I come from a family full of sport hunters and fishers, so there is never a good excuse for serving substandard meaty fare. I guess you could call us meat-atarians. My father is - without a word of boast - quite simply the best chef never to run his own restaurant. He's also my go-to call for any type of meat emergency, as this article proved to be. If you've ever been embarrassed by a mediocre roast or questionable sushi, read on:

First things first: how do you know if your grocer's meat is truly fresh? We've been fooled by the sticker date before...

Dad:
Very fresh beef is bright red, whereas well-aged beef develops a mid brown color. However, meat that has been on the shelf too long gets a faded leeched out look towards gray.

How about fish?

Dad:
Sniff the package, and if the fish is bad it will smell through. My best test is to press your finger on the thicker part of the fillet. You are looking for spongy texture that bounces back. If the dent you made with your finger stays there it is far from fresh.

With whole fish the gills should be red. If they’re gray then the fish either got old before freezing or it’s been through a freeze/thaw cycle already.

How do you know if the fish is fresh enough for sushi?

Dad:
Best to ask your grocer when they received it. Almost all fish to reach the store arrives frozen; in the case of sushi grade salmon it must be frozen for 3 days in order to be safe for raw consumption anyway. Fresher is better, but use the finger pressure technique and be sure it is nice and rubbery. When you open the package put your nose well into the fish. It should smell fishy of course but if there is a hint of bad smell I would cook it instead.

That makes sense. But to be sure, should I buy from a butcher or are most chain grocers knowledgeable enough and offer sufficient variety?

Dad:
A good butcher will age his own meat in a walk in cooler. Ask if they have some aged meat and how long it has been aged for. If they don’t do that then they’re selling whatever the wholesaler sends them and possibly don’t know or care about the quality.

There is some sense in buying fish from a store that rotates its stock. A corner butcher may not sell enough to have sushi grade fish on hand. Many stores bring in fresh fish on Thursdays (because of the custom of fish on Fridays). Good idea to ask them when they get it in and plan your menu around that. Econo cuts may be cheaper in a chain store, but if you want a fool proof roast for a special dinner and can find a butcher who will order and cut you a roast to your size specification and age it for you it’s worth the extra bucks.

So we're all concerned about our spending these days, and often can't afford to splurge on premium cuts. Which dishes can we get away with econo cuts?

Dad:
Pot roasts and stews are perfect for this.

On the flip side, which cuts should I buy for finer meals?

Dad:
If you want to enjoy a rare roast it needs to be a good cut, otherwise it will be tough. I suggest prime rib, sirloin tip, or a rib-eye type loin roast and of course tenderloin. Cross-rib and blade roasts make great roasts and do not need to be cooked to well done to be tender.

Pork ribs – the meatiest come from the back. Side ribs are cheaper but have more bone per pound than back ribs, so factor that into your value calculation.

For grilling, it really depends on how you want to cook your meat. If you want well done, avoid tenderloin and sirloin because these will dry to shoe leather. You must use a rib or rib-eye steak because they are well marbled and will remain moist through the abuse of well done cooking. For a rare steak, new york strip or sirloin is great; not a lot of marbling but tender meat on its own. If you cook a rib eye rare you may find more fat on your plate than you wish – that’s a personal preference issue.

Can you give us some recipe and time-saving ideas?

Dad:
(1) I’m not big into pre-marinating roasts. I start off all roasts the same: rub in salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, Dijon mustard and a bit of oil. Heat up a Dutch oven or roaster with a touch of oil until it’s smoking. Drop in the roast and sear it hard on all sides. Pull it off the element and drop in some cloves of garlic, chunks of onion, a bit of celery and carrot if you wish. Add a cup of red wine – doesn’t have to be fancy stuff - and then add water to get the roast at least ¾ under liquid. It makes sense to use a roaster that matches the size of the cut because you don’t want to add more than a couple of cups of liquid in total. Put on the lid and bake at 250°F for 3-4 hours. You can turn it once if you are around or not worry about that at all. The slow simmering will help to break down the tougher tissues and it should be a delicious roast, even with a cheap cut!

(2) A very simple way to dry roast is to prep the meat with your favorite dry marinade. Heat up the oven to 375°F and put the meat in for 45 minutes. You can set it to turn off on its own or do it manually but do not open the oven door!! It can sit like this until 45 minutes before dinner time. At that point stick in a meat thermometer and check for done-ness. Another 45 minutes at 375°F will get it medium to well done.

(3) When cooking ahead or doing a huge roast or turkey it can be tough to get the meat done to perfection at exactly the right time. Internal temperature of 150°F is medium rare for beef, so if your roast or bird comes up to the desired internal temperature and you’re not ready for it yet, turn down the oven to your desired temperature (i.e. 150°F) and the meat will not overcook.

(4) “Resting” the meat means to remove it from the oven and drape it with foil for 15-20 minutes before serving. This helps to stop it from cooking and the juices that have migrated to the surface are drawn back in, meaning that the juice ends up on the meat and not as much on the cutting board.

Iron Chef: Dads coming to your local networks soon...

Stay tuned next week for our vegetarian feature!

by Claire Rahn