BUTCHER SLANG

I've gone over these terms before, but heck I'll go over them again. Butcher Slang. Just a few terms for you to understand what butchers are talking about if you ever head to your nearest meat shop.



I remember when I was growing up watching the Brady Bunch, Alice the housekeeper had a boyfriend, his name was Sam. Sam the butcher. To me, he was the man, he was the main dude. I mean Mr. Brady was an architect, fiction only right? But man, fiction or not, for me, the butcher is the dude I wanna know and shoot the bull with. I mean, we have to eat right? I'd be like, "Hey same, got any beef bones you can throw my way? I wanna make some soup or some Demi Glace." Sam, he was the man. Shit what do I know about building a skyscraper?

OK, here are some terms you might want to have at the ready in the event you are in the presence of other meat aficionados in your local butcher shop.

The "Boston Butt"- No it doesn't come from the butt of a hog/pig. It is a very popular pork cut coming from the shoulder of the animal. Slow cooking is best for this cut.

As you can see, there is a lot of tissue running every which way. And being from the shoulder of the animal it is much tougher as opposed to the loins. Imagine when this animal was alive and walking, the shoulders got some workout. 

Pic from Google

BRT- No it is not Bored, Retarded and Tired. But "Boned, Rolled, and Tied." Haha, it's sounds like a sex crime on SVU. But it's really beef, poultry, pork, lamb roast cuts that are trimmed and rolled and then tied.

To save time and money, just have your butcher do this, just have confidence when approaching the counter. "Hey Sam, I need a pork BRT, ah- 2 lbs. will do" or he may already have some pork BRT at the ready.

Pic from Google

Chitlins- Pig's small intestines. Lot of ethnic cultures use this, frying it up with chilies, herbs and spices. Some cooks will make soup with it. Sky's the limit with this.

Here is Mexican style Chitlins in broth

Pic from Google

Chuck Eye- OK I'm getting techno here, The Complexus muscle of cattle. If the ribeye is the wealthy man's prime steak, then the chuck eye is the poor man's steak. The chuck eye is cut off the 5th rib, while the ribeye or prime rib is cut from the 6th to 12th rib. 

The chuck eye steaks are generally much more affordable 

than the ribeye. Well, you can still grill these up and 

have a decent meal. It's more on the chewy side, but slice em thin

across the grain, and it's all good.

Pic from Google

Chump- Yes Chump. "Rick is a Chump!" haha. OK Chump in butcher's lingo is Lamb sirloin. That's right, so go up to Sam and tell him, "Hey Sammy, sorry your Giants lost on Sunday, but hey I'm in a hurry, gimme a few pounds of Chump."

Here is some lamb sirloin cooked in Pomegranate Molasses

Pic from Google.

Drunken Chicken/Ribs- Basically what this is is when any protein is marinated in wine or beer, or any alcoholic beverage. 

No picture needed, you should get the picture in your head.

Flat Iron- The steak cut that hails from right under the shoulder blade. Why is it called flat iron? Because it should be flat like a old cast iron skillet.

This cut of beef is really popular but there's not much yield per animal.

These are great off the grill, cooked medium sliced across the grain, or seared

in a hot pan, with some fat to cook it, and just salt and pepper.

There you have it folks. Some butcher jargon, good luck talking it up with Sam the butcher.

© 2017