Post by BBQ Butcher on Mar 30, 2008 7:07:09 GMT -5
"Steve, I do have a question that you might be able to help on. Between another family and ourselves, we purchased a pig at the county fair. We were wondering if there is anything specifically we should ask for when it comes time to be butchered. Both families own ceramic cookers so we aren’t afraid to let something cook for awhile.
The reason I ask is that last year we split some beef cattle with another family, I did not interject myself into the butchering process and we ended up with a boat load of hamburger vs. brisket, etc. and et al. That is not going to happen with El Cerdo. Therefore any help you can provide would be much appreciated.
Thank you from Idaho, Joe D"
Joe, depending on the size of the hog, you should get a good variety of useable meat. To begin with, you'll be getting lots of sausage, or ground pork. Specify which, in case you want to mix your own sausage, or use the ground pork in other recipes. You'll get ONE Boston Butt Shoulder Blade Roast, which can be left whole or cut into steaks (1" if steaked), or half and half. You'll also get one Fresh Picnic Shoulder Roast, best left whole or cut in half. You should also get some shanks and/or hocks from the front quarter and also the back. These are great for smoking or stews. Now comes the ONE loin you'll get. Roasts or chops, up to you. The blade end of the loin can be cut into Country Style Spareribs. One set of regular spareribs and some fresh side belly or bacon, make sure to specify. I'd go for the bacon, but that is a personal choice of mine. The hind leg, or fresh ham can be left whole, cut into two roasts (butt and shank) or cut into steaks. Normally, two small roasts and a few steaks are the best method, but again, this is up to you. You guys can fight over the liver, heart, tongue, feet, kidneys, etc.
"Hi Steve, I'm going to buy a boneless chuck/shoulder clod to cook on our offset pit, because here in Los Angeles brisket is hard to come by...I hear that there are a couple of tasty steaks that I can remove before smoking. Are they on the large or small end? This end faces the rib roast?
Thanks, Bill DeVine"
Bill, the Shoulder Clod is an excellent substitute for the Brisket. However, I've never found a decent steak on the clod, except to use as a London Broil type that are cut approx 2" thick from the leaner (small) end. After grilling it needs to be sliced thin against the grain. It can also be used for a Salisbury/Swiss type recipe.
Now, depending on how 'your' Clod was merchandised, it 'may' still have the Top Blade attached to it. The Top Blade roast is one of the most flavorful and tender muscles on the whole animal. The Top Blade Roast can be cut into steaks by separating it into two pieces by cutting horizontally through the middle to remove the connective tissue. Each half makes one or two steaks. These are now merchandised as "Flat Iron Steaks".
Here is a link for cutting your own Flat Iron Steaks
Cutting Flat Iron Steak
And here is a link for more merchandising of the Beef Shoulder Clod
Beef Shoulder Clod
"What is a serving size (in ounces) for Beef tenderloin? Thank you, Gary"
Gary, the 'normal' serving size varies from restaurant to restaurant and whether a male or female will be eating it. When I was cutting meat, I suggested 6oz for the ladies and 8-10 oz for the guys. But, that varies on appetite and any sides to go with the meal. Twelve ounce requests were common.
If you are trying to follow a some what healthy diet, I would suggest only 3-4 ounce servings.
"Steve, I bought a 3-pack of pork ribs packed by Swift. Inside the plastic upon opening, was a label, printed twice, with the word 'small'. Do you think this was intended to be an indication the size of the whole rib section? Next time in that store I'll look more closely for other labels. By the way, nice web site you have.
Thanks Ron"
Ron, thanks for the compliment on my web page. If the ribs you bought were 'regular' spareribs, the term 'small' means they are 3½ lbs each per rack, or less. If you bought Loin Backs, or Baby Backs, 'small' would mean each rack weighs approx 1 - 1¼ lbs each.
"What's a chuck-eye roast? I've never see it at the market, at least I don't recall. Is it flat or round? Does it go by another name?
Thanks, Terry"
Terry, the chuck eye is a continuation of the same muscle that is known as the rib eye. Some markets will cut 2 or 3 "Chuck Eye" steaks (any more and they would be tough), but most just leave it in the whole chuck roll and make roasts.
Some beef processors will separate the eye from the roll and make it available to certain butcher shops. Ask your butcher for the following (so he can ask his supplier), "The #116D, Beef Chuck Eye Roll", the numbers being part of a standard product identification protocol.
"I saw your email address on a van in Fort Myers this afternoon. We retired from a suburb of New York and live now in Punta Gorda. I always went to my own butcher and got the cuts of meat I wanted. I certainly agree that finding a good butcher is a lost cause -- at least where we live.
Anyway, I used to buy a very tender and tasty cut of meat called silver tip. The butcher would put one aside for me whenever he had them. Nobody knows what I'm talking about down here. Nor do I see anything in the beef-for-roast section except prime rib, eye of the round and top- or bottom-round roasts. What happens to that section of the cow down here?
What should I ask for -- how should I describe where what I want comes from on the cow?
I did a search on your site which told me there was 1 article on silver tip, but I simply couldn't find a way to get to it. Is there a charge for accessing your information -- or am I being dense about using your site correctly?
Anyway, I'm excited about having found you and will visit your site regularly. Thanks, Norma"
Norma, my site is completely FREE. No charge for questions, inquiries, etc. Later on, when my video is ready, there will be a charge for the video ONLY. The 'search' feature on my site has its little glitches and sometimes acts funny. Sorry you had a problem with it.
I'm originally from the New England area and I'm familiar with the Silver Tip (side). Retailers, meat shops, etc, here in Florida leave it in the Sirloin Tip Roast/Steaks, instead of removing it and marketing it separate.
If you can find a meat cutter at a local supermarket, or if you have a butcher shop, tell them to take a whole Sirloin TIP (not TOP) and separate it at the natural seam. Looking at the cut side (face), you will see a muscle separation one third of the way across (left or right, doesn't matter) and that is where the Silver Tip is cut from.
Occasionally you will find 'whole' Sirloin Tips advertised at Winn-Dixie, Kash 'n' Karry, Albertson's, Sam's, Costco and sometimes at Publix. You could probably do this yourself at home and use the rest of the Tip for roasts, stew meat or hamburger. Good luck in finding your 'roast' and have a good week.
Here is a link for a little tutorial on cutting it yourself at home
Whole Sirloin Tip
Are you on a Low Carb diet? A good friend and fellow bbq’er on the circuit, “Old Dave” aka Dave Stamper, shared this recipe with me. Feel free to use it on any beef, pork or chicken cut in order to give it more flavor.
Low Carb BBQ Rub
2/3 cup salt (regular non-iodized is fine)
2/3 cup Splenda
1/2 cup paprika
6 TBL chili powder (the blend)
4 TBL fresh ground black pepper
2 TBL ground cumin
2 TBL garlic powder
2 TBL cayenne pepper
Mix together and keep in a cool, dark environment.
The reason I ask is that last year we split some beef cattle with another family, I did not interject myself into the butchering process and we ended up with a boat load of hamburger vs. brisket, etc. and et al. That is not going to happen with El Cerdo. Therefore any help you can provide would be much appreciated.
Thank you from Idaho, Joe D"
Joe, depending on the size of the hog, you should get a good variety of useable meat. To begin with, you'll be getting lots of sausage, or ground pork. Specify which, in case you want to mix your own sausage, or use the ground pork in other recipes. You'll get ONE Boston Butt Shoulder Blade Roast, which can be left whole or cut into steaks (1" if steaked), or half and half. You'll also get one Fresh Picnic Shoulder Roast, best left whole or cut in half. You should also get some shanks and/or hocks from the front quarter and also the back. These are great for smoking or stews. Now comes the ONE loin you'll get. Roasts or chops, up to you. The blade end of the loin can be cut into Country Style Spareribs. One set of regular spareribs and some fresh side belly or bacon, make sure to specify. I'd go for the bacon, but that is a personal choice of mine. The hind leg, or fresh ham can be left whole, cut into two roasts (butt and shank) or cut into steaks. Normally, two small roasts and a few steaks are the best method, but again, this is up to you. You guys can fight over the liver, heart, tongue, feet, kidneys, etc.
"Hi Steve, I'm going to buy a boneless chuck/shoulder clod to cook on our offset pit, because here in Los Angeles brisket is hard to come by...I hear that there are a couple of tasty steaks that I can remove before smoking. Are they on the large or small end? This end faces the rib roast?
Thanks, Bill DeVine"
Bill, the Shoulder Clod is an excellent substitute for the Brisket. However, I've never found a decent steak on the clod, except to use as a London Broil type that are cut approx 2" thick from the leaner (small) end. After grilling it needs to be sliced thin against the grain. It can also be used for a Salisbury/Swiss type recipe.
Now, depending on how 'your' Clod was merchandised, it 'may' still have the Top Blade attached to it. The Top Blade roast is one of the most flavorful and tender muscles on the whole animal. The Top Blade Roast can be cut into steaks by separating it into two pieces by cutting horizontally through the middle to remove the connective tissue. Each half makes one or two steaks. These are now merchandised as "Flat Iron Steaks".
Here is a link for cutting your own Flat Iron Steaks
Cutting Flat Iron Steak
And here is a link for more merchandising of the Beef Shoulder Clod
Beef Shoulder Clod
"What is a serving size (in ounces) for Beef tenderloin? Thank you, Gary"
Gary, the 'normal' serving size varies from restaurant to restaurant and whether a male or female will be eating it. When I was cutting meat, I suggested 6oz for the ladies and 8-10 oz for the guys. But, that varies on appetite and any sides to go with the meal. Twelve ounce requests were common.
If you are trying to follow a some what healthy diet, I would suggest only 3-4 ounce servings.
"Steve, I bought a 3-pack of pork ribs packed by Swift. Inside the plastic upon opening, was a label, printed twice, with the word 'small'. Do you think this was intended to be an indication the size of the whole rib section? Next time in that store I'll look more closely for other labels. By the way, nice web site you have.
Thanks Ron"
Ron, thanks for the compliment on my web page. If the ribs you bought were 'regular' spareribs, the term 'small' means they are 3½ lbs each per rack, or less. If you bought Loin Backs, or Baby Backs, 'small' would mean each rack weighs approx 1 - 1¼ lbs each.
"What's a chuck-eye roast? I've never see it at the market, at least I don't recall. Is it flat or round? Does it go by another name?
Thanks, Terry"
Terry, the chuck eye is a continuation of the same muscle that is known as the rib eye. Some markets will cut 2 or 3 "Chuck Eye" steaks (any more and they would be tough), but most just leave it in the whole chuck roll and make roasts.
Some beef processors will separate the eye from the roll and make it available to certain butcher shops. Ask your butcher for the following (so he can ask his supplier), "The #116D, Beef Chuck Eye Roll", the numbers being part of a standard product identification protocol.
"I saw your email address on a van in Fort Myers this afternoon. We retired from a suburb of New York and live now in Punta Gorda. I always went to my own butcher and got the cuts of meat I wanted. I certainly agree that finding a good butcher is a lost cause -- at least where we live.
Anyway, I used to buy a very tender and tasty cut of meat called silver tip. The butcher would put one aside for me whenever he had them. Nobody knows what I'm talking about down here. Nor do I see anything in the beef-for-roast section except prime rib, eye of the round and top- or bottom-round roasts. What happens to that section of the cow down here?
What should I ask for -- how should I describe where what I want comes from on the cow? I did a search on your site which told me there was 1 article on silver tip, but I simply couldn't find a way to get to it. Is there a charge for accessing your information -- or am I being dense about using your site correctly?
Anyway, I'm excited about having found you and will visit your site regularly. Thanks, Norma"
Norma, my site is completely FREE. No charge for questions, inquiries, etc. Later on, when my video is ready, there will be a charge for the video ONLY. The 'search' feature on my site has its little glitches and sometimes acts funny. Sorry you had a problem with it.
I'm originally from the New England area and I'm familiar with the Silver Tip (side). Retailers, meat shops, etc, here in Florida leave it in the Sirloin Tip Roast/Steaks, instead of removing it and marketing it separate.
If you can find a meat cutter at a local supermarket, or if you have a butcher shop, tell them to take a whole Sirloin TIP (not TOP) and separate it at the natural seam. Looking at the cut side (face), you will see a muscle separation one third of the way across (left or right, doesn't matter) and that is where the Silver Tip is cut from.
Occasionally you will find 'whole' Sirloin Tips advertised at Winn-Dixie, Kash 'n' Karry, Albertson's, Sam's, Costco and sometimes at Publix. You could probably do this yourself at home and use the rest of the Tip for roasts, stew meat or hamburger. Good luck in finding your 'roast' and have a good week.
Here is a link for a little tutorial on cutting it yourself at home
Whole Sirloin Tip
Are you on a Low Carb diet? A good friend and fellow bbq’er on the circuit, “Old Dave” aka Dave Stamper, shared this recipe with me. Feel free to use it on any beef, pork or chicken cut in order to give it more flavor.
Low Carb BBQ Rub
2/3 cup salt (regular non-iodized is fine)
2/3 cup Splenda
1/2 cup paprika
6 TBL chili powder (the blend)
4 TBL fresh ground black pepper
2 TBL ground cumin
2 TBL garlic powder
2 TBL cayenne pepper
Mix together and keep in a cool, dark environment.