Meat Illustrated by Cook’s Illustrated

Meat Illustrated
A Foolproof Guide to Understanding and Cooking with Cuts of All Kinds

Part cookbook. part handbook organized by animal and its primal cuts. Meat Illustrated is the go-to source on meat. providing essential information and techniques to empower you to explore options at the supermarket or butcher shop (affordable cuts like beef shanks instead of short ribs. lesser-known cuts like country-style ribs. leg of lamb instead of beef tenderloin for your holiday centerpiece). and recipes that make those cuts (72 in total) shine.

Meat is a treat; we teach you the best methods for center-of-the-plate meats like satisfying Butter-Basted Rib Steaks (spooning on hot butter cooks the steaks from both sides so they come to temperature as they acquire a deep crust). meltingly tender Chinese Barbecued Roast Pork Shoulder (cook for 6 hours so the collagen melts to lubricate the meat). and the quintessential Crumb-Crusted Rack of Lamb. Also bring meat beyond centerpiece status with complete meals: Shake up surf and turf with Fried Brown Rice with Pork and Shrimp. Braise lamb shoulder chops in a Libyan-style chickpea and orzo soup called Sharba.

Illustrated primal cut info at the start of each section covers shopping. storage. and prep pointers and techniques with clearly written essays. step-by-step photos. break-out tutorials. and hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations that take the mystery out of meat prep (tie roasts without wilderness training; sharply cut crosshatches in the fat). so you’ll execute dishes as reliably as the steakhouse. Learn tricks like soaking ground meat in baking soda before cooking to tenderize. or pre-roasting rather than searing fatty cuts before braising to avoid stovetop splatters. Even have fun with DIY curing projects.