Cheap Fatty Cuts of Beef Uk

We all want to eat well-bred, good-quality meat, but this usually comes at a cost. Yet there are still savings to be made if you know your way around the cheaper, sometimes called 'forgotten' cuts. But if you've no idea how to simmer a shin, or if you sizzle a skirt, you're not alone!

Meat-eaters take note! Here are some simple guidelines to help save the pennies, while still delivering on flavour.

What's what?

Skirt

Often sold as onglet, hanger steak, or bavette although technically these are separate cuts, taken from the belly of the cow. It's a lean cut packed with a strong, slightly ofally flavour.

Prepare it like this:

Finely diced or minced skirt it traditionally used in Cornish Pasties.
Steaks can also be flash fried to medium rare (no more, or it will be tough) and served alongside chips and Bearnaise sauce, but make sure to cut the meat against the grain, as otherwise it can be chewy.

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Chuck and Blade

Also known as shoulder, as that's where it comes from!

Prepare it like this:

These are best cooked slowly, so braise or stew with root veg for a warming winter casserole.
Chefs, including Jamie Oliver, also use this minced in burgers for its extra rich flavour from the fat marbled through the cut.

Shin

This comes from the foreleg, and needs long, slow cooking, so use it in casseroles and stews.

Prepare it like this:

Each of these ways of preparing shin are suited to slow cooking due to the huge amount of work this muscle does.
If bought in thick slices with the bone running through the middle the bone marrow is included, which adds an enormous depth of flavour to your slow cooks.
It can also be used as a substitute for oxtail or veal shin in osso bucco.

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Silverside

Taken from the hindquarter, this is a lean, boneless joint with very little marbling of fat and a wide-grained texture.

Prepare it like this:

Silverside is best pot-roasted or roasted in the oven with some liquid in the roasting tray to keep the joint moist.
You'll often find it sold with a separate layer of fat to help baste the joint during roasting. A flavoursome, and more economical, substitute for a roasting rib joint.

Top Rump

Also known as flank, this is a lean cut from the rear of the cow that can be bought whole or sliced.

Prepare it like this:

To cook whole, add an extra layer of fat or even some sliced streaky bacon to make sure it doesn't dry out.
It can be thinly sliced to provide great value frying or minute steak to add to stir fries or create speedy steak suppers. Cook quickly in a hot oven or pan, then serve rare for best results.

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Is it cheaper to buy from the supermarket or a butcher?

In general, it's cheaper to buy smaller quantities of meat from the supermarket.

However, as some cheap cuts of meat have become more fashionable in recent years, it may be cheaper to get these from your local butcher. If you plan to buy meat in a large volume, it can also be better value to buy from your butcher, as they buy animals whole and so may be able to give you a better deal.

If you are concerned about provenance, your butcher will know exactly where the meat they sell has come from, so you can be assured of its welfare and quality. It's more likely to be reared locally, therefore food miles are reduced and you are also supporting local farmers.

Is Aberdeen Angus really the best?

Aberdeen Angus may be famous around the world for being the best, thanks to its unique marbling of fat, but the question is not that simple.

While looking for the name when buying beef is a good place to start, crossbreeding is allowed under this label, so something called Aberdeen Angus may contain another breed altogether.

It's also important to consider other factors that will have more of an effect on the quality of the beef than the breed, such as feed, age and lifestyle, as well as ageing and butchering of the meat.