Your Ultimate Guide To Cheap Meat Cuts

Sirloin and leg of lamb are all well and good, but we’re feeling peckish for lesser-known cuts. Cheaper, more sustainable and rammed with flavour, here’s what to hunt down.

These cuts will save you cash. But the other tasty titbit is that they’re a more sustainable way of eating meat as using more of the animal means less waste.

As National Butchers Week gets underway, now’s the time to quiz your local butcher on what alternative cuts they have on offer. As well as great tips to get the most out of the meat, they’ll also be able to prep it just the way you need it, saving you a fiddly job.

Cheap cuts and how to try them

Brisket Cook this cut from the lower chest low and slow for top results. It also does well under pressure, like in this best ever beef brisket recipe.

Cheek Braise then slow cook for melt in the mouth meat. Try this delish recipe with red wine gravy.

Chuck and blade From the shoulder, this meat makes a mighty beef cobbler.

Flank This steak from the abdominal muscles is good for mincing, but is also decent grilled. Try this steak and mushrooms recipe.

Oxtail Slow cook your way to a heavenly oxtail stew.

Shin and leg Cuts from the shin and leg do well slow cooked in plenty of liquid, like in this tasty beef shin casserole with thyme gravy.

Silverside From the hindquarter, this cut is a good roasting joint but why not be adventurous and make your own salt beef for sarnies?

Skirt Cook this cut from the underbelly to medium only to avoid a leathery mouthful. Perfect for homemade Cornish pasties.

Shoulder A slow roasted shoulder of lamb rivals a traditional leg roast any day of the week!

Scrag and middle neck With longer cooking time required, these cuts are good for stews or a succulent curry.

Chump This juicy rump meat is great for pan frying, like in this recipe with mushroom and tomato sauce.

Breast From the underbelly, slow cook to release flavour and break down the meat. Served with gnocchi and thick, rich gravy, what’s not to love about this recipe?

Belly Still relatively cheap, pork belly makes a blinder of a roast. Mmm, that crunchy crackling…

Cheek Stew until tender as in this recipe for braised pigs’ cheeks with caramelised leeks.

Chump As with lamb chump, this cut is great for pan-frying. Try this juicy, breaded chop recipe.

Ham hock (aka pork knuckle) The lower shank of the leg makes a hearty ham hock and barley soup.

Hand and spring The upper part of the foreleg can be used in stew or slow roasted for a tender rolled-joint.

Neck Good for slow roasting, light frying, homemade sausages and pies (link to pie blog).

Spare ribs For melting ribs with tamarind chipotle sauce, slow cook before finishing on the grill.

Whole chicken A whole bird is way cheaper than individual cuts. Joint it like a pro, then prep the pieces into a tasty recipe like this hunters chicken and use the carcass for stock.

Thighs and drumsticks If you don’t want to deal with a whole chicken, leg meat is still cheaper than breast. The brown meat has far more flavour too. Try these delicious drumsticks or irresistible crispy chicken thighs.

Cheap and cheerful? More like economical and exquisite!