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How to cook your meat like a butcher
The Market Street butchers from Morrisons share their top tips for cooking four classic cuts of meat at home
If you’re a meat lover, you might have experienced the frustration of buying a lovely fresh cut from the supermarket, only to later end up accidentally under-seasoning or overcooking it. But when you choose meat from Morrisons, the expert Market Street butchers are always available to answer any questions you might have about the best ways to prepare or cook what you buy.
With that in mind, here are some of the butchers’ top tips for cooking just a few of the meats that they hand-prepare at their counter in store.
Steaks
Whether you prefer a buttery soft fillet, a flavour-packed sirloin or a thriftier rump, the Market Street butchers offer an array of British steaks – and cooking them at home is simpler than you may think. Start by seasoning your meat well with salt and freshly ground black pepper a few hours in advance, as this will give it time to fully absorb the flavours. Then when it comes to cooking, you’ll want to sear the steak on each side in a frying pan with hot oil until its beautifully caramelised.
The cooking time will vary depending on how pink you like your steak, but as a rough guide, you can cook a medium sirloin in around two minutes on each side, while a medium bavette would take around four, as its thicker. Once cooked, allow the steak to rest at room temperature for at least five minutes to help it soak up the juices, then serve with chips, greens and your choice of sauce.
Lamb shanks
You’ll find a wide range of fresh lamb cuts on the Market Street butchers counter, such as leg, neck and shoulder. But lamb shanks are always one of the most popular, as they’re great value and each one is a single portion, so they’re incredibly easy to serve. The key to cooking a perfect lamb shank is slow-roasting or braising, so you get that beautifully tender meat that just falls off the bone.
First, you’ll want to brown the lamb all over in a pan and prepare your sauce, which can be as simple as frying some onion, carrot and garlic, then adding tomato purée, flour, herbs, red wine and stock. After that, you can either transfer the meat and sauce to a slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours, or high for four hours, or simply cover the pan and cook for up to two hours in the oven. Serve with mash and vegetables on a chilly day, or lemony couscous in the summer.
Pork joints
Everyone loves a bit of roast pork and crackling, and there are various British joints on Market Street that work brilliantly, including pork loin, shoulder and leg. If you’ve ever cooked a pork roast before, you’ll know the key to cracking crackling is to cook it at a really high heat for around 30 minutes at the start. If you have time, it also helps to rub a mix of regular table salt and salt flakes into the skin. Do this two hours before cooking, then leave it uncovered in the fridge to draw out all the moisture for an even more satisfying crunch.
You could serve your pork with all the usual trimmings for a cosy Sunday roast, or if the sun’s out, you could use it as the centrepiece for an al fresco spread with plenty of fresh salads, chutneys and vibrant roast vegetables.
Chicken breasts
While they may be one of the most popular and versatile British meats on Market Street, chicken breasts are also one of the most prone to dryness if they’re overcooked. If you want to keep yours tender and juicy, pan-frying is probably the easiest way to do it. To help the chicken cook more evenly, you might also want to cover them with cling film and flatten them slightly with a rolling pin or saucepan before you start.
When you’re ready to cook, just heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken breasts for two or three minutes on one side, then flip them, cover the pan and fry for another seven or eight minutes, or until they’re fully cooked through, and the juices run clear. Leave to rest for around five minutes and you’ll be left with perfectly moist chicken that’s ideal for slicing and adding to salads, pastas, sandwiches and more.
Visit Market Street in your local Morrisons store
