For pot roasts, Swiss steaks, smothered steaks, other braised meats.—Beef round, rump, sirloin tip, flank, chuck, short ribs, heart, and liver. Spareribs and ham hocks. Pork liver and heart. Thick pork chops or ham slices or shoulder steaks. Lamb shoulder, neck, breast, shanks, heart, and liver. Veal round, rump, shoulder, and heart.
For stews, soups, or to cook before creaming or frying.—Beef, lamb, or veal neck. Beef plate and brisket (fresh or corned). Tongue (fresh or smoked). Veal or lamb shanks, kidneys, brains. Pork kidneys and brains. Veal, lamb, or beef sweetbreads.
To Make Meat Tender
Good cooking can help make any cut of meat a favorite main dish with the family. Here are some of the methods that skillful cooks use for less tender cuts:
Long, slow cooking, as for braised meats and stews.—For extra flavor first brown meat in a little fat. To braise, use little or no liquid except the juices that cook from the meat. Cook, closely covered, with low heat. To stew, add water to partially cover meat, cover kettle, and simmer.
Chopping, pounding, scoring.—The foodchopper helps make meat tender. After chopping, any meat cooks as quickly as a tender cut. Pounding, or scoring with a knife, before cooking is similar in effect to chopping but tenderizes meat less.
Seasonings
Meat itself is usually flavoring enough for the main dish. It is often browned in a little fat to develop its flavor. In combination dishes, highly flavored or cured meats such as ham, dried beef, corned beef, and sausage may lend more flavor than fresh meat.
When the meat is limited, other foods will add zest and additional food values. Tomatoes, onions, parsley, chives, green peppers, celery, sour cream, lemon, nippy or smoked cheese—all contribute in both ways.
Other seasonings your family may enjoy with meat are bay leaf, catsup, chili, curry, garlic, marjoram, paprika, sage, soy sauce, sweet basil, tabasco sauce, thyme, worcestershire sauce. Since these are used in small quantities, they are not expensive in the long run.