Writing this review of meats on father's day is probably fitting, as most fathers are meat and potatoes men. Let's face it, what red blooded man doesn't like a thick juicy steak with mashed potatoes for dinner? Try to serve him some fish and chips and he'll probably have a fit. Well, there's more kinds of meat than just steak. We'll cover a few of them here and what you can do with them. Yes, it's true. There is nothing like a good piece of steak. But a steak is not just a steak. There are many different cuts of steak. Why? Because there are many different parts of the cow. And contrary to what you may think, they all don't taste the same. For example and we're going to review these by body part of the cow, there is your chuck beef, which is located just in back of the cow's head. This part of the cow is exercised the most and so the meat is the toughest as far as texture. You really want to season this meat considerably and tenderize it if you want to eat it without breaking your jaw. Pot roasts are usually made from chuck. It's best to cook the meat medium rare. Actually no meat should be cooked too much if you ask the experts. The brisket is located underneath the chuck. This part of the cow is usually used for corned beef and barbecued beef. Corned beef and cabbage is actually made from boiling the meat instead of broiling it. This is one of the rare times that you would boil meat. You can also make pot roast with brisket if you prefer. Moving to the back of the cow, or the rear end, this is the round. The round is either top or bottom round and most of your ground beef is made from this part of the cow. Ground beef of course is used for making your typical hamburger or meatball. Meatloaf can also be made out of ground beef. Moving back to the front of the cow, just behind the chuck is the rib. The rib is one of the most delicate cuts of beef that you can get. The rib is great for either broiling, grilling or roasting. This is where you get your rib and rib eye steaks. Just in back of the rib and cooked pretty much the same, is the short loin and sirloin. Sirloin steaks are probably some of the most popular steaks around and very tasty. The shank, which is located in the cows legs, is great for making stews. There is also a classic dish made from the shank which is called osso buco, where you would braise the shank. Shank cuts aren't as popular as most of the other, but they still have their uses. The number of ways you can cook each of these different parts of the cow are numerous. This fine animal has given us some classic dishes such as prime ribs and filet mignon. Meat eaters certainly do have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be thankful for...High cholesterol and all. |
