THE BUTCHERS CUT
BY CALLUM EDGE
Butcher Callum Edge of Edge & Sons
talks us through Beef and his delicious
Slow Cheeky Beef recipe.
Let’s hear it for beef! At Edge & Son Butchers, they
never talk about the ‘best cut’, just about the best
animals which have been bred, fed, kept, killed and
butchered to preserve the traditional properties
that meat used to have before the advent of factory
farming, widespread antibiotics and what they
consider to be the downturn in our food industry.
Callum Edge only buys livestock that is rare or natively bred and
very local to the Wirral. He chooses his farmers carefully and
works closely with them. He believes that this policy produces
the best tasting meat around that’s been allowed to develop
naturally over a long life.
Every part of these animals therefore should be used and
celebrated. As a society we should be eating the whole animal
to enable us to produce fewer animals through better farming.
Here he covers some brief advice on making the most of all the
beef parts.
For Stews
It is no good using traditionally tender lean parts of the animal
for a delicious slow cooked stew as the meat will dry out and
fall apart. A good stew needs a bit of fat and connective tissue to
work, stay moist and hold it’s shape. Try neck, chuck or shin beef
for these recipes. Great for curries and bourguignon for example.
For Braising
Similar to stewing in the less tender cuts for a long slow cook,
but usually in larger pieces. Ideal for pot roasts and any dish with
a good bit of liquid within. Thick flank, oxtail, brisket and shin
28 wirrallife.com
beef is ideal for these dishes. Also try ox cheek, ox tongue and
short ribs for some really sensational texture and flavour.
Roasting Joints
The most expensive roasting joints are forerib, sirloin and rump.
Other traditional roasting joints include silverside topside and
top rump. Of course, you can roast many other joints for your
Sunday feast. You don’t have to splash out on the tender cuts to
produce tender meat. All well farmed and butchered meat will be
tender if cooked properly.
Steak- grilled or fried – it’s up to you!
Everyone has what they think is their favourite steak; but trying
something a little different is always fun. Fillet is the most
expensive, the leanest and the most tender when rare but many
of us prefer other less expensive cuts for a fuller flavour. Apart
from a traditional sirloin, rump and ribeye; why not try a hind
quarter flank steak, skirt or onglet? They’re a fraction of the
price of the better known cuts and, with care, can be sensational.
These cuts benefit from a little tenderising - so marinades,
bashing, resting and cutting finely at an angle across the grain,
can transform a cheap cut into a mouth watering and still
‘medium rare’ marvel. If you have a sous vide machine, these
cuts work brilliantly.
Cooking Offal
Offal is the organ tissues of the animal. It is actually the most
nutritious of all parts of a good animal. Treat offal with care and
love and present it delicately so not to over-face a cautious guest.
Pâtés, terrines, stuffings and pan-frying are all great ways to cook
most offal. A whole ox heart makes a brilliant roast for a family
of six!