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I need a cut of beef with very specific requirements. I'm interested in bone first:

  1. It should have it medullary cavity approximately in the size of a small finger.
  2. It should have compact (dense, cohesive) bone walls as thick as possible.
  3. It should be cut perpendicularly to the bone, in a way that does not create fracture.

Seasoning and cooking it to preserve bone strength may be a follow up question, but it is out of scope for now. Now I want to know:

What cut I should ask a butcher for?

I want meat and bone, for specific aesthetic purpose. I want it to be edible, but artistic vision comes first.

Mołot
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  • This is confusing @Molot, you say you want compact bone walls, but thick. Compact and thick are opposite, what are you asking here? Also, how do you plan to cook it? – GdD May 15 '18 at 09:25
  • @GdD I meant compact as per [this diagram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medullary_cavity#/media/File:Structure_of_a_Long_Bone.png). I admit it may be more a biology term than cooking. It means dense, cohesive... Do you know how to reword it to be less confusing? – Mołot May 15 '18 at 09:30
  • I'm still confused, @Molot, are you after a bone with meat around it, or just a bone? – GdD May 15 '18 at 09:33
  • @GdD I want a cut of meat with a good, strong bone inside. Bone that will not break on me when I'll try to get creative ;) But yes, I want to try to make it into a dish, a dish that can be displayed interestingly. Ultimately, it'll be more about show than taste, but it should be edible. – Mołot May 15 '18 at 09:36
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    Most common dish with this, the italian [ossobuco](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco) (in Europe at least) - maybe that gives you some ideas for preparation. – Daniel May 15 '18 at 12:53
  • @Daniel Thanks! And article you linked [contains pretty good image of bone I actually wanted](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Veal-shank.jpg)! – Mołot May 15 '18 at 13:03
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    @Mołot I’m quite curious, so would you indulge me: what are you trying to create? – Konrad Rudolph May 15 '18 at 15:13
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    Yeah, you want veal shanks. – Strawberry May 15 '18 at 16:16
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    Whoa, thanks for making it Hot Network Question, guys! I didn't think it'll be so popular. I just had this one little weird issue... – Mołot May 16 '18 at 11:37
  • Think "round steak" with bone in. Shank cross cut. – Mark Schultheiss May 16 '18 at 15:38

3 Answers3

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You're doing it wrong™.

Your question is, essentially, "What code-word should I use to tell my butcher to give me a cut of beef with properties X, Y and Z?" Don't do that. Just go to your butcher and describe what you want.

Quite apart from anything else, the cuts of meat that, say, a British butcher understands will be different to the ones that and American butcher understands and you haven't told us what language your butcher speaks.

David Richerby
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    In spanish: zancarrón or jarrete. :) – roetnig May 15 '18 at 18:44
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    This sounds like it'd work well if you have a knowledgeable butcher with no language barrier and no motivation to rip you off, but if you can't rely on your butcher for help, you may need to figure out what to ask for without them. – user2357112 May 15 '18 at 23:19
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    David is right. Different regions have different appreciation for cuts of meat. By appreciation I mean their butcher charts are sometimes totally different. And that is certainly going to be true in Brazil versus Argentina versus Spain. Until recently, an American butcher would have been clueless if you'd asked for picanha or even "rump cap". But all butchers understand meat, so asking for the fatty part of the rump roast or asking for a cut with a dense bone, and you are always speaking their language. – Anthony May 16 '18 at 02:23
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    @user2357112 If you don’t trust the person you’re working with, all the bets are off anyway. And, if they’re going to rip you off, I don’t see how your knowing the name of the cut of meat would change that. – David Richerby May 16 '18 at 07:44
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    @user2357112: if you can't rely on your butcher for help, *you need to find a proper butcher!* – Daniel May 16 '18 at 12:01
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    @Daniel Easier said than done! Real, properly trained butchers, like many other small retailers, are becoming rare in the Western world. Where I used to live, in Berlin, most butchers sold pre-cut meat, and finding a *competent* butcher was no small hassle (it’s somewhat better where I live now, but in food-related crafts are worse, e.g. bakers). – Konrad Rudolph May 16 '18 at 15:09
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    @Daniel *"How to cook a proper butcher?"* oh, waaaaait. – Mołot May 16 '18 at 19:49
  • @Konrad Rudolph: You have to be creative. Live in Hamburg and just phoned the Fleischgroßmarkt when I wanted to bbq a whole cow´s leg, for example - no problem. Also the Restaurants often get their meat from experts who sell to the occasional enthusiast too. If that does not work, go a little into the countryside, you´ll find your traditional butcher there. – Daniel May 17 '18 at 07:23
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If you are looking for a bone-in cut of beef for an aesthetic purpose then it would be hard to do better than beef shin, also known as shank. It has a good, strong bone with a cavity and the bone will be cut straight across. It's also very flavorful meat.

The consideration with it is cooking, shin is very tough and requires low and slow with moisture, typically braising for at least 2.5 hours.

GdD
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    I was thinking beef shank, too. Just wanted to add that Molot may want to request a whole or half shank (depending on the overall size). Most of what I normally see in the grocery store is typically sliced into approximately 1.5" - 2" thick pieces. – Cindy May 15 '18 at 12:39
  • True @Cindy, generally 1-2 inch pieces are what you want! The OP isn't really clear about the look that's needed, so that may or may not work. – GdD May 15 '18 at 15:10
  • Specifically Shank cross cut. – Mark Schultheiss May 16 '18 at 15:43
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I believe an arm roast is what you are after: enter image description here For cooking purposes note that this is a "roast" (and not just a 'big honk'in steak') and is suitable for a low & slow cook time in a crock pot but not just 'throwing it on the grill'.

Cos Callis
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