Steak! How do you like yours?

[Whandsy]

Hi Whandsy,

Firstly, can you enlighten me as to what a Butcher's Steak is please? What part of the animal does it come from?

Secondly, I am always interested in new recipes so please post

Hi 976bar

Maybe I should have rephrased the way I put it, I like to buy my steak from a "good" butchers as opposed to supermarkets. I usually also go for the rib eye, but if money was no object I'd sacrifice the taste for a nice "melt in the mouth" piece of fillet.

When I get home I'll post the pepper sauce recipe, at work at the mo!

[976bar]

Hi Whandsy,

I have to agree with you on the Burchers steaks, albeit Rib Eye (which I don't enjoy).

I recently bought 2 "Taste the Difference" Fillet steaks from Sainsbury's and they were awful Full of sinew and fat, which you don't expect from a fillet.....

I know butchers are probably more expensive than the big stores, but that saying in life, "You only get what you pay for" or in Mr Mojorsins case maybe not  ;D is very true.......

[Salvador Dhali]

Maybe I should have rephrased the way I put it, I like to buy my steak from a "good" butchers as opposed to supermarkets. I usually also go for the rib eye, but if money was no object I'd sacrifice the taste for a nice "melt in the mouth" piece of fillet.

Sound advice, Whandsy.

I stopped buying my steak from supermarkets about 8 years ago, and have been using local butchers and farmers ever since.

The best I've had to date comes from a rare breed farmer a few miles from me. He has some interesting breeds, such as Belgian Blue and Belted Galloway, and it's extremely well hung. None of this bright red/white fat rubbish you get from supermarkets - this meat is so dark purple it's almost black, and striated with unctuous yellow fat. Bloody gorgeous - and cheaper than any of the 'Taste F**k All Difference' ranges from the supermarkets.

He sells it from the farmhouse and you can see all the animals, the living conditions they enjoy, the food they eat, etc., and he likes nothing better than a good chat, so it's a completely different experience to the soulless Saturday supermarket shop.

Well worth having a look for something similar in your neck of the woods, folks, but if not then there are plenty of farms that sell via the web. I'm thinking of checking out some meat from Jodie Schekter's place sometime, although it looks to be at the high end of the price scale:

http://www.laverstokepark.co.uk/info/about.aspx

[PaulP]

I haven't tried the Sainsbury fillet steak but I got a nice rump steak a few weeks ago from there. I oiled the steak and seasoned a little with salt and black pepper then cooked in a dry pan (ally curry pan) and it was delicious.
It would be better with a skillet with the ridged surface but was surprisingly good from the curry pan.

Cheers,

Paul

[ELW]

i used to get whole ribeye off the back of a lorry bound for Sainsburys every couple of weeks
can't remember the exact weight but it was big enough to get approx 20 No inch and a half thick steaks from it
all that for a measly ?20
my freezer was always full of steaks...so full in fact, i used to give em free to my neighbours

I'd have slow cooked what i could fit in the oven as it was. It's the best roasting joint there is imho

ELW

[Unclefrank]

Don't forget to look for Hip-Bone steak, it's rump but with a different name, at your local butchers.
I have a great butchers round the corner from where i live, used to got to school with him, so i get a little bit of a discount as i use him regular, 2-3 times a week.
Yeah HIP-BONE is the old name for rump steak, in the olden days when everything was in black and white.
Just oiled the steak added a good pinch of steak seasoning and freshly ground black pepper, awesome.

[Whandsy]

Anybody happy with supermarket steak (or any other meat for that matter) should try a local butchers piece of meat instead (budget permitting of course) the difference to me is chalk and cheese!! Even a good old butchers sausage is better than the most expensive supermarket banger. Very little fat comes out and its nice and meaty. The supermarket counterpart leaves half a pan full of fat and is all squidgy

Anyway rant over, for anyone interested heres a very delicious and simple peppercorn sauce recipe

1 hpd tsp cracked black pepper
1 hpd tsp green or pink peppercorns (optional)
1 shot / slug of brandy
1 level tsp sugar
Half a cup of ready made gravy (yep bisto oxo etc)
Quarter cup double cream

Method

1 Heat a small non stick omelette pan
2 put in the black pepper, peppercorns and sugar
3 when the sugar is melting and bubbling over the pepper, pour in the brandy
   This could and should flambe quite high
4 when the flames die down and the alcohol has burnt off, add the gravy and the cream and reduce for a couple minutes       
   to the desired consistency


This will yield a couple of servings and trust me will not disappoint

W

[loveitspicy]

Havent had steak in ages Whandsy - the pepper sauce sounds very inviting

alas i wont be eating steak - mind you  could buffalo be classed as steak? !!!!
memories of steak (medium) chips peas onion rings and pepper sauce

best, Rich

[976bar]

Hi Whandsy,

I might just try that farm you mentioned as it's only up the road from me about half an hour away as I live in Bracknell

I did notice Buffalo Fillet Steak on the website, has anyone ever tried this?

Thanks for the peppercorn sauce recipe, I'm gonna have to give that one a go

[solarsplace]

Hi Everyone

Please note, that I am in no way affiliated with this company.

Just wanted to recommend this place to you all: http://www.donaldrussell.com/

Been more than happy with everything I have ever bought from them. They often have very good value offers on too.

* If and when you buy something from them, please consider their mini steak burgers and grand steak burgers, they are absolutely delicious 

Cheers