Walk me down the meat isle

I'm new to this.  Not completely green, mind; if it can be done to a chicken breast, I've probably done it.   However, I am severely lacking in reasonably easy dinners to make with meat.  My mother was vegetarian for most of my childhood, so I didn't learn by observation.  Some of the things which might be obvious to some people (roasting a chicken, for example) I have only just recently discovered on my own.  Certain meats are pretty much foreign to me.  We never ate pork, for example.  My husband is from Germany, though, and I know he'd love to have some again from time to time.  I like the stuff but really know nothing about it.  Same with beef, really.  

Some of this also stems from spending seemingly most of my life on a diet.  Hence the reliance on chicken breasts.

What I'm asking for here are details.  What cuts of meat you would use (in UK terms, obviously!) and how you would prepare them, spice them, how long you bake them for, the temperature, etc.  Please assume I know nothing beyond the basic mechanics of the oven, use of kitchen utensils, the fact that fire is hot, etc.  

What I'm not particularly looking for, but if you've got a tried-and-tested family recipe I'm open to hearing about them, are elaborate dishes which require lots of prep time.  I'm happy to cook these sort of things, but I am trying to build a repertoire of go-to weekday dinners for us.  

Also, I have a slow cooker and am open to suggestions as to what, precisely, to do with it.  At the moment I only break it out for the odd chicken and dumplings or something.  (Mine runs extremely hot, so 'slow' is really not applicable here!)

For some background regarding my cooking abilities: I can bake reasonably well (cakes, cookies, sourdough bread) and do soups and stews (split pea, lentil, chili, beef stew) frequently.  I often do stir-fries and other one-pot dishes on the stovetop.  I've just recently had this epiphany that there are things out there that I can just season and bung in the oven (Sainsburys has a 2-for-1 offer on packs of chicken thighs and drumsticks this week!) and they save me loads of time.    So, I'm keen to learn.  Please help!

I recommend this book.  Get it out of the library if you can find it, but it's worth the read.  Jaime Oliver is another source for great meat recipes.

I just put in a beef stew for dinner tonight.  I bought braising steak, cut it up into chunks (I have a good pair of kitchen shears which is easier for me to use to cut up raw meat or poultry).  I chopped up a few cooking onions and fried them with a bunch of fresh sage.  I then added up some rubbed clean and chopped mushrooms.  I put the cut up beef in a bag with some flour, pepper, and salt.  I put the fried onions and mushrooms in the bottom of my crock-pot, browned the meat a bit, then put that in the crockpot.  Then I deglazed the pan with red wine and added that to the crockpot with a couple more swigs of wine.  I then added cleaned and chunkily chopped carrots and swede.  I added a carton of chopped tomatoes in juice, a couple of organic bouillon cubes, a bouquet garni (I just used a pre-made one and didn't bother with my own although it's not that hard if you have the herbs on hand).  I added some juniper berries and allspice and a bit more salt and pepper as well as a couple of spoons of the left over flour from the beef. If you have stock, you can use that instead of the bouillon, but I didn't have any defrosted.  I turn it on high for about an hour then down to low for at least 4 hours.  

Easy, peasy really.  I have developed this over time from different sources (for instance, the fresh sage was an addition from Jamie Oliver, but the juniper and allspice is definitely a Finnish thing).  I will definitely add more recipes as I make them.

ETA:  Delia's recipe for roast beef is the absolute best way to prepare fatty beef joints.  Once you get it down, you can modify it, but it really only works well with things like rib joints. 

I love this Italian drip beef recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/drip-beef-two-ways/  You can put it on sandwiches or just serve it with veg and potatoes.  It's one of my husband's favorites.

For cuts of beef, I just use a joint, pot roast, or brisket from Asda.  The more fat on the meat, the better.  Also for Italian seasoning, I use Herbs de Provence (same thing basically) and I couldn't find pepperoncinis here, but Asda has these in the pickle section http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/asda-compare-prices/Pickles_And_Marinated_Vegetables/Aleyna_Green_Peppers_270g.html and they work just as well.  I would suggest 8 hours in the slow cooker, 1st hour on high (to bring it to a boil) and the last 7 on low.  If it doesn't shred easily when finished, turn it on high and let it go a bit longer.  Really tasty and simple.

One of my favorites is Beef Stroganoff.  There are lots of different recipes for it, but this is mine (more or less).  It looks complicated, but really, it only takes about 20 minutes:

• Start with about 500g of stew/stir fry meat.  If you can buy a cheap steak and cut it up yourself, it saves a lot of money.
• Put around a cup of all-purpose flour in a ziploc/similar bag (or in a bowl if you're ok with a bit more mess), then add seasoning to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme.
• Add the meat to the bag/bowl and toss until thoroughly coated with the seasoned flour.
• While this next part is happening, start a pan of water boiling for cooking the noodles.  Nice, thick egg noodles are best, but tagliatelle, etc. work just fine, too.  Some people also serve it over rice or mashed potatoes
• Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep skillet, over med-high heat.  When the oil's hot, carefully add the floured meat, taking the time to shake off excess flour before you add it to the pan.  Cook until the meat is evenly browned.
• If you want to add sliced mushrooms or onions, you can sautee them now.  Remove the meat from the pan first and set aside.  Then, add a little more oil to the pan, turn the heat down to medium, and cook the veg until tender (or until the onions start to brown).  Then add meat back into the pan.
• Add about 2 cups of beef stock to the pan.  If you haven't got actual beef stock, you can use water and beef bouillion cubes or granules (Oxo).  I wouldn't use Bisto or similar, though, because it will thicken too much, too quickly. I sometimes also add a dash of worcestershire sauce, to perk up the flavor a bit.
• Keeping the heat on medium, simmer until the liquid starts to thicken a bit.  Then stir in about a cup of soured cream.  Continue simmering until it's nice and thick.  If this is taking too long, you can add a bit of Bisto, or water & corn starch/flour at this point, to help thicken things.
• Serve over noodles/rice/potatoes.  Excellent comfort food.

Also, I'm not sure exactly what's available along these lines in the U.K., but one of my other favorites are Shake 'n Bake pork chops.  I look for nice, thick, boneless chops.  Then it's as easy as, well...shaking and baking.  Pretty fool-proof, and very tasty.

What I'm asking for here are details.  What cuts of meat you would use (in UK terms, obviously!) and how you would prepare them, spice them, how long you bake them for, the temperature, etc.  Please assume I know nothing beyond the basic mechanics of the oven, use of kitchen utensils, the fact that fire is hot, etc.  

I LOVE THIS! I mean I can cook but most of the time it seems SO elaborate and honestly I wont do all that for just me ;-)

One of my favorites is Beef Stroganoff.

THANK YOU for this - simples - cook noodles & meat,add brother, add sour cream and add noodles <--see my kind of meal!

Okay, I will have a go...I like braising steak, preferably from Morrisions, and it has to have a bit of fat on it imo. I like to make chili with it, or casseroles...and I use my slow cooker!!

I cut up the holy trinity (carrots, onions, celery) and in my pan, first brown my braising steak in small pieces, you can dredge them in flour, but it don't matter! Once they are suitably browned, move them into the slow cooker. In their juices brown your holy trinity...once thats browned pop them in the slow cooker, add your seasonings and give them a stir, add some passata or some tins of tomatoes (whatever you fancy) and add whatever kind of flavours you like. Leave it until the beef is literally falling apart, and serve over rice etc.

Also, you can make something very British like Steak and onions in beer in your slow cooker.

Also, I like shoulder of lamb, google Jamie Olivers Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Smashed Veg...thats an AWESOME sunday lunch, and sure to impress!

I hope that helps, good luck!!

Legs- wow, I'm really impressed with how highly rated that Hugh F-W book is on Amazon!  I might actually get it, if I can't find it at the library.  I am often skeptical of books from TV chefs, so I would normally have been put off looking at that.  People are saying things in their reviews that I find myself nodding along with, though, so we'll see!  I'll post here if/when I do.

Also, your stew sounded lovely.  I have a personal favourite stew http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/580536 but I love the idea of wine in there. 

Mandaree- good lord that looks ridiculously awesome.     And it's something we could have in sandwiches, which is always a plus (life with a toddler just seems to lend itself to needing portable food).  It won't happen this week as I've already done the meat shopping, but I anticipate trying that very soon!

woadgrrl-would stir fry meat just be a normal steak of some sort?  I have only had beef stroganoff once (crazy, I know) but I know I liked it.  I would probably commit sacrilege and put it over potatoes or something, but only because my husband isn't keen on pasta.  Thanks for posting this!  ooh and your comment about Shake and Bake brings up another question for me.  I might post that separately.

racheeeee- thanks for this!  I love that you mention the holy trinity- I made some split pea soup this weekend and 'holy trinity' floated through my mind as I was chopping.  I think I haven't heard it since my mum used to say it when I was a kid.  Braising steak is nice for slow cooking- it's the only piece of beef I've used since living here (for making stew). 

So, someone mentioned Shake n Bake.  Is there a product like this in the UK?  Or, even better, is there a simple mix you make at home to achieve the same coating & baking goal?  I guess it would involve flour, corn meal (maybe) and spices... 

I've currently got one pack of chicken thighs and legs in the fridge.  Tonight I baked one pack (they're 2 for 1 at Sainsburys atm) with a Jamaican jerk rub.  What should I do with the second pack?    Honestly am tempted to do the same again, as all three of us (including the toddler) really liked it, but would love other suggestions.

For stir-fry/stew meat, you can use basically any cheap braising steak or similar, then cut it into small strips (stir fry) or chunks (stew).  I'm not sure what the specific cuts would be in the U.K., but it would be something like Round Steak in the U.S.

I asked my fiance, and he wasn't aware of anything exactly like Shake 'n Bake.  There's something called Ruskoline, but that's more of just a breading, like for frying fish.  It's not so crunchy.  So, I had a look for copycat recipes, and found there were several floating about.  This is just one of them:

#  1/2 cup  corn flake crumbs, plus
# 1 tablespoon corn flake crumbs
# 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 1/4 teaspoon paprika
# 1/4 teaspoon sugar
# 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
# 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

You could probably also mix Ruskoline with seasoned bread crumbs for a similar effect.

Basically, mix it all together in a bag, wet your chops (or chicken pieces) in a bit of water, or an egg/water mix, then pop them in the bag and give them a good shake.  Then you usually want to bake around 190 C/375 F  until the meat is cooked through.  I'd recommend putting a piece of tin foil on the baking sheet first, because it does tend to stick.

Another recipe (if you can even call it that!) that occurred to me is Mince & Tatties.  Basically, deconstructed shepherd's pie.

• This is generally served over mashed potatoes.  Hence the 'tatties' bit.
• Brown about 500g of mince/ground beef (or lamb.  That would work as well.) in a deep skillet.  If it was very fatty, you might want to drain off some of the grease after.
• Add about 2-3 cups of various frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, sweetcorn, etc.) If you really love chopping and peeling, feel free to use fresh instead, or canned, if that's what you have on hand.
• Let this cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, just to give the veg a chance to start to thaw or get a bit tender.
• Here's where you can make it ridiculously easy, or just easy.  If you're going for ridiculous, mix up a couple cups of beef gravy mix (Bisto, etc.), then pour it over the meat and veg and let it all simmer until the gravy gets thick and the veg are cooked through.  If you merely want it easy, add a couple cups of broth, your choice of seasonings, and some corn starch/flour & water to thicken.  You can also use a combo of the broth/gravy and some tomato sauce.

My fiance also said I should mention Jamie Oliver's 30-Minute Meals.  He's gotten kind of hooked on the program, although he hasn't always liked him in the past.  He says the recipes really are quite simple, and he not only gives the recipes themselves, but also shows you how to time all your tasks so that you can get everything on the table all at once, in a short amount of time.

Hey, CW, if you want to get consistently good meat, especially for special occasions (but they also have some fairly good cheaper cuts), I highly recommend this company.  I really wish we could afford to get our meat there all the time, but between this, our semi-local organic butcher, and the higher welfare stuff at the regular shop (although not exclusively unfortunately mainly due to the lack of selection really), we eat mostly high quality, humane meats.  And British beef is pastured anyway, so you can feel a bit better about that as long as it's British (or Irish).

There are some recipes on that site as well.

If you want to try pork, I HIGHLY recommend you get some organic, free range pork chops - preferrably from a farmers market if there is one in your area. But if not, the ones from the stores are good, too. Or the place Legs recommends. Make sure they have the bone in as that's what really gives pork the flavor - that and fat. Don't cut it all off! Cook it with it on and then, if you want to, cut off the excess.

Take the chops, salt and pepper them and just throw them under the grill (broil them). I can't give you a time as it depends upon how thick the chops are so you have to plan, at least the first time, for your chop to have a few cuts in it when you check the center to see if it's done. You want it just past pink. Don't cook longer or it'll dry out. You can also try a meat thermometer.

Serve the chops with mashed potatoes, a cooked veg, and/or some sliced apples cooked on the stove top with a bit of water, suger, and cinnamon.

Yum!