British BBQ Society Forums

HI Members

Does anyone have any good recommendations on where to buy good cuts of meat for smoking and what sort of prices you would expect to pay? Around the sussex areas, preferably west but willing to travel a bit

Hoping to smoke some food for friends on halloween - gonna practice some more with cheap tesco cuts though

Cheers
Clair

The best thing to do is find a couple of reputable butchers close to you and go to see them. They'll be able to give you prices and will be able to show you the meat they can supply.

If they are unfamiliar with the US cut names (as they probably will be) then you may need to describe them. There are a number of threads on here discussing this so you should be able to find decent descriptions.

There'll be a bit of trial and error getting the exact cuts you want but don't get too obsessed with getting it exactly right. People sometimes get the idea you won't get good pulled pork unless its a Boston Butt for example, however if you go in and get a neck end from the butcher, you're getting most of the same muscles and you'll get a good result.

Ribs and brisket will always be the challenge, getting them meaty enough can be difficult.

If you want a good piece of meat for your party that doesn't get mentioned much on here, ask your butcher for a chuck roll, you cook this like a brisket but instead of slicing, you pull it like pork. It's a great thing to eat. Here's a guide from the virtual weber bullet that you might find helpful if you do a chuck. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/chuckroll.html

Thanks Steve

I shall list a few and maybe go visit them to look at the meat, get a better idea

Just need to get myself a better smoker now as my 18" kettle q is, let's say, a little on the small side for indirect cooking

Like the idea of the chuck roll, thanks for the link

Yeah an 18" kettle is a bit small for cooking larger cuts without burning one side of them I think you may struggle to do a chuck roll on your kettle due to space limits.

Sounds like you're getting into low 'n' slow cooking though so a smoker will probably be a sound investment. See if Santa can bring you one this year

Am working on that, would be great

Try Chichester College, Brinsbury campus

They produce their own meat.

I havent tried it yet but should as I live nr Chichester



Tom

Shoulder off the bone £3.15 per lb
Shoulder on the bone £2.75 per lb
Brisket £3.75 per lb
Chuck Roll £3.95 per lb
10% off if buying big joints
does this sound like good prices??
Butcher about 5 miles from me

Those prices are very reasonable.