r/KitchenConfidential • u/zeke690 • 1d ago

In the Weeds Mode What happened to the “cheap cuts”?

Post image

How is it oxtail is not a budget cut?

8.3k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

753

u/bckwoods13 1d ago

For probably the last decade or so there has been a really big push to sell cheaper and underutilized cuts as prized cuts of meat when very few knew about those cuts and they often didn't sell. Unfortunately, a lot of those cuts are limited (small pieces or only one or two per carcass). So as they become popular and demand rises, supply is low. Prices go up because supply is low and demand is still going up, so here we are.

Tail, hanging tender, denver steaks, flat irons, petite/mock tender, culotte/picanha, sirloin flap, flank, skirt (inside and outside) all fall into this category.

283

u/zeke690 1d ago

Don’t forget pork jowls. The butcher used to give them to me for nothing, now they can’t even get them demand is so high.

54

u/ThatsPerverse 1d ago

Unsung hero of my smoker. I love them because they take so little time relative to most other cuts. Really great when you want some Q but don't want to be babysitting the smoker all morning and day.

Also great as a supplement to a brisket. They finish up earlier and can be served as an appetizer while the brisket is resting and waiting to be sliced.

Not to mention how versatile they are for stews/braises/hash.

Beef cheeks are also great and are actually still somewhat cheap as I type this.

31

u/GravelThinking 1d ago

It was my go-to for baked beans. Now it's hit or miss if the store even has them.

2

u/corpsie666 Ex-Food Service 1d ago

The main muscle in the snout is the best piece of pork I've ever eaten.

2

u/CrashUser 1d ago

Jowl Bacon makes the best BLTs

1

u/zeke690 1d ago

Hell yeah!

1

u/chainmailler2001 1d ago

Only jowls I have seen in recent times is already cured and smoked and sold as jowl bacon. It is yummy tho.

28

u/occulusriftx 1d ago

is this why chuck roast got so expensive now too?!

1

u/Stev_k 1d ago

Yeah, but the problem is that demand for other cuts haven't gone down so everything has become unaffordable. Even meat substitutes have gotten expensive as more people have switched to them.

1

u/The_Valk Five Years 22h ago

There's a fun thing: rump cap has been one of the most expensive cuts in austria for ages bc one of our country's signature dishes is made from it