Customer Reviews

How to Cook Meat

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This is the easiest type of cookbook to review because it is simply the most useful type of cookbook to have, so if you find anything which detracts from the books utility, it is a sure sign that the book is not up to snuff. The fact that the two authors are recognized experts on their subject makes the job even easier, because it generally means you can sit back and take their advice with the assurance that they know what they are talking about. These are not two interior decorators who write cookbooks as a sideline. One thing to beware of regarding the authors' reputations is that unlike their earlier books, this book is not exclusively about grilling meats. In fact, grilling is a relatively minor part of this book.

By `meat' the authors mean the flesh of domesticated cattle, sheep, and pigs. This follows the conventions of almost all other cookbook authors I have read. It does not mean flesh of fowl, rabbits, or game such as venison. One advantage of this distinction means that many methods useable for one `red meat' animal can often be used for a similar cut of meat from another red meat animal.

The main object of the authors in writing this book is to deal with the fact that while eating a large amount of meat may lead to ingesting an excessive quantity of undesirable fats, eating a reasonable amount of meat provides a high amount of complete proteins essential to human nutrition. The object, then, is to make these reasonable portions as desirable as possible to eat. One result of this objective is to make as wide a range of meat cuts accessible to the home cook as possible. Limiting oneself to steaks, pork loin, and lamb chops will not only become dull after a while, it is also expensive.

An important insight from the authors is that the cost of a cut of meat has nothing to do with the (food) value of the cut. In fact, many writers have claimed that most of the less expensive cuts are actually the most flavorful. I think it is fair to say that the cost of a cut of meat is inversely proportional to the amount of time and effort required to convert the meat into a tasty dish. While an eight dollar a pound fillet can be sautéed and pan roasted in 20 minutes, a three-dollar a pound cut of chuck may take two hours to brown and braise. The reward, however, is that the braised chuck will taste great the next day without any help while the cold beefsteak may need some help to be appealing.

My favorite part of this book is the fact that I share with the authors a love of lamb. This means the authors have devoted a sizable portion of the book to recipes for various cuts of lamb, conveniently divided into a number of chapters based on the types of cooking methods most appropriate to the lamb primal.

The first such chapter deals with the large tender cuts of lamb. This includes the very expensive rack of lamb, the crown roast, bone in and butterflied leg of lamb, lamb saddle, lamb loin and a shoulder roast, prepared in a fashion very similar to the leg of lamb methods.

The second lamb chapter presents recipes for large tough cuts of lamb including lamb shanks and two recipes for braised or barbecued lamb shoulder (you didn't think you could keep these guys away from the barbecue for the whole book).

The third lamb chapter is for small tender cuts such as loin chops, rib chops, lamb tenderloin, leg steaks, and Denver Lamb ribs. This chapter concentrates on grilling techniques for lamb, especially for lamb on skewers.

The fourth chapter is my favorite, after roasted leg of lamb, in that it gives stewing and braising recipes for small tough cuts of lamb. This includes Irish stew, Shepherd's pie, and curried lamb dishes.

The last chapter on lamb has two recipes from `the fifth quarter' otherwise known as offal. It has a recipe for lamb kidneys and lamb tongues.

Between this book and constant harping from my hero Mario Batali, lamb shoulder has come to replace leg of lamb as my favorite lamb cut. They have convinced me that it has better flavor while being substantially less expensive. I have also discovered that it is becoming much easier to find than it may have in the past. Check out farmers market butchers.

In addition to excellent recipes, the book offers general tips on various cooking methods and many tips for making requests of butchers to have them do some of the hard work in preparing the meat for the pot. When roasting a shoulder, I would recommend asking the butcher to fillet the shoulder after it is weighted for sale and give you the bones separately to make lamb stock. Speaking of stocks, this book gives no recipes for them, which I actually consider a plus, as there are more than enough good books with excellent stock recipes. No sense taking up space here for a well-worn subject. Check out Judy Rodgers Zuni Café cookbook for the best stock recipes I've ever seen.

I always look here first when I want a recipe for lamb or veal or pork or beef. It not only gives me the right stuff on what to look for at the butcher, but also how to get the best value from what the butcher can do for me.

This book is highly recommended.

This is truly a magnificent compendium on meat: from beef to pork to lamb and veal.

They do a thorough job of explaining where the cuts come from and the proper cooking techniques to use on each individual cut. On top of this, there is just an outstanding section on how to communicate with one's butcher, be it from a supermarket or specialty butcher store. Also, pictures on given on each cut so that one can know what you're looking for when shopping.

The recipe sections are by cut, and they are plentiful and very creative. I would not describe the majority as requiring the "too hard to find ingredients or techniques that are difficult." These are unique, solid recipes, such as the ones tried so far: a Basil-Crusted Meat Loaf with Brandy, Walnuts and Spicy Wine Tomato Sauce (this is superb, and makes heavenly sandwiches);Lazy Sunday Pot Roast with Caraway and Green Apples; Fennel-Crusted Flank Steak with Orange=Black Olive Relish and Spicy Mint Honey;Grill-Roasted Bone-In Leg of Lamb with Grilled Peaches and Red Onion-Cilantro Salsa;Hoisin-Glazed Grilled Pork Blade Chopes with Spicy Korean Vegetables.

What is unique also is that with each recipe there is included: "Other Names," "Other Cuts You Can Use," "ButcherSpeak" and my favorite: "Cook Once,Eat Twice" which provides advice on the delicious leftovers.

This is so well thought out, researched and presented. On top of all this, the recipes are so creative and excellent and turn out as listed. Not every recipe has a color photo, although there is a sufficient number of color shots in the middle insert.

Just the best resource on these meats I have found. All chefs really into it will enjoy using this reference.

This is another winner by Willoughby and Schlesinger and in some cases I think it is their best yet. The recipes are clear, easy to follow and well written. Unlike many other cookbooks, nearly all the recipes are designed for the home chef -- not many fancy ingredients or complicated directions. The organization of the book is excellent as well. Meat is back and this book will help you enjoy it even more!

How to Cook Meat is written for the home cook who isn't sure how to buy and prepare cuts of meat: it provides over 250 recipes for meats and includes guidelines on how to use a variety of cuts from everyday meats to more unusual features. An excellent introductory section discusses the cuts, meat grading, and storage and preparation while the bulk of the book is packed with recipes. If only one meat cookbook were to be in a home collection, this should make the grade.

I've done a lot of cooking, but stayed away from big, scary cuts of meat because I didn't know what to do them. This book is changing that -- great explanations of the treatment of all cuts and types of red meat (if you don't eat red meat, don't bother ordering this one)with basics that you can use with any recipes. The sage-rubbed loin roast with bourbon sauce was so good, I can't believe it came from MY kitchen. Not many pictures of the food dishes, but a useful photo layout of the meat cuts.

Having received this book as a gift, I at first distrusted some of the recommended cooking times and temperatures. While they sometimes seem counter-intuitive or disagree with other cookbooks, I've discovered that the authors are passionate about the subject and really know what they're talking about. I've come to trust them completely. They provide really helpful advice on selecting meats and techniques for preparing them. Buy this book.

The best thing about this book is that it will inspire you to broaden your horizens and try cooking different cuts of meat that you hadn't thought about or would otherwise be too intimidated to try to buy and make into a recognizable meal. I like the way the recipes are organized into large and small cuts of meat as well as tender versus tough cuts. I also like the detailed descriptions of the cuts used in the recipes at the head of each, along with advice on where to buy them and how expensive they'll be. In addition, there are some very nice-sounding side dishes to try in the end chapters, although I haven't made any yet. A further plus is that many of the recipes have really tasty vegetable accompaniments embedded in them directly - that's nice because in other cases you might get a decent meat recipe but then not really have a good idea what to serve it with in terms of appropriate veggies and starchy sides. And the writing is good and in places even funny - some of the recipes have goofy titles (like "A Severe Tounge Hashing"). It's great to have cookbook authors who don't take themselves too seriously.

That said, this book is not encyclopedic in the sense that you will not find a receipe for every cut of meat there is. For example, I bought some boneless beef shanks once on a whim, figuring there'd probably be a recipe in there for something to make with them - but nope. (Although, I substituted them in a recipe for another cut with good results.)

Perhaps the biggest failing in my view though, is that often the recipes call for seasoning amounts that lead to crazy levels of spiciness. For people who love everything extra-spicy, that's fine, but for those who prefer more moderation or variety in their eating, it can be a little wearing, and I've personally taken to quartering some of their seasoning amounts to avoid making my poor pepper-sensitive husband melt with sweat as he eats. For example, if I recall correctly there was a pot roast recipe that called for something like 3 tablespoons of black pepper. Now, that is a whole heck of a lot of pepper for a dish that is basically supposed to be a little on the bland side by nature. And the hoisin-braised pork loin had so much ginger and pepper that it was basically inedible, and I actually ended up WASHING OFF the spicy juices before applying the hoisin sauce.

A couple of other quibbles are that in trying to make some of the recipes I've ended up with super fatty cuts from the butcher, and I never know if they were supposed to be that fatty or if I just accepted a bad cut - it'd be nice to have advice for when to ask to have the fat cut off, or how to trim off the fat myself. (Example, I ended up spending $60 on a veal shoulder roast (!!!), only to find it so fatty that my husband pooh-poohed it.) Also, although the authors offer an interesting sprinkling of offal recipes at the end of each chapter, I would have liked to see more of them, just because I'm a big offal fan. But I guess that's why we have Fergus Henderson, right?

Meat cooking guides are not new, but few match the comprehensiveness of this volume. The best compliment I can give this book is that I actually use it. Many other general cookbooks give some pointers and guidelines for popular cuts of meat; this book covers it all. I particularly appreciate the recipes and techniques Schlesinger and Willoughby give for dealing with larger and tougher cuts of meat; this is well in line with today's trend toward long slow cooking. This is the kind of book you get kitchen stains all over, the kind you keep on a kitchen counter rather than a bookshelf.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

This is the only meat cookery book you'll ever need. You can clear out all those other cookbooks and leave the shelves for aesthetic objects. In truth, I've never had one of the authors' recipes fail. How do they do it? You'll never regret purchasing this book, and not so incidentally, recipes for fabulous, easy side-dishes are offered as well.

This book provides a wealth of practical, well organized information. I have tried the author's "Real Deal" beef stock with great results. I look forward to trying other variations of that recipe. This book has definitely boosted my culinary confidence level and I look forward to trying more recipes in the near future.