Cooking Methods and Cuts - Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken.
I had no intention of writing this article really, until I came across those incredible cuts of well marbled pork for grilling at the Villa Supermarket on Soi Thong Lo in Bangkok.
I broiled them, something I would normally never dream of doing with pork. Because of the great marbling, 6 minutes a side was still too little, so I did another 2 minutes a side at the highest rack level. Most of the fat rendered during the broil, leaving a lot of oil in the roasting pan below, and still the cuts were juicy, a legacy of the ‘internal basting’ that the marbling provided.
This was simply incredible, and I was reminded of the numerous queries about the best cuts to be used for dishes that I feature.
If you are trying to decide what cuts to use for a dish, it helps first of all to consider the cooking method used for the dish, because more than anything, this will determine the most appropriate cuts to be used.
It absolutely makes no sense to use, for example, beef tenderloin in making a Rendang or Beef Stew. Other than spending more money than necessary, the long cooking times will simply ruin the meat.
Cooking Methods
There are 2 main types, Moist Heat and Dry Heat.
Moist Heat
Poach, Simmer, Boil, Steam or Braise - this is where moisture is used to conduct or transfer the heat. This cooking method is usually used for tougher cuts with a lot of connective tissue. (Not so with fish or vegetables, but those are different foods anyway).
So, if you are going to cook a curry with gravy, that is a moist heat method and you can choose tougher cuts for this. A Rendang that starts off with a reasonable amount of liquid is in effect a braise, and you can certainly use the tougher cuts for this.
Dry Heat
Dry heat methods can be further divided into 2;
Dry Heat – Roast, Bake, Broil, Grill or Pan-broil.
Dry Heat with Fat – Sauté, Pan-Fry or Deep-Fry.
If you are going to do a stir-fry or sauté, you want the more tender, quicker cooking cuts. Alternatively, if you want to use some of what I call the ‘in-between’ cuts, like flank or skirt steak, then you want to slice them thinly.
Dry heat methods are commonly used with tender cuts like tenderloin, or cuts with marbled fat like rib-eye.
Understanding Heat
High heat toughens and shrinks protein and this squeezes out the moisture, resulting in dry, stringy meat even when it is cooked immersed in liquid.
As a rule, low heat over a longer period is best for meat, aside from the high heat to brown or caramelize the surface. The best steak I have ever eaten was a simple rib-eye drizzled with olive oil. When I asked Chef Marco what was the secret, he said he grilled it slowly over low heat. That simple.
Unfortunately, all too commonly in Asian cooking, people do not simmer curries, they boil the living daylights out of them. It does not have to be that way, and I never ever suggest boiling any dishes I feature on my site, other than if blanching or par-boiling as a step in the cooking process.
Now for a look at the cuts; this is not going to be an exhaustive listing of every part of the animal and its possible uses, simply some of the more common cuts that you will use, and how best to cook them.
Beef
Chuck or Shoulder – This is tough meat with lots of connective tissue, and is good stewing or braising meat. Use moist heat and long slow cooking.
Rib – Tender meat often with nice marbling. Dry heat is OK, roast, grill, broil or sauté.
Loin – Tender and lean cuts, dry heat methods are best.
Round – These can be labeled top round, bottom round or rump and are less tender than rib or loin cuts. Nevertheless, with care, you can use dry heat as in roasting or pan-broiling. One of my favourite dishes at a bar and grill I patronize is a New Zealand Rump steak. Also good in braises and stews, and these are cuts I typically recommend when cooking curries or rendang. If sliced thinly, these cuts are also good in stir-fries.
Flank or Skirt (steak) – Relatively tough and best with moist heat, though they can be used in stir-fries if sliced thinly.
Brisket – Tough cuts, best when braised or stewed.
Shank – Moist heat as in braise or stew.
Oxtail – Stew, braise or use in soups.
Pork
Shoulder or Butt – This part has relatively more fat and takes well to either moist or dry cooking methods. Roast, stew or braise.
Loin – This can be cut as Roasts (bone-in or boneless), chops or tenderloin. Roasts, as the name implies, are for roasting. As chops, cutlets would be sautéed or pan-fried, thicker chops could be stuffed and baked whilst shoulder end chops would be braised. Tenderloin can be sautéed, grilled or broiled, the latter two with some care.
I actually find pork loin to be rather lean nowadays and whilst you can grill or broil it, it tends to turn out far too dry for my liking. Still, this may just be a personal quirk, try it and judge for yourself.
Spare ribs – Usually quite fatty, can be slow-baked or grilled or used in soups.
Belly - Fatty cut, can take to dry or moist heat methods.
Lamb
Leg – Very versatile cut, takes equally well to moist or dry cooking methods. Roast, braise, grill, pan-broil or sauté. Cut into cubes for shish kebabs.
Shank – Roast or braise. I tend to use more of this than the leg, simply because 1 shank is generally 1 portion, whereas the smallest leg I could find was too much for 3 people to finish.
Shoulder – Can use moist or dry heat. Roast, grill, broil or stew.
Sirloin – Use dry heat, pan-fry or sauté.
Loin – Roast, grill, broil, pan-fry or sauté.
Chicken
Yes, this is poultry, but I feature so many recipes for this I might as well cover it here. Plus, chicken is sold in parts so we now have a choice of what exacly to buy.
Breast – Lean, so best sautéed or sautéed then braised with a little liquid. Alternatively, add a breading (or just flour) and pan-fry. Can be grilled or broiled if handled carefully, but it is all too easy to over-do it.
Leg, Thigh, Drumstick – Broil, grill, bake or braise. When a chicken is cut into a standard 8 pieces, you can cook it the same as leg.
Small pieces -deep fry.
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