew, not a pudding. Best served with steaming hot white rice.

A few more Filipino meal ideas for the OP:

Lengua (beef tongue) in mushroom sauce: http://www.kawalingpinoy.com/2014/04/lengua-in-mushroom-sauce/

Callos (ox tripe stew): http://www.yummy.ph/recipe/janice-de-belen-s-callos

Sisig (chopped up pig's face): http://panlasangpinoy.com/2014/10/13/pork-sisig/

Sisig with steaming hot white rice is probably my number one favorite savory comfort food. The trick is to chop everything up so finely that you can't tell the difference between the ears, cheeks, snout, etc. Utterly delicious.

WerKater

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Re: Odd meat cuts
« Reply #16 on: April 16, 2016, 05:36:44 AM »
Friggin' love liver. Would hardly call that a 'strange' cut.
Love or hate if liver is highly individual. My girlfriend loves it. I like it in really small quantities (a meat dish with mostly "regular" meat and a little bit of liver is great), but I hate it on its own or in big quantities.

I have a store nearby that often sells odd cuts (mostly the end pieces) of Leberkäse (has nothing to do with liver) for really cheap. As far as I can tell, it's really the same quality as the usual stuff. Sometimes I go to the store just to load up on that stuff.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2016, 05:39:50 AM by WerKater »

 

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