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FaradayCage
May 2, 2010
I'm sick of hearing tales of 19th century prisoners dining on lobster and washing it down with oysters.

I'm sick of hearing tales of poor 90's families buying junk skirt steak for $4/lb and having a feast.

And with a little google-fu, I may as well be sick of various peoples throughout time and geography enjoying caviar, sushi and foie gras without having to ransack the nethers of their couches to pay for it.


Above: A 19th century lobster wench gathers fodder for convicted vagabonds.


So what are the hidden gems out there? What can get serious bang for my buck if I resist the natural urge to upchuck?

One problem is that undesirability and unfindability typically go hand-in-hand. For suggestions, it would be nice to have a mixture of "Yeah so you'll basically only find this at Amish co-ops" and "Just ask the mexican grocer nicely, they probably have it in back" and "It's next to the cheerios".

Personally, I am fairly grateful that you can get beef shank for under $5/lb where I live (Florida). It used to be incredibly rare until about 1-2 years ago; now it's always stocked at my favorite haunts. For those of you who don't know, it becomes wonderful and collageny (I think that's the word?) after a braise. Also it comes with a bone with marrow included. That marrow is delicious (and probably healthy).

That's basically all I got. Help me out here. Thanks. (Yes you can suggest bugs if you know what you're talking about).

FaradayCage fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Feb 22, 2015

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feelz good man
Jan 21, 2007

deal with it

FaradayCage posted:

I'm sick of hearing tales of 19th century prisoners dining on lobster and washing it down with oysters.

I'm sick of hearing tales of poor 90's families buying junk skirt steak for $4/lb and having a feast.
Isn't this thread adding to the problem then?

FaradayCage
May 2, 2010

feelz good man posted:

Isn't this thread adding to the problem then?

We swear an oath only to reveal the secrets of this thread to our friends on the condition that they cannot in turn reveal them to their friends.

Skirt steak skated by on that code of honor for over 10,000 years before Hernando Fajita betrayed it. <spit>

FaradayCage fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Feb 21, 2015

let it mellow
Jun 1, 2000

Dinosaur Gum
go to steak and shake op

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
Guys there's this stuff in the bean aisle it's like 89 cents a pound and once cooked and run through a food processor with olive oil it makes HUMMUS

Croatoan
Jun 24, 2005

I am inevitable.
ROBBLE GROBBLE
Wait, so skirt steak is expensive now?

FaradayCage
May 2, 2010

Croatoan posted:

Wait, so skirt steak is expensive now?

Like $12/lb where I am. And every cut except maybe filet goes on sale now and again to get cheaper than that. Finding skirt on sale basically only happens when the family that usually buys them is on vacation or something. Best I can figure, anyhow.

KettleWL
Dec 28, 2010
In the long run: Any meat at all.

Congratulations on your food hipsterism before the price bubbles!

Secret Spoon
Mar 22, 2009

Just buy a PSMO and have a feast.

feelz good man
Jan 21, 2007

deal with it
You could try seagull out and let us know how it goes. Try to go for the ones that aren't eating cigarette butts

whos that broooown
Dec 10, 2009

2024 Comeback Poster of the Year

feelz good man posted:

You could try seagull out and let us know how it goes. Try to go for the ones that aren't eating cigarette butts


Now the ones snatching boardwalk fries, those are the ones to go for.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
OXTAIL IS 6.50 A LB WTF

I bought a publix greenwise london broil for less. Holy balls.

By the way, london broil is fantastic marinated in italian dressing and soy sauce, then grilled rare. Get it on sale!

Octatonic
Sep 7, 2010

I think the next big thing is marmot. They eat grass and roots and things so are fairly tasty, with a bit of that acid game thing going on, they're small enough that you can use them in small plate preparations, and they're not so lean they're unroastable. Plus, southern food occasionally gets faddy, so it fits right in really, just take a more rustic, mountainous approach.

FaradayCage
May 2, 2010

Suspect Bucket posted:

OXTAIL IS 6.50 A LB WTF

I bought a publix greenwise london broil for less. Holy balls.

By the way, london broil is fantastic marinated in italian dressing and soy sauce, then grilled rare. Get it on sale!

London broil is typically $7/lb but goes on 2-for-1 sale pretty often where I am. $3.50/lb is a goddamned steal.

This marinade is cheap and amazing (and I use it with london broil instead of flank steak because of the steal-factor indicated above:). The marinade stuff is on the left column. Don't worry about the white pepper. Nobody uses white pepper. Especially not in a loving marinade.

shankerz
Dec 7, 2014

Must Go Faster!!!!!
Red Lumpfish Caviar

Lumpfish caviar is an excellent alternative to pricier Caspian Sea varieties. This specialty caviar is a perfect addition to a gourmet meal; used as a substitute in recipes calling for the more traditional roes. It also makes a beautiful garnish, especially alongside sushi. Originally from Iceland, ours is from neighboring Sweden.

Only 8.99 for this massive jar!!!! It's cheap and means your rich and famous If you eat it.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
Dude hands down right now is beef heart. Still under 1.50 a pound.

It's lean as hell so treat it like bison, clean it real well, trim it down into steaks. I like to soak mine for a bit in salty water to season it. Then pepper and sear the fucker and call it a day.

It's like concentrated beef flavor with a hint of gamey-ness. Goes great with a chimichurri or Gorgonzola.

Shbobdb
Dec 16, 2010

by Reene
It's all about the tripe, man. Super cheap and wonderfully versatile. Back-in-the-day, it is what poor people ate (along with oysters and lobster). Great stuff. If you boil it, it is soft and silky. If you fry it up, nice and crunchy. It is basically a noodle made out of meat and it is fantastic. So many different varieties too. When you start with it, stick to beef and, initially, go for the more "feathery" ones as opposed to the more "honeycomb" ones. That is going to give you a lot more neutral of a profile to work with, at least in my experience.

Same could be said about basically another other bit of offal. Hearts are awesome and have already been mentioned. Try a few different types and see what organs sing to you. Read up on how to prepare them, since offal normally needs a little more processing at home than other cuts. Also, in contrast to other types of meat, I'd say start with tried-and-true recipes as opposed to just cooking them on their own to get a hold of their flavor. Offal can have some strong flavors that may not be initially appealing but, in the context of a recipe, are loving awesome.

Also: goat. I loving love goat. It has gotten more expensive in recent years but it is still going to be significantly cheaper than lamb. I started eating goat because it was a low-cost alternative to lamb but over the years, I've come to actively prefer it. Goat can be very tough, so cook it low and slow, brine it, all that good stuff. Make a barbeque sauce with prunes, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and habeneros. Goes loving great with goat. Goat and prunes generally get along. Make some tagine.

Secret Spoon
Mar 22, 2009

Errant Gin Monks posted:

Dude hands down right now is beef heart. Still under 1.50 a pound.

It's lean as hell so treat it like bison, clean it real well, trim it down into steaks. I like to soak mine for a bit in salty water to season it. Then pepper and sear the fucker and call it a day.

It's like concentrated beef flavor with a hint of gamey-ness. Goes great with a chimichurri or Gorgonzola.

Oh my god what why did I never think of this.

electricmonk500
May 6, 2007
Fish heads. They've got some really good bits of meat on them and should be sold for considerably less than the filet. They should have them around at pretty much any decent seafood counter, but they keep them somewhere out of sight. Just be sure to remove the gills (bitter), descale, and wash out any congealed blood inside.

Look up fish head curry, it's pretty popular in Singapore/East Asia in general. The general idea is you simmer it in a thinnish curry sauce with tomatoes and heavy on the turmeric until tender and much of the fat has been rendered into the sauce. If you simmer it too long (or poke it around too much during cooking) it will all fall apart and there will be tiny bones mixed in everything. I'd try it with snapper or something similar.

If you're some kind of weirdo that doesn't want to eat a full fish head, you could go for salmon. Cut off the cheeks(best part) and sear them off, then use the heads to make great fish stock or something. You can also get fish tails, which have more meat left on them than you might think, but I haven't gotten around to trying some out yet.

Cool tip on the lumpfish roe, going to try that out soon and prepare it like ikura.

ColHannibal
Sep 17, 2007
Fried fish bones.

Normally served at sushi places if you know the chef, compensates for the waste of a small fish like Pompano or Spanish Mackerel by frying it once the 4 pieces of sushi have been removed until the bones and head resemble fried chicken skin.

Serve with Lemon, or green tea powder.

Or some kinda hot sauce.

SLICK GOKU BABY
Jun 12, 2001

Hey Hey Let's Go! 喧嘩する
大切な物を protect my balls


Boogers, they are gonna make a come back.

feelz good man
Jan 21, 2007

deal with it
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Harve...al+harvest+book

KettleWL
Dec 28, 2010

Errant Gin Monks posted:

Dude hands down right now is beef heart. Still under 1.50 a pound.

It's lean as hell so treat it like bison, clean it real well, trim it down into steaks. I like to soak mine for a bit in salty water to season it. Then pepper and sear the fucker and call it a day.

It's like concentrated beef flavor with a hint of gamey-ness. Goes great with a chimichurri or Gorgonzola.

I very rarely eat red meat, but I called around and found a local spot with beef heart for $2 a pound, no idea how much of it I will have to trim off, but I placed an order. Giving this a shot next week when it arrives. Any advice aside from your general run down and this website/video google pointed me towards?

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

KettleWL posted:

I very rarely eat red meat, but I called around and found a local spot with beef heart for $2 a pound, no idea how much of it I will have to trim off, but I placed an order. Giving this a shot next week when it arrives. Any advice aside from your general run down and this website/video google pointed me towards?

No ruhlman pretty much explains what to do. You might lose 10% to trim, it's all surface stuff you trim off.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
6.99 A LB OXTAIL TODAY

Taking bets on how high it can rise, or if we have reached Peak Oxtail. Good glorious gently caress. For reference, neckbones and beef heart were right next to them for 1.99 a lb. Sirlon was 5 a lb.

Also need reccomendations for how to cook beef tounge, since I ordered one in on a whim.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:

Suspect Bucket posted:

6.99 A LB OXTAIL TODAY

Taking bets on how high it can rise, or if we have reached Peak Oxtail. Good glorious gently caress. For reference, neckbones and beef heart were right next to them for 1.99 a lb. Sirlon was 5 a lb.

Also need reccomendations for how to cook beef tounge, since I ordered one in on a whim.

I have seen oxtail here for 8-10 a pound and just laughed my rear end off. Tongue here is 6-8 which is loving stupid

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/tacos-de-lengua-recipe.html

There. That's what to do with tongue, also you can corn it or make it into pastrami.

KettleWL
Dec 28, 2010
Yeah I was going to try oxtail too, but it's $5.99 here even with my butcher hook up (friend's in laws run a shop), just ridiculous.

Croatoan
Jun 24, 2005

I am inevitable.
ROBBLE GROBBLE
Huevos del toro is still pretty cheap.

rj54x
Sep 16, 2007

KettleWL posted:

Yeah I was going to try oxtail too, but it's $5.99 here even with my butcher hook up (friend's in laws run a shop), just ridiculous.

My local grocery is constantly marking both their oxtail and beef shank at $7 or $8 / lb. The funny thing about this is, since I live in a white bread midwestern hellscape, nobody buys it - which means it invariably winds up going into the clearance meat bin a few days later, where I can scoop it up at $2/lb with impunity.

Shbobdb
Dec 16, 2010

by Reene

Croatoan posted:

Huevos del toro is still pretty cheap.

Nature's chicken mcnuggets

KettleWL
Dec 28, 2010

rj54x posted:

My local grocery is constantly marking both their oxtail and beef shank at $7 or $8 / lb. The funny thing about this is, since I live in a white bread midwestern hellscape, nobody buys it - which means it invariably winds up going into the clearance meat bin a few days later, where I can scoop it up at $2/lb with impunity.

The only other place near by that would even order beef heart wanted $5/lb for it. What the gently caress do you have to be smoking to think someone would pay $5/lb for organ meat? This is suburban strip mall abyss of Cincinnati too, so the only thing I can think is they have it marked up for the "novelty" factor.

Laminator
Jan 18, 2004

You up for some serious plastic surgery?

Suspect Bucket posted:

6.99 A LB OXTAIL TODAY

Taking bets on how high it can rise, or if we have reached Peak Oxtail. Good glorious gently caress. For reference, neckbones and beef heart were right next to them for 1.99 a lb. Sirlon was 5 a lb.

Also need reccomendations for how to cook beef tounge, since I ordered one in on a whim.

I recently tried gyutan at a Japanese grill restaurant, it was really delicious. Sliced paper thin and grilled over high heat for just a minute or so. Nice and marbled and delicious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Kg2vUWp9E

whos that broooown
Dec 10, 2009

2024 Comeback Poster of the Year
I love goat, but there's only one place nearby that sells it. For loving 20 dollars a pound from their "exotic" meat freezer. :negative:

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

Suspect Bucket posted:

6.99 A LB OXTAIL TODAY
I bought some the other day and that's what it was :(

Shanks are about that, too.

Heart was only 2.79/lb



One day I'm going to buy like $25 in shanks and tails and just make some insane beef stew.

Errant Gin Monks
Oct 2, 2009

"Yeah..."
- Marshawn Lynch
:hawksin:
I need to clear out my freezer. I can buy everything at restaurant depot for cheap per pound.. I just have to buy 40-50 lbs of it.

mweber
Dec 24, 2003

KettleWL posted:

The only other place near by that would even order beef heart wanted $5/lb for it. What the gently caress do you have to be smoking to think someone would pay $5/lb for organ meat? This is suburban strip mall abyss of Cincinnati too, so the only thing I can think is they have it marked up for the "novelty" factor.

Where in Cincinnati are you/willing to drive? I'd be surprised if Jungle Jim's didn't have hearts ready to go in their butcher shop.

Shooting Blanks
Jun 6, 2007

Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade



Croatoan posted:

Wait, so skirt steak is expensive now?

Outside skirt steak is expensive not only due to increased popularity here, but in our trade agreements with Japan it is considered offal and thus avoids the heavy tariffs most beef incurs.

Read more here: http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-06-18/restaurants/not-so-clear-cut/

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
Cancled the beef tounge order. It was also 6.99 a lb. gently caress that, heart forever. Gonna head to my local meat locker guy, see what he has.

Shooting Blanks
Jun 6, 2007

Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade



Also FWIW, almost anything beef is going to be either expensive, imported, or both. Cattle numbers are way down in many areas due to drought, restricting supply.

If you can find it in your area and you live near the coast, bycatch might be a good option. Best to try an actual seafood monger, but this is stuff that is caught inadvertently in insufficient quantities to sell to restaurants.

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Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

Shooting Blanks posted:

If you can find it in your area and you live near the coast, bycatch might be a good option. Best to try an actual seafood monger, but this is stuff that is caught inadvertently in insufficient quantities to sell to restaurants.

The best part about living where I am. Whole Mullet for like a buck fiddy a pound. Roast that mother whole on the grill stuffed with lemon and herb, feed a family for like six bucks.

Buy it whole smoked, it's fish bacon. Best place for it and fine clams and oysters is Cedar Key in Florida on the gulf. But ask any local fish guy if they have it, it's worth the price. Mix it in cream cheese and chive or green onion, finest cracker topping in the world. Lasts a decent time in the fridge too.

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Feb 25, 2015

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