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Favorite cut of meat

col klink

By col klink
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col klink

col klink

Posted
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Recently my fiancee and I went to talk to the coordinator and chef of where we'd like to have our wedding reception. I was pretty much keeping out of the conversation and basically nodding until I was able to question the chef. When I asked if they smoke their own salmon, the chef and I went into our own little world of smoking meat and the ladies went on to discuss the reception!

The chef and I both had a beautiful moment when I brought up pork shoulders and we both agreed that the shoulder is our favorite cut of meat. It's beautifully marbled and can be cooked in so many ways and is so forgiving. Walking home I wondered to myself, is the shoulder my favorite cut? After much deliberation, I have to say the pork shoulder is my mine. How about you?

edit: fiancee didn't come out as nicely as I would've liked.

Edited by col klink (log)
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tommy

tommy

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the shoulder is also the ass, correct?

i like the belly of tuna the most i think.

in the last year, i'm come to appreciate any piece of meat that is tough and cheap, and which turns into tender and tasty after a few hours in the oven, in liquid, or on the grill. shoulder included. :smile:

tommy:eats.com
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tommy

tommy

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the shoulder is also the ass, correct?

ham tommy and i'm with coop on that last one.

is pork butt "ham" then? i dunno. but i'll defer to the experts. :smile:

porterhouse, to me, seems like a waste of filet mignon. and i'm not even sure that it's the best end of the tenderloin to begin with. thoughts?

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
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col klink

col klink

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opposite end of the foot.

????

The shoulder ecompasses all the meat of the forward leg from above the hock to the approximately the spine. The butt of the shoulder is the top, next to the spine.

Tommy, the ass is the "ham" or a rear leg. Ham is cured from the rear legs which are leaner than the forward legs or "arms." Hence shoulder.

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tommy

tommy

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Tommy, the ass is the "ham" or a rear leg. Ham is cured from the rear legs which are leaner than the forward legs or "arms." Hence shoulder.

so does the ass always come cured, and sold as ham?

at the risk of posting something that i shouldn't: 2 takes on a hog:

pigcuts.gif

pork_diagram.jpg

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
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JAZ

JAZ

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Tommy, the ass is the "ham" or a rear leg. Ham is cured from the rear legs which are leaner than the forward legs or "arms." Hence shoulder.

so does the ass always come cured, and sold as ham?

According to Aidells and Kelly's Complete Meat Cookbook, the uncured leg can be difficult to find, since apparently not many butchers know how to cut up a whole leg into smaller roasts. So most are smoked and end up as ham. But they say you should be able to order one from a decent butcher. Look for it as "pork leg" or "fresh ham."

Janet A. Zimmerman, aka "JAZ"
Manager
jzimmerman@eGullet.org
eG Ethics signatory
Author, The Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook,  Instant Pot Obsession, and The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two

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col klink

col klink

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so does the ass always come cured, and sold as ham?

Nope. Depends on your butcher I suppose. With mine I can get fresh hog legs or cured legs or fully cooked cured legs which is what ham is. The fresh cured hams are great because you can smoke them yourself for the best ham of your life.

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tommy

tommy

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so does the ass always come cured, and sold as ham?

Nope. Depends on your butcher I suppose. With mine I can get fresh hog legs or cured legs or fully cooked cured legs which is what ham is. The fresh cured hams are great because you can smoke them yourself for the best ham of your life.

so does the ass ever come "virgin," so to speak? or is it cured.

confused. :unsure:

edit:

ah, i see you say "fresh hog legs." i'm assuming this could be the ass as well. and if so, does the ass taste much different from the front legs, aside from fat content? same applications?

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
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mamster

mamster

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Beef chuck, which is also a shoulder cut. It's the best stew meat for stews both European and Asian; you can grind it; and treated with care it's got an enormous amount of beef flavor and, because it's several muscles coming together, a variety of textures.

About the only thing you can't do with chuck is cook it like steak.

Matthew Amster-Burton, aka "mamster"

Author, Hungry Monkey, coming in May

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elyse

elyse

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I was just thinking about my stew today. I used to cut chuck into chunks before browning it, but recently started browning it as a steak or two. Then I take it out and let it rest while sauteeing the vegetables. I find it easier this way. Any reason cutting it first works better?

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