Got a beef with the supermarkets?
I like a nice bit of beef. No, that’s not a euphemism. I love a proper joint of beef, matured for a good few weeks. For a real treat I’d always order fillet steak, cooked just medium. But apparently the great British public likes nothing better than a good mince (and no, that’s not a euphemism either!).
According to the National Beef Association, we’re not eating as much beef as we used to and what we do it is the cheaper (but for the supermarkets, more profitable) mince. It’s not just that these hard economic times leave us unable to afford steak or a rib joint. We just don’t seem to know how to cook the more unusual cuts. Of course mince is useful to have around for a quick lasagne, bolognese or chilli. Home-made burgers taste much nicer than shop bought (unless you buy yours from my local butcher, Simon East). But what’s wrong with flavoursome braising steak, slow cooked brisket, beautifully rich shin or even oxtail? Cheap, tasty and nourishing.
Anecdotally I see three issues. Firstly people don’t cook like they used to. I’m a keen cook, but I often struggle to find the time for a stir fry, let alone a slow cooked beef casserole. Of course the benefits of a casseole or stew is that it goes on when you have time and is ready when you want it (so long as you leave at least two hours). I wonder if many people have ever tasted some of these cuts, let alone seen how to prepare and cook them.
Secondly beef can be expensive. But the cheaper cuts are reasonably priced and as cheap as chickn – but far tastier.
Which leads me on to my third point. Beef is tasty. Unlike chickn is has a taste and a texture. And in my anecdotal experience, children and young people aren’t so keen on food that tastes meaty or needs chewing.
So if you hadn’t thought of using a cheap cut of beef to make a good meal, try my recipe for Beef Bourguinon.
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