How to choose and cook cuts of beef and pork

Pulling off the perfect meat dish depends mainly on choosing the right cut of meat and cooking it properly. Follow these guidelines to help you choose the juiciest beef and pork cuts for your favourite recipe.

There are dozens of cuts of beef for the cook to choose from. The key to success is selecting the right cut for the right dish.

• The best cuts of beef tend to come from the parts of the animal that move the least: the hindquarters, ribs and forequarter. The toughest, which need long slow cooking, are the lower legs, shoulders, flank, neck and tail.
• To be at its best, beef needs to be hung on the bone for three to four weeks. Inadequately hung beef will be bright red and shiny.
• Some fat, which melts during cooking, is essential for a tender result.
• Organic beef comes from steers free from treatment with antibiotics or hormones and fed only on organically certified grains and grasses.

Leg

Shin; marrow bone. Stew or casserole; use for stock.

Hindquarters

Top rump; braising steak; silverside; topside. Roast or braise; braise or stew; poach or braise; oven or pot roast.

Tail

Oxtail stew.

Rump

Rump roast; rump steak. Roast, grill or fry.

Sirloin/wing rib/fillet

Sirloin T-bone steak, wing rib, entrecôte steak, fillet, filet mignon. Roast, grill or fry all but wing rib, filet mignon. Grill or fry wing rib, filet mignon.

Hindquarter flank

Flank, skirt. Poach or braise.

Forequarter flank

Short ribs; flank steak. Roast; stew or braise.

Fore rib

Fore rib. Roast, grill or fry.

Back or top rib

Top rib. Roast, grill or fry.

Neck

Clod (shoulder), neck. Stew, mince.

Chuck

Chuck steak. Braise.

Top foreleg

Braising steak. Braise, stew or mince.

Brisket

Brisket. Poach.

Head

Cheek; tongue. Braise or stew; poach then press.

Almost every bit of the pig, from snout to tail, can be eaten, although the least tender cuts require long, slow cooking. Here's how to cook each part of the animal for the best results.

Head

• Cheeks: poach or braise.
• Ears: braise or grill.

Spare rib, shoulder

• Spare rib: roast, grill or barbecue.
• Shoulder: oven or pot roast, casserole.
• Back fat: use for larding (adding fat to very lean meat).

Hand

Oven or pot roast.

Hock

• Hock: poach or braise.
• Knuckle: poach or braise.

Feet

Braise.

Loin

• Loin chops: grill or fry (loin cured as back bacon).
• Escalope: grill or fry.
• Tenderloin (fillet): roast or fry.
• Chump chops (steak with a round bone): grill or fry.

Belly

• Rack of spare ribs: roast.
• Belly: roast, braise or grill (also cured as bacon).

Leg

Roast (cure as ham), braise or casserole.

Tail

Poach or braise.

Following these simple guidelines will help you choose and cook the most succulent cuts of meat for that perfect dish.