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BIG MEATS, LITTLE BUDGET
Three local butchers serve up their best deals for the holidays
Written by Jesse Hirsch
You don't need meat to party, but it sure can be tasty. As the holidays approach this year, some may be worried that a trip to the butcher's will break the bank. Never fear - pinching pennies doesn't have to mean a meatless feast. Edible Queens has done the legwork for you, consulting three of Queens' finest butchers for tips on choosing affordable (but tasty) cuts.
Beef
Mitch Palminteri (pictured below with Ray Matrochano) has worked with meats since he was 12 years old, delivering for a butcher on Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn. Now the owner of Metro Meats in Forest Hills, he says people never stop buying meat for the holidays. "If you've been eating the same thing at Christmas for 20 years," he says, "you aren't going to stop now just because it's a recession."
Palminteri believes some people will not be swayed from their filet mignon or their prime rib, no matter how bad the economy gets. Despite costing up to $25 per pound, these cuts are seen as the vital centerpiece of some celebrations.
But for those unwilling to get a second mortgage for their meat, Palminteri has two words: silver tip (a cut of roast beef found near the shoulder of the cow). Lean yet packed with flavor, this cut flies under the radar of even experienced meat-eaters. And the best part - it's cheap. Silver tip costs under $7 a pound at Metro Meats, a mere fraction of the price for prime rib or filet mignon.
To serve five people, Palminteri estimates you'll need 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of silver tip, which takes about 2 hours to roast. And though some cooks will choose to add beef gravy, carrots, potatoes or even asparagus to their roast, he is a silver tip purist. "It's such a great cut that you don't need any frills."
Matrochano, who has worked at Metro Meats for over 10 years, says you can use every bit of meat from a silver tip roast, making it perfect for leftovers. "I love putting it on bread, then adding cheese for an open-face melt," he says with a grin.
Pork
No matter which way you slice it, pork is affordable. For meat-lovers on a budget, every butcher we talked to recommends it as the go-to choice. Lower price means you can have your pick of the pig, but which cut will best satisfy hungry holiday guests?
Boneless pork loin, hands-down, says Frank Ottomanelli, owner of Ottomanelli & Sons in Woodside (unaffiliated with the Manhattan family of butcher shops). It's tender, it's versatile and it's easy to prepare. Plus, with very little fat and no bone to remove, it's another cut that allows you to eat every morsel.
Ottomanelli says boneless pork loin goes for $4.99 a pound in his shop, but he recommends spending a little extra to get it stuffed. For $5.99 a pound, Ottomanelli & Sons offers 10 different options for stuffing your loin, with a range of ingredients to please the pallet. Mozzarella, prosciutto and provolone are among the top-selling choices, but it's their cornbread stuffing that really brings customers back.
"We're always experimenting with the stuffing," he says. "We've added apples, cranberries, asparagus, bacon and sage...tell us what sounds good to you and we'll throw it in there."
If you choose to buy your pork loin unstuffed, Palminteri recommends slow-roasting it on a bed of potatoes and carrots and seasoning simply, with rosemary, garlic, black pepper and salt to taste.
Lamb
Lamb may be all the rage in the food press right now but it's been Astoria's main meat for many years. At Akropolis Meat Market on 30 Ave., row after row of cascading lamb cuts dominate the store's meager beef and pork selections. The front window is jam-packed with whole lamb carcasses hanging side-by-side.
Bill Gatzonis, a butcher at Akropolis, says that while Greeks may enjoy a whole lamb roasted on a spit, for everyone else he is happy to cut whole lambs to order. Not surprisingly, he suggests a leg of lamb for getting the most bang for your buck.
At $3.49 per pound, leg of a spring lamb (as opposed to a baby) lamb is the least expensive meat on our list. With the average leg running between 4 and 5 pounds and serving 6 people, this just might be your best holiday bet. It may not be a lamb neck but it's pretty tasty in its own right.
Gatzonis says there are two sets of spices used for roasting a leg of lamb- Greek and "American."
"Greek people put the oregano and garlic, the salt and pepper," he deadpans. "American people like other thing, like rosemary and dry mint."
However you spice it, Gatzonis says potatoes are a near-necessity for roasting leg of lamb. They take less time to roast so add them about a half hour before the leg is done. "When the potatoes soak up all the juice, you get double flavor."
Metro Meats, 102-23 Metropolitan Ave., Forest Hills, 718-793-5430
Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meat, 61-05 Woodside Ave, Woodside, 718-651-5544
Akropolis Meat Market, 31-04 30th Ave., Astoria, 718-728-1760
Photos: Lamb ©iStockphoto.com/JoeGough; Metro courtesy of Jesse Hirsch
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