When we order a steak in a restaurant, we normally expect it to be from an undercut as it’s called in the subcontinent. In other countries, it can be a T-bone, a bavette, a minute steak, rump, rib-eye, porterhouse, sirloin, fillet or tournedos. All these are from different parts of the animal, and differently priced. A fillet is the most expensive, and the tender-most part of the carcass; it also requires the least amount of cooking. This does not mean, however, that it is the tastiest cut.

If you observe a grazing cow, you will notice that its front legs bear much of its weight, and its neck is in constant motion. Thus, muscles in these parts tend to be more developed and therefore tougher. The rest of the weight is borne by its rear quarters, while the centre — where the sirloin and other pricey, tender bits are located — does very little work. However, an average animal will only yield around two kilos of undercut while the rest consists of tougher cuts that do not command the high price fillet does. A good UK butcher will charge over 50 pounds for a kilo of fillet, while you can buy supposedly-inferior cuts for a fifth of that. Much of the latter is turned into mince or diced for stews.

One major factor that causes good steak to be so expensive is that, in the West, meat is hung to dry-age for up to 45 days. This breaks up the collagen and tenderises meat while intensifying the flavour. But as the carcass loses moisture, it also loses weight, thus pushing up the price. The short-cut to this process is vat-drying where the meat is enclosed in a vacuum-pack in which the blood drains out. Ninety percent of the meat sold in the UK is vat-dried, but does not compare with the more expensive dry-aged technique in which carcasses are hung in cold rooms through which air circulates constantly.

Less expensive cuts of meat can taste like divine gourmet food if prepared in the right way

I recently bought a nice-looking two-kilo brisket roast from the local butcher. This cut comes from the chest, and is quite tough. However, it has a great flavour that’s well worth the time you put into cooking it. This method from The River Cottage Cookbook is simplicity itself:

Rub the de-boned, tied brisket with rapeseed or olive oil, season with salt and freshly-ground pepper, and place in a roasting tin. Turn the oven up to 200 degrees (Gas mark 6), and cook for 30 minutes to lock the juices in, then take it out of the oven. Turn the oven down to 140 degrees (Gas mark 1) and cook for four hours, covered with foil; by now the meat should be tender. Take it out and add chunks of potatoes, onions, whole garlic and thyme sprigs (if available), and baste everything with the meat juices. Remove foil and cook for a further hour at 160 degrees (Gas mark 3). By now, the meat should be very tender and the vegetables cooked through.

If you want to make gravy, take the meat and the vegetables out and place them on a warm serving plate. Put the roasting tin with its juices on a high burner, throw in a little red wine vinegar and some water and scrape the surface. Add a generous pat of butter and a heaped spoonful of flour and cook over high heat, stirring from time to time until the sauce has thickened into a rich gravy. Add salt and pepper and serve with the roast and vegetables.

When I served this roast, our guests couldn’t believe a brisket could yield such rich flavour and texture. Just goes to prove that you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat well.

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 13th, 2018