Meats

Meat is usually the most expensive ingredient you’ll use, so it’s a good starting point for planning. It would be impractical to buy filet mignon so you could grind it and stew it, and buying a chuck roast only to cut it into steaks and cook it to medium rare would leave you chewing until the cows come home. The above chart indicates which cuts should be cooked relatively quickly, to a specific internal temperature, and which should be cooked at a low temperature for a long time. Within the cells in the first column, the types of cut are listed from least to most expensive, with notes on particular characteristics. The chart is not exhaustive: many cuts of meat are omitted, because the listed cuts offer better value/quality, in my opinion. (For example, flank steak is not on the chart because it costs as much as sirloin but is less tender, while hanger and flap steak are about as good as flank steak but cost less.) Other cuts are not mentioned because you can often extrapolate from what’s here. (For example, lamb shoulder should be cooked slowly at a low temperature, just like pork shoulder.)