One of the biggest bills in the kitchen will be for meat, so you must keep costs down. But that doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor, especially when you can use some slow cooking magic to get the best from cheap cuts. Slow cooking is turning what used to be a decidedly unfashionable cut of meat into the dish’s star, fit to grace any table. It works better on fatter, tougher, and unfashionable cuts.
To get value for money, it always pays to ask an expert. We have collected views from the best experts to present the ultimate guide to slow cooking.
Get Meat from the Butchery
One of the great things about going to the butchery is it has more cuts available than most supermarkets. So, you’re going to get things that people don’t know about. One example might be the beef ribs, which is a great part of slow cooking in the oven. They are also nice pieces of juicy meats. Another great cheap cut for slow cooking is lambs breast. It is one of the least expensive cuts of lamb. It’s also delicious, slow-roasted, or stewed. Lamps breasts are made up of lots of different muscles. These muscles are always moving and doing work. Thus, slow cooking will give the best results.
Ox cheeks also make an incredible ravioli or regular on. And if you’re a pork lover, why not try pork neck. This is a succulent alternative for a slow Sunday roast. Another great candidate for slow cooking is feather blades. It’s called feather blades because when it’s cut, each piece looks like a feather. The gristle tends to be slow-cooked. Slow cooking gives a lovely jelly and juicy liquid to the meat. It’s fantastic for pies and stews.
There are so many cheaper cuts, which are brilliant for home cooking. It’s important, with all these forgotten cuts, to find out how to cook them. Don’t be scared of them because they are economic, full of flavor, and the result is a fantastic meal. Also, make sure you have the right slow-cooking equipment. This will help you to prepare a delicious meal.
Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Fennel
Get a very sharp knife and put the pork belly on the table. Use the tip of the blade and nick the pork belly along its entire length. These should be long strokes made with the tip of the knife.
Next, turn it over. This time, what you’re doing is just cutting diamond shapes on the meat. It begins getting crispy and nice. To intensify the flavor and keep the meat succulent, add strong and vibrant spices or vegetables.
Peel cloves of garlic and mix them to the fennel olive. You’ll like the nice, strong amnesty flavor that goes to that dense, rich, and nice pork fennel seeds.
Easy Polito Misto
This is a classic Italian mixed meat dish. Start with some Italian fennel sausages. Fry them until colored, making sure all sides are nicely browned. Set them aside, then slide right. Take a spicy Spanish sausage with a wonderful smoky taste and fry it so that it releases all its incredible flavor. Next, take chopped carrots, celery, garlic, and add to the same pan. This keeps in all the flavor. Stir the lentils. These are excellent for slow cooking because they retain their firm texture and shape.
Next, add a bay leaf and some fresh thyme sprigs. Then the sausages go back in along with the chicken stock. Simmer until the lentils are tender, then season to taste. Finally, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. This dish is simple to prepare, a cinch to make, and packed full of delicious, hearty flavors.
Slow-Cooked Aubergine
Prepare the aubergine and fry in olive oil. Make sure it is roasted on both sides. Next, slice the onions and chop garlic. Add them to the aubergine and then cook until it’s tender. Once cooked, add pomegranate molasses and cooked butter beans. Pomegranate molasses is a glossy, thick, and sweet, tangy derivative of pomegranate juice.
Get a can of chopped tomatoes and add it to the mix. Let it simmer and then cook until it has a silky and soft texture. Finally, for a delicious and salty taste, scatter some creamy cheese on the aubergine.
Perfect Slow-Cooked Beef
One more dish that uses the time to transform the humble ingredient is perfect slow-cooked beef. Begin the slow-cooking by frying the beef shin in hot oil olive while seasoning as you go. This is a very economical cut of beef. As it slow-cooks, the marrow thickens and flavors the sauce. In the same pan, stir garlic, chopped and peeled ginger, sliced celery, peeled whole shallots, and chopped carrots.
Next, add some tomato sauce and let it simmer for five minutes. Put the beef shin back into the pan and add a glass of orange juice and dry white wine. This deglazes in the pan, adding incredible flavor. Pour in chicken stock, season, and simmer for two hours.
This dish is brilliant when finished with gremolata, a dry Italian salsa made with chopped herbs. When the beef is cooked, rich, anxious, and beautifully tender, scatter over the lovely fresh gremolata.
Conclusion
As a chef, one of the biggest kicks you get is taking an ingredient that doesn’t cost much and turning it into something that looks and tastes like a million bucks. Whether it’s a cheek or even a neck, slow cooking is a fantastic way to transform cheap cuts into amazing melting perfection.
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