Straight From The Butcher's Block
If you’re not familiar with the term nose-to-tail butchery, then you only need to ask your local butcher. Nose-to-tail includes cuts commonly known as offal and are a butcher’s best friend as they know only too well how delicious and tasty they can be. The term offal comes from ‘off fall’ – the parts that fell off the butcher’s table – an animal’s organs and extremities. These cuts are full of flavour and some are more economical than traditional meat cuts. However, the most amazing aspect of nose-to-tail butchery is that it reduces waste and is the most environmentally-friendly way to approach working with meat.
Butchering an animal is so much more than prime cuts. There are organs, bones, tails and cheeks which are all useful ingredients that should not be thrown away. With sustainability front of mind for everyone today, your local butcher would be the first to point out that if you are going to butcher an animal then all parts of it should be utilized. This is not only good for the planet but is a respectful way to use an animal.
So how popular are these more unusual cuts and how do you go about sourcing them and finding inspiration to include them in your weekly meal line up? We asked several butchers what the hot favourites are and what to look for when shopping.
Beef cheeks and oxtail are the hot favourite at the moment says Reuben Sharples of the Aussie Butcher in New Lynn, Auckland. He has seen an increase in demand in the last few years with these cuts being made popular by chefs and TV cooking shows. Home cooks have educated themselves on how to use these cuts especially as they lend themselves perfectly to low and slow cooking.
Reuben says lambs fry and kidneys are always a good seller, but are mainly shopped by an older demographic coming into the store to buy it. They already know how to cook it and the nutritional and economical value is something they have grown up with. He says most of his customers will be heading home with their lambs fry to cook up with a bit of bacon or chuck some kidneys into a steak or kidney pie.
He also says Honeycombe tripe is still very popular as it is much more tender than traditional tripe. It is definitely an acquired taste, but you don’t have to belong to a tripe club to enjoy it either – check out a recipe here and give it a go.
Down in Christchurch at Peter Timbs Meats, David Timbs says beef bones are very popular at the moment owing to the increased popularity of bone broth. He says they sell a lot of beef bones to their customers who have educated themselves on the health benefits of bone broth. However if it’s bone marrow you are after, then you only need to ask your local butcher to slice the bones lengthways ready for roasting in the oven topped with your favourite seasonings.
Another popular offal cut which sells well are lamb sweetbreads. David says they buy these in ready to use straight from the processor, with all the fiddly preparation done. They come nicely packaged in a box making it easy for consumers to take them home ready to crumb and deep fry.
For the young demographic though The Lady Butcher, Hannah Miller Childs, is definitely leading a change. She set up The Lady Butcher to solely concentrate on nose-to-tail butchery and now has a thriving business curing and curating charcuterie cuts of meat including delectable treats such as brined tongue and stuffed sheep hearts with some of her products being given the nod by some of New Zealand’s top chefs. You can check out more about The Lady Butcher here.
Social media influencers, YouTube and TV cooking shows have all played a part in making nose-to-tail eating a little more enticing. It’s also a good way to learn more about offal and to get inspired on how to use these cuts, if you are just a little bit curious to give them a go. But if in doubt remember to ask your local butcher about what they have on hand. Look for the freshest cuts of offal and use them as soon as possible or store in a plastic container in the fridge. If there is a particular cut you need then its always good to phone ahead to you’re your butcher who will be only too happy to order it in for you if it’s not already in stock.
Find your local Quality Mark butcher shop here.