I found that site when I was searching out a recipe for "school dinners salad cream"

For a couple of years we have been getting our meat from the local butchers. Having seen their offer for their Christmas Special Hamper it seemed too good to turn down:

5lb Boneless Turkey.
2lb Topside Joint (Beef).
2lb Pork Joint.
2lb Gammon Joint.
2lb Pork Steak.
2lb Sausage.
24 Pigs in Blankets.
2lb Bacon.
1lb Sausage Meat.

£59

Tremendous value, and top quality meat too. (had the topside beef today and not an ounce of fat on it). Would never venture back to a supermarket for meat these days, stick with the butchers from now on!

That is not a good thing, you need fat for flavour and succulence.

That being the case, then Asda must have the most flavoursome and succulant meat in the country.

For beef, the fat should be marbled through the joint, not a great big lump on one side.
Once the joint is cooked, the fat will not be noticeable (to the eye) but the flavour will (to the tongue).

Maybe your beef joint was marbled?

A bit on the top ain't bad either.

Is there anything sweeter than air-light, crispy lamb fat?

But one could add chicken to the same equation. People appear to obsess about buying breast only when they buy portions – it's by and large flavourless (although less so on a really good bird), so it's no wonder that it simply demands being swamped in some sort of sauce.

And it's more expensive than thighs. And what's the difference? Bone and a bit of fat.

Mind, apparently farmers have been breeding pigs to have less fat. So in other words, to have less flavour. Because people are terrified of natural fats.

Yeah, but beef (and it was beef I was talking about) can be very dry, the marbling helps to keep it juicy.



Nope.
I love it.
I even love the non-crispy type too, like in shoulder of lamb.
Mmmm I'm hungry now.


Yup.
I actually prefer thigh for flavour.


Yes, but the backlash has been ongoing for some time too, and more people are demanding fat again.

But yes, in general, it's strange ... "we" eat too much meat anyway but are terrified of fat.
It's barmy.

Oh absolutely.







Me too.



Yup. Bonkers. I do think it's particularly natural fats though – lard has been demonised over the years, for instance, but people apparently lap up artificial fats such as marg. They happen to cost more, of course, and there are still issues hanging over the processes by which naturally liquid fats are turned into solid ones (to start with), but these are, generally speaking, considered as healthier than lard and dripping and butter. Which also forgets that those are brilliant for cooking with – the first two not least because they do not burn.

If you like lamb fat, quick roast a couple of lamb breasts (the cheapest of cuts).

Don't bother faffing around with boning and rolling them. Just trim off the excess fat, season and stuff 'em in the oven, laid flat. Then cut them up as you would with any other rib joints.

As for topside of beef, I'd probably choose to brine it and cook salt-beef

I'd disagree with that actually, I find turkey to be flavourless but not so chicken although there is a vast difference between the chicken breasts that you buy in a frozen pack in the likes of Iceland and a fresh chicken breast even when bought in a supermarket - by far the best and most tasty were the chicken sandwiches that the butcher local to my old office used to produce every lunchtime and they were just taken from the breast meat (he sold the other bits separately).

I actually enjoy chicken above all other meats now, had a gorgeous chicken, leek, mushroom and potato creamy sauce pie (Hairy Bikers recipe) yesterday - could eat it all over again tonight