Most of us tend to gravitate towards best beef cuts And best pork chops for steakssuch as a tender and juicy pork chop or filet mignon. These cuts come from less used muscles of the animal, resulting in softer, butterier meat. But cuts of meat that come from highly toned muscles rich in connective tissue and fat are often overlooked despite their deeper flavor, and Andrew Zimmern says it's time to change that. He recently told Tasting table that, in his opinion, the neck ranks first among the underrated cuts of meat. “Every animal moves its head to eat, [so the neck] has one of the best tastes of any animal,” he says.
Zimmern encourages people to broaden their horizons even further, looking beyond brisket and shanks to less common cuts. He notes that the neck and other “working parts” of the animal, such as the shoulders, butt and feet, deserve your attention. “In some cases, they require more effort and work to prepare… but the results are twice as delicious.”
Zimmern says now is the perfect time to move on to less popular cuts of meat, such as neck, because the fact that they aren't in high demand is reflected in the price. He compares it to food delicious wrestling dishes which are both cheap and desirable, saying food born out of poverty is on the rise again. “A lot of people like to grill a luxurious steak,” he admits. “Most people can’t afford that these days.”
Read more: 14 Traditional Ground Beef Dishes Nobody Seems to Make Anymore
How to prepare your neck
When it comes to cooking neck, Andrew Zimmern warns that it's not a cut of meat you want to experiment with for a last-minute snack. “Obviously, it doesn't take that long to cook a fish neck, but in many cases, if you use lamb neck or pork neck, it's [about] patience,” says Zimmern. Because working muscles, such as the neck, tend to have more connective tissue, this means the meat is tougher and takes much longer to cook.
Like brisket or shank, neck needs low, slow heat to break down this tissue. For example, stewing or baking beef neck in the oven allows all the flavorful fats to simmer and tenderize the meat. Braised beef neck bones are also a Southern staple, simmered with aromatics and savory spices until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. “It will take all day to prepare. Simmer for eight hours. Roast for 10 hours. It takes 14 hours to smoke, but the results are truly unmatched,” notes Zimmern. To really save money, don't throw away your neck bones after you've eaten the meat. They contain a ton of collagen, making them ideal for creating amazingly rich and flavorful bone broths and bases.
Static Media owns and operates Chowhound and Tasting Table.
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