Many people and indeed families stick to what they know. They play it safe and cook exactly what they know the children will like or what they are used to. But how about going for something a little different to the norm? There are so many different cuts of beef, some you may not have heard of and others that you use all the time.

At Burts Catering Butchers, we are a family run butchers. But we also supply a lot of meat to restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels in the south east of England. So we like to think we know what we are talking about! we sell plenty of the standard cuts of beef, pork, lamb and especially chicken.

However we also stock some slightly more unusual cuts of meat. Not kangaroo, crocodile or ostrich as we only source our meat from farms in England and for obvious reasons these are not quite so well sourced. But there are some more unusual cuts of meat that are succulent, easy to cook, yet not quite so well known! Here is a bit of a summary, so you can see what sort of cut of beef would be your choice:

Starting with one of the best, we have the wonderful Chateaubriand. Taken from the rump of the fillet, this has very little fat and is such a wonderful steak you may not want anything else!

Perhaps you may like the butchers favourite Cote de Boeuf. A wonderful chunk of steak meat and a great centrepiece if you are having friends over.

Beef brisket over the years has been known as cheaper cut of meat. However it makes for a really wonderful mid week roast. When cooked in a sealed dish with a little water, on a really long low heat, is a really tender cut of meat with very little fat. This is a really economical choice if you like beef and the water that it has been cooked in makes the best gravy ever!

Along with the cheaper joints of beef, we also have the top quality joints. Including the marvellous rolled sirloin of beef, very little fat and a glorious choice if you want to impress!

Blade steaks seem to be building in popularity – they don’t look quite so impressive but taste fantastic! Definitely a great choice if you want a really tasty steak.

The braising steak is a cut of beef that actually comes from the shoulder of the cow. As you would imagine, this is perhaps the hardest working part of a cow’s body. So braising steak can get awfully tough if you don’t cook it right. Here, however, you’ve got yourself an incredibly cheap cut of beef that provides an incredibly delicious and satisfying eating experience. Braising steaks are usually found in casseroles and stews which you need to cook for some time — allowing for the natural fat of this particular cut of beef to be broken down.

The fillet steak is considered the most premium, prime cut of beef. This is because of it’s unique tenderness. Owing to the fact that it comes from the part of the cow that does least work: the lower-mid back. Very tender, it actually has a very little fat — just pure, mouth watering tender beef.

The rib-eye steak is a cut of beef that comes from a part of the cow, just above the ribs! The meat is very tender and its taste is very ‘beefy’ and rich. What adds to the intense flavor of the rib-eye are the strips of fat, or marbling, typically throughout this cut of beef.

The rump steak comes from where it sounds – the backside of the cow! Rump steaks are the kebab man’s dream as they retain marinades expertly well yet don’t allow sauces to drown out their natural, beefy flavour. This is a great all rounder.

A topside cut of steak comes from the inner thigh of the cow. It usually has a layer of slippery fat stuck to it, that’s kept on there to naturally baste the steak as it’s cooking. Topside Steaks have lower fat content so are maybe the most flexible and easy cut of beef when it comes to cooking.! You can slow cook this steak on low heat, or go fast and on high temperatures to sear it.

Sirloin steak sits right between the fillet and the rib. Which means that it’s got the perfect balance of fat/taste and tenderness. Just like the rib-eye, you want to make sure you cook this cut of beef long enough for the fat to melt.

We have covered most of the different cuts of beef. Obviously there is also beef mince, taken from various different cuts. At least with Burts Catering Butchers you know your beef mince will come from the best cuts possible!