Picanha, Flat Iron, Denver, Ranch, Vegas, Merlot – what do these things have in common? If you answered steak you are familiar with some of the uncommon cuts that Left Bank Butchery brings to their meat counter. Yes – these aren’t the Filet Mignon, Ribeye or NY Strip but they can be extremely tasty and less wasteful than many of the High-end cuts we are used to.
Left Bank Butchery is a whole animal or “seam” butcher meaning they cut out each muscle on the cow. But with a large and different variety of meats do you know the best way to cook them? This is why they have the class and while $15 secures your seat you get it back following the class to purchase the type of meat you just learned about.
The class covers the different types of steaks they have available starting with the type of muscle they are – locomotion (rear axle / steering) vs. connectivity and cooking styles – roasting/smoking, braising and direct heat. During the class they show the start of a braising preparation and a complete direct heat preparation that we get to sample.
Time is given to answering questions and the concepts are explained simply with a few tips along the way. I enjoy cooking meat and while I feel like I have the direct heat method where I want still have a lot to learn when it comes to smoking or braising. After this class I want to try to cook beef shank (our braising example) because the process seems a lot easier than I would have thought.
The class is held in Blue Dogwood Public Market on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. If you are interested you can use this link to register. If you go don’t forget to add a pound of bacon to your order. You will regret a lot of things in life but you will regret nothing more than not buying enough bacon from these guys.
