There are many advantages to using a butcher over buying meat from the grocery store, and this article will go over them for you. If you fit into any of the types of people listed below, then this article is a ‘must read’ for you as it will explain all the benefits of getting to know your local butcher, and how your meat eating experience can be taken to another level. So are you:- If you relate to any of these types of people, or something close, then you may get some benefit from reading this article if you don’t already use a local butcher or meat market. What is…
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Beef Tenderloin & Filet Mignon Facts and Answers
Beef tenderloin and Filet Mignon is a very popular cut of meat, and just about the most expensive beef cut you can buy. So before spending the money, people have a lot of questions they would like answered. This article covers the most often asked questions regarding the Beef Tenderloin and Filet Mignon. Is Beef Tenderloin and Filet Mignon the same thing? Although commonly described as the same cut of meat, the Beef Tenderloin is actually the whole cut of meat from head to tail. The Filet Mignon refers to the individual steaks taken from the centre cut part of the beef tenderloin. What Does Peeled and Unpeeled Tenderloin Mean?…
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Tunnel and Butterfly Boning Meat – Everything You Need To Know!
When it comes to removing the bones from a piece of meat, there are generally two ways that it can be done. Tunnel boning and butterfly boning. So what is the difference between tunnel boning and butterfly boning meat? Tunnel boning is the removal of bones by cutting into the flesh of the meat as little as possible, thereby retaining the overall shape and structure of the meat. Butterfly boning involves cutting apart the muscles of the meat, exposing the bone for removal, and then further cutting the flesh to create an even thickness of meat. We will now look further into when and why, you may use one method…
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What Does French Trimmed Meat Mean?
Some recipes call for your meat to be ‘french trimmed’, but you may not be sure what that means. This article will help explain what french trimming is and why it is done. So what does ‘French Trimmed’ mean when it comes to meat? French Trimmed is the term given to exposing the clean bone of a piece of meat for decoration purposes. Most commonly, racks of lamb and ribs of beef are French trimmed by removing all of the meat and fat from around, and between the ribs, to expose the clean rib bones. Sometimes a frilled paper ‘chef hat’ is placed over the end of the rib for…
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Must Have Equipment for Home Butchery
If you are considering doing some basic home butchering on your own meat, then there are some essential tools of the trade that you will need. Depending on the type of meat you plan to cut up, and how much processing you wish to do, the list will change. However, to get started in the beginning, you can get by with just 5 basic items. So what are the basic essential tools needed for simple home butchery? To get started with home butchering, the following 5 tools are recommended. These will allow you to perfom many of the smaller butchery tasks you would be likely to want to attempt. A…
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Why Using Rusk Makes Better Homemade Sausages
If you are a fan of sausages, you have probably thought about having a go at making your own. When researching different recipes, you may have come across many that call for the use of ‘Rusk’, and wondered what it is, and why you need it. So why is rusk used in homemade sausages? Rusk is a dried cereal based filler that has been ground into a pinhead, medium or course consistency. When added to sausages, the rusk absorbs liquid and binds the meat and fat together. It also holds in the natural juices and flavors during cooking, producing a moist and succulent sausage. Is Rusk The Same As Breadcrumbs?…
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How To Stop Your Homemade Sausage Being Dry & Crumbly
So you’ve just made your very first batch of homemade sausage and have cooked some off for a taste test. Upon cutting into the sausage you find it is dry and crumbly, not what you were hoping for. What went wrong? Why can homemade sausages be dry and crumbly? When making homemade sausages, it is essential that you use enough fat and liquid in the mix to help the ingredients bind together. Also ensuring that the meat, fat and equipment is very cold during preparation will further help prevent these issues from arising. We will know look at why these points are so important in your homemade sausage making endeavours.…
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Faggots & Savoury Ducks – An Offaly Delicious Treat!
When you think of really good eating, pigs offal, fat and breadcrumbs probably doesn’t rank very highly on your list. However, when transformed into the butchers delight known as Faggots or Savoury Ducks, you may well be persuaded to rethink. So what exactly are Faggots & Savoury Ducks? Faggots and Savoury Ducks are a combined ball of minced fatty pork, pigs liver, heart and lungs, bound together with breadcrumbs or oats and seasoned with herbs, onions and carrots. These balls of meat are usually covered with pigs caul and roasted together in a pan, and then traditionally served with gravy, mashed potatoes and peas. Now before you dismiss the idea…
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Butcher, Meat Cutter & Slaughterman – Same Meat, Different Roles!
Many people think that a Butcher, Meat Cutter and Slaughterman do the same job. This article explains how the different roles work together to bring a piece of meat from the field to your plate.
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Spatchcock and Butterfly Chicken – What’s the Difference?
Many cooking recipes ask for spatchcock chicken and butterfly chicken, but is there a difference between the two? So how do Spatchcock and butterfly chicken differ? Spatchcock chicken is when a whole chicken is split lengthways down the back and then pressed on the breast to flatten it out. To butterfly, usually means to cut a boneless chicken breast horizontally, almost all the way through, and then open it like to book to double the size but half the thickness. We will now cover both methods in greater detail. How to Spatchcock a Whole Chicken Spatchcocking is a relatively simple process and only requires a pair of poultry kitchen scissors,…
