by Chris__M » 25 Jun 2015, 09:52
If you can find a butcher who can supply what you want, that is great. But in my experience many butchers are geared to supply the popular British cuts and that is all.
I have tried to order a brisket from two different local butchers, neither of which are "bad" butchers - in fact one of them is very good, within their own product line. But even going in with a specific request, and diagrams of the cut I was looking for, neither were willing/able to supply what I wanted. In one case it ended up with the butcher getting in a large piece of cow with skin and bones still attached, which bore no resemblance to what I had asked for - and this was not as a prelude to butchering it for me, they thought I was going to walk away with that. The other butcher insisted that all I needed was a rolled brisket, which I could then "unroll". Except that all their rolled briskets were under 1kg.
A friend recently pointed me at another meat retailer in Peterborough, who they thought would help me. I ended up talking to the butcher there about their ability to supply briskets and bone in pork shoulders. Eventually, he asked "so what's this for?"
I told him I was into BBQ, and his eyes lit up, and he said "I have just what you need". He disappeared out back, and came out with a large shrink-wrapped tray, filled with burgers, sausages, ribs and chicken.
What was it that - after a lengthy and detailed conversation about large pieces of meat - made him think that what I really wanted was burgers, bangers and drumsticks?
So, given the choice of trying to order from a local source, and being constantly frustated and disappointed; and ordering British beef from an online supplier who I can see "gets it", I know which I will choose.