Butchers are special people. I mean, given the somewhat dark nature of their job they’re actually really pleasant, don’t you think? And helpful! Man are they helpful.
Every week I stroll into our local butcher shop clutching my grocery list and, when it’s my turn to order, I read off exactly what I need. I don’t even bother looking in the case anymore because most of the time I have absolutely no clue what I’m asking for. This week it was beef shoulder roast.
“I’m outta chuck,” the butcher replied.
“Um, okay… I asked for beef shoulder roast, not chuck–but I’m not going to question a man holding a machete,” I thought to myself.
“I got brisket,” he said. “Whattaya makin’?”
“Beef tagine,” I replied.
“So like a stew?” he asked.
I looked at the recipe on my phone. It kind of looked like a stew, so I nodded.
“I’ll give ya brisket then. It”ll be great.”
Before I could even ask what the difference was, he whacked off a 2-pound slice of brisket, rolled it in paper and slapped it on the counter.
“Wonderful!” I said.
I realize now, wonderful was an understatement. That brisket, whatever part of the cow it came from, was amazing.
I stumbled upon this recipe while doing some writing for the MyFitnessPal blog the other week and bookmarked it immediately. A lot of the recipes I come up with are adaptations of others–which are usually dictated by my tastebuds–but this one was too good to mess with. With the exception of using brisket instead of chuck, of course.
I think next time I’ll try throwing everything in the crock pot before heading off to work. I mean, letting it cook itself is really the only way this dish could get any better.
Butchers: Do you have one? I bet they’re super nice and helpful, right?!
Looks delicious! I’ve taken the butcher’s advice at Whole Foods in the past and he was spot on when I was making pulled pork.
That looks amazing. One can never eat too much butternut squash IMO.
Yes! Butchers know their stuff! I was looking for ground beef one time for tacos and he goes no, you want ground sirloin. Holy crap, now that’s what I always get!
I tend to buy most of my meat and fish from Whole Foods and the butchers and fish mongers are so helpful! I love how generally interested they are in your meal. Recipe sounds delicious!
So, the compulsive Googler in me had to look up the difference between brisket & chuck lol -_- I now know that brisket is from the breast or lower chest & chuck is, indeed, from the shoulder! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing :D
Totally agree with you on the butchers! I’ve learned so many things from mine (and made my food much more delicious). The best tip he gave me was to use whole chicken thighs (bone in skin off) in my stews for added flavour.
I like that you have a very distinct style of photographing your food with a white background; I like your simple style A LOT. Do you have white counters, or…? Just curious. Sounds like a comforting winter meal.
Thanks, Hillary! It’s actually a white table in a sunny room off of our kitchen. :)