Want to create terrific meat dishes? Use a mortar and pestle.

A mortar and pestle may be heavy and bulky but, from one meat enthusiast to another, I strongly advise you to have one. It will last because it does not rely on mechanics nor fads. It is a timeless piece of equipment with a timeless function. Part of the skill and knowledge to cooking red…

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If all else fails, just keep your steak delicious and simple!

If COVID has made things complicated, then why don’t you simplify? We all need to eat dinners and sometimes we just don’t have the time nor the inclination to cook up something really substantial even though we want it. We may take the trouble to go to a restaurant for a good quality steak and,…

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Marinated Pork Belly

What is great about it is that it is simple with very few ingredients. I love the caraway component in the process. Marinated Pork Belly Ingredients 1kg/2.2lbs pork belly (ask your butcher to score the rind) 1–2 tbsp oil (to sear the rind) Marinade ingredients 1 tbsp oil 2 tsp salt 2 tsp caraway seeds…

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Get crackling!

One of the stand outs for pork over the other land animals is the rind. Why? Because this is where the crackling comes from. As per my book Your Meat Mate here are 5 terrific steps you can take to make sure you’ve got the best crackling for your pork belly before you follow a…

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When it comes to minced meat, do I chuck or do I topside?

In previous posts I have written about the cooking of tough cuts versus cooking of tender cuts. The general rule is that tough cuts, having a high level of connective tissue, are naturally flavourful and need long and slow cooking to achieve doneness. However once minced the connective tissue has been broken down and you…

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Your meat doesn’t love crowds

I have always mentioned in Your Meat Mate that cooking meat to perfection requires a high heat to brown and caramelise the exterior followed by a low heat to gently cook the interior. To achieve that high heat blast do not overcrowd your pan, grill plate or roasting tray no matter how tempting that may…

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Give it a rest!

I have mentioned in previous blogs that a lot of the good work being done to your meat is actually being done in your absence. Your job is simply to know what is going on while you are leaving the meat alone when you don’t have to do anything other than focus your time on…

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Following a red meat recipe?

Not all meat recipes are full proof. There is that slight chance that they may miss some vital steps. Please bear in mind the following when you next follow a meat recipe:   Take away that chill For best results ensure that the meat is not straight out of the fridge. Bring it close to…

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Did you forget to take your steak out of the freezer?

You can remove your steak from the freezer and cook it straight away on the grill or in the fry pan but there are challenges. I did this exercise when I was writing Your Meat Mate. I pan fried both a thawed and a frozen steak. My outcome: It was fine and easy to chew…

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Buy cheap cuts of meat!

Nothing wrong with cheap meat. When it comes to meat cuts some are cheaper than others. That is just a fact. It doesn’t mean the cheaper cuts are of poorer quality. The reason they are cheaper is because they are not so straightforward to cook as their more expensive counterparts are. That all! In the…

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