Offal - why are less-desirable cuts of meat more expensive?

[Forty29]

I used to work at a hotel in the early 80's in a wealthy area but the customers used to love meals like Boiled Mutton and capers sauce, Braised Oxtail and fried Calf's liver which l found delicious as was the Oxtail.
Recently splashed out at an expensive restaurant whilst in Yorkshire and ordered Calf's liver(£29!). It tasted disgusting like wasn't cooked and still in the field flavour never again!
Used to buy Rolled Lamb's Breast in Tesco years ago when the value range was about for about 50p each. Now costs £8-9 cheaper than better cuts but catching up profit must be enormous and probably to the retailer and not the farmer.

 

[najaB]

Used to buy Rolled Lamb's Breast in Tesco years ago when the value range was about for about 50p each. Now costs £8-9 cheaper than better cuts but catching up profit must be enormous and probably to the retailer and not the farmer.

As noted above, the fact that off-cuts sell in smaller volumes for human consumption (vs being sent in bulk for either animal use or turning into pink slime) means that the profit margin probably isn't that much greater than for prime cuts.

 

[SteveHFC]

I enjoy a good bit of fried lambs liver (covered in matzo meal) & onions. Something that I grew up with when living at home. Rarely have it as my wife doesn't like it. Used to enjoy a lambs heart stuffed with sage & onion stuffing - not had it for years.

 

[Essan]

Taken to eating lamb's heart quite a bit just lately - looks "ucky" but tastes great. Perfect for curries. Local Tesco stopped selling kidneys years ago though

 

[Ediswan]

My father did cook, but not daily. All traditional British food. He once announced he was going to cook heart risotto. That was a surprise. Possibly a recipe picked up in Egypt during the war. Definitely edible. Mother refused to touch it.

 

[Whisky Papa]

...
Used to buy Rolled Lamb's Breast in Tesco years ago when the value range was about for about 50p each. Now costs £8-9 cheaper than better cuts but catching up profit must be enormous and probably to the retailer and not the farmer.

When I was a child (late 60s / 70s) one of my favourite meals was something our local butcher created, lamb's breast wrapped around a core of sausage meat - delicious! It was cheap enough to allow it to be about the only red meat to get into my Mum's midweek rotation.

I suspect most lamb breast these days heads into the kebab market, indeed a better quality doner should be largely this cut. In Hamburg, we noted the individual pieces of meat on the doner 'stack' were still visible rather than completely compacted as is usual here - and also that on a sunny day it was an acceptable lunch item for suited office-workers.

 

[Stathern Jc]

I'd forgotten how nice breast of lamb is, rolled around sage & onion stuffing.
I also haven't had it for years, so thanks for reminding me.

Tripe had several mentions upthread.
In the mid 70s I had a Saturday and school holiday job with the village butcher which has been a useful experience through my life.
On day out of curiosity I asked the boss why it was he didn't sell tripe.
He shook his head and said "I've cleaned too many of those damn things out in my time to want to still be dealing with them".
Message clear and understood. I remember it as if it was yesterday!

 

[cornishjohn]

There are some basic laws of anatomy here. <snip> a single lambs tongue isn't a huge amount of meat.

well indeed, that's why I wanted 20, to feed a decent sized group. They make great pies by the way.

Meanwhile 20 carcasses also have, for example, 40 leg joints each of which is a sizeable roast dinner for a family.

Again, well yes. But I'd imagine a normal abbattoir processes more than that in a day. Our butcher didn;t normally carry tongues at all, that's the point. Its all off to the pet food trade and expensive to divert it. I did start the conversation with him by saying "Can you get me ...." to which he replied "I'll see what I can do..."

 

[Merle Haggard]

In France once (on BR expenses) many years ago I was inveigled into having 'sausages' by my hosts. They tasted really nice but, opened up, inside they contained what looked very much like short sections of lower intestine. It certainly looked like that was what it was, rubbery small tubes. Best eaten with eyes closed ...

 

[Egg Centric]

In France once (on BR expenses) many years ago I was inveigled into having 'sausages' by my hosts. They tasted really nice but, opened up, inside they contained what looked very much like short sections of lower intestine. It certainly looked like that was what it was, rubbery small tubes. Best eaten with eyes closed ...

Sounds like andouillette, absolutely delicious things I was first exposed to at about ten years old by a father that was constantly trying to push my gourmet boundaries for no particularly good reason at that point...

 

[dastocks]

well indeed, that's why I wanted 20, to feed a decent sized group. They make great pies by the way.

Again, well yes. But I'd imagine a normal abbattoir processes more than that in a day. Our butcher didn;t normally carry tongues at all, that's the point. Its all off to the pet food trade and expensive to divert it. I did start the conversation with him by saying "Can you get me ...." to which he replied "I'll see what I can do..."

Back in the early eighties I had a Saturday job in the large local Sainsbury's supermarket where I worked in the meat department. In those days they didn't (officially) cut meat to order because there wasn't a butcher's counter in the store, but they still did a fair amount of butchery and meat packing on the premises. Lamb tongues and sweetbreads (I think they were freezer items) were definitely sold back then, along with all sorts of cuts, game and offal that you just don't see now.

 

[AndrewE]

In France once (on BR expenses) many years ago I was inveigled into having 'sausages' by my hosts. They tasted really nice but, opened up, inside they contained what looked very much like short sections of lower intestine. It certainly looked like that was what it was, rubbery small tubes. Best eaten with eyes closed ...

Sounds like andouillette, absolutely delicious things I was first exposed to at about ten years old by a father that was constantly trying to push my gourmet boundaries for no particularly good reason at that point...

see posts #45 and #47... (I thought it was disgusting, and I eat most things.)

 

[Merle Haggard]

Sounds like andouillette, absolutely delicious things I was first exposed to at about ten years old by a father that was constantly trying to push my gourmet boundaries for no particularly good reason at that point...

see posts #45 and #47... (I thought it was disgusting, and I eat most things.)

Thanks, I didn't recognise that name in previous posts. Probably to reflect my poor French, I was given a choice from the menu in English, and, ironically, when told that one of them was 'like a sausage' I chose it as the least-risky option. Hey-ho.

I thought it had a very pleasant taste. And, to be polite, I ate it all with a bland facial expression.

 

[TUC]

Offal sounds like the name of a regulator for butchers.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Offal sounds like the name of a regulator for butchers.

Take a bow

 

[Amos]

Offal sounds like the name of a regulator for butchers.

Office For Animal Liquidators.
apologies to any vegetarians.

 

[cin88]

When I was a child (late 60s / 70s) one of my favourite meals was something our local butcher created, lamb's breast wrapped around a core of sausage meat - delicious! It was cheap enough to allow it to be about the only red meat to get into my Mum's midweek rotation.

I suspect most lamb breast these days heads into the kebab market, indeed a better quality doner should be largely this cut. In Hamburg, we noted the individual pieces of meat on the doner 'stack' were still visible rather than completely compacted as is usual here - and also that on a sunny day it was an acceptable lunch item for suited office-workers.

I actually have a nice sized bone in breast of lamb in my freezer that I got fairly cheaply from the market a couple of months ago. Decision paralysis over how to prepare it has stopped me from actually eating it