# Names of cuts and types of meat



## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

I have recently seen some meat labelled Solomillo de Cadera. It seems very reasonably priced.

I know what Solomillo is and know that cadera = hip.

Can anyone tell me what this cut of beef would be called in England?

I have also seen 'brined pork'. It looks like a small leg with the skin on. Does anyone know how you cook this? Do you need to soak it before cooking? Does it give good crackling?


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Trucos de cocina, y consejos de cocina: Las diferentes partes de la ternera. Recetas y cocina fácil.

I think it's the sirloin area.

Is that little knuckle of pork the Codillo?
Comes in a Vacuum pack?

If so it's very nice, I didn't soak it first and while it was a little bit crackley I would have to work harder to get it to crackle but I assume it's possible. I don't think it's how the Spanish cook it though.

For the first time to I guess for christmas there are full on proper cuts of beef in the shop for roasting but it comes in a 40 Euro a pop.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Pazcat said:


> Trucos de cocina, y consejos de cocina: Las diferentes partes de la ternera. Recetas y cocina fácil.
> 
> I think it's the sirloin area.
> 
> ...


Yes, that sounds like the pork I saw. 

DH wants a traditional roast this Christmas but I was looking for something other than chicken or turkey. 

Because the Spanish don't really have roast dinners like we did in England it is quite difficult to find a suitable joint at a reasonable price. I can get shoulder or leg of lamb but they are a bit too big for two of us. 

In England we used to buy half leg of lamb but cannot find it here. Lomo de Cerdo makes quite a good roast but there is no crackling (for me the best part of roast pork  )


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

I totally agree with you about crackling and I'm forever searching for something with it.
The best solution I found is what we would call the pork belly, normally it is sold for cutting bacon strips so you get a funny look when you ask for the whole slab of it. 
If you can find it make sure to get the unsalted version.

The Codillo is really good but not a traditional roast but I should get it again and try.

I have seen smaller legs of lamb in the Carrefour sometimes which might suit. A leg of lamb in the Weber is amazing.
Jeez, now I'm hungry.

Have you tried the English butcher on the N332 just out of El Campello, maybe they can help. I've only been there once but it's worth a shot.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Why don't you order something from the local butcher? It's really hard to find turkey breast here but he got me a 3kg. one for 25€ or so. I thought that was completely reasonable.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Pazcat : I know the English butcher you mean. It is not that far from us but as we no longer have a car it is difficult to get to.

elenetxu : The problem with ordering from the butcher is knowing what to ask for. I have tried explaining but they are not familiar with the cuts of meat we are used to. I would love roast beef but so far have not found a good enough quality to do a rare or medium rare roast.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I bought a small leg of English lamb (frozen) in Mercadona the other day for 10€. I think they might have priced it wrong! 

For roast pork, serve some _chicharrones de cerdo_ with the lean _lomo _meat to fulfill that crackling craving.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pazcat said:


> The best solution I found is what we would call the pork belly, normally it is sold for cutting bacon strips so you get a funny look when you ask for the whole slab of it.
> If you can find it make sure to get the unsalted version.


Yum! Here it's called _panceta de cerdo_ and you ask for it "entero". Here's a great recipe from El Moro cookbook:

moro top ten: roasted pork belly with fennel seeds - eat the right stuff blog - eat the right stuff


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

DunWorkin said:


> Pazcat : I know the English butcher you mean. It is not that far from us but as we no longer have a car it is difficult to get to.
> 
> elenetxu : The problem with ordering from the butcher is knowing what to ask for. I have tried explaining but they are not familiar with the cuts of meat we are used to. I would love roast beef but so far have not found a good enough quality to do a rare or medium rare roast.


Look up a beef-map in English. Compare it to the various maps in Spanish available, like this: Cortes de carne de vacuno


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Mercadona sell turkey breasts, usually two in a pack. I bought an English leg of lamb from Mercy and it was €9


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

thrax said:


> Mercadona sell turkey breasts, usually two in a pack. I bought an English leg of lamb from Mercy and it was €9


They also sell whole turkeys - we order ours about now to pick up on Xmas eve.


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

DunWorkin said:


> I have recently seen some meat labelled Solomillo de Cadera. It seems very reasonably priced.
> 
> I know what Solomillo is and know that cadera = hip.
> 
> ...


Take a look here.https://www.google.es/search?q=nomb...HLqOx0QWjtYGgDg&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=892


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Thank you all for your posts.

I am still not sure what the English equivalent of Solomillo de Cadera is. I have bought some and I think to be on the safe side I will cook it slowly in a casserole rather than frying it like a steak or roasting it.

A friend is taking me to Benidorm market tomorrow. She says there is a butcher there that sells English cuts of meat including thick pork chops and pork leg joints with skin on to make crackling.

The one thing I find difficult here is to get good, tasty, tender meat. The chicken is good but sometimes you want something else.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

DunWorkin said:


> Thank you all for your posts.
> 
> I am still not sure what the English equivalent of Solomillo de Cadera is. I have bought some and I think to be on the safe side I will cook it slowly in a casserole rather than frying it like a steak or roasting it.
> 
> ...


Topside steak??
Solomillo should be tasty and tender...
Ask a butcher directly for what you want, I mean saying what you want to do with it, not the cut of the meat as that may differ from the UK and differs from region to region in Spain too. For example I want steak for stewing, for frying, to roast in the oven...
If you want thick pork chops, just tell the butcher that's what you want (Chuletas gruesas, no delgadas) and if you can't speak Spanish, use gestures


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## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

This might help.
http://www.beefretail.org/CMDocs/BeefRetail2/Hispanic%20Folder/SpanishCutChart.pdf:fingerscrossed:


http://www.porkretail.org/filelibrary/Retail/HispNotebookChart2012lr.pdf


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

thrax said:


> Mercadona sell turkey breasts, usually two in a pack. I bought an English leg of lamb from Mercy and it was €9


I reeeeeeeeeally don't like Mercadona. I'd much rather support the local guy.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

The beef chart is Central/South American Spanish. For example, a T-Bone here is a _chuletón_


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## spinfastr (Oct 8, 2012)

This is a revision. The Spain cuts of meats, sorry in Spanish only http://www.invac.org/pdf/folletodespiece.pdf


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

spinfastr said:


> This is a revision. The Spain cuts of meats, sorry in Spanish only http://www.invac.org/pdf/folletodespiece.pdf


Awesome find! Thanks for sharing.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Topside steak??
> Solomillo should be tasty and tender...
> Ask a butcher directly for what you want, I mean saying what you want to do with it, not the cut of the meat as that may differ from the UK and differs from region to region in Spain too. For example I want steak for stewing, for frying, to roast in the oven...
> If you want thick pork chops, just tell the butcher that's what you want (Chuletas gruesas, no delgadas) and if you can't speak Spanish, use gestures



Asking the butcher doesn't always work. They do not seem to understand the concept of joints for 'roasting'. When I have tried this I have been given tough pieces of meat (lamb, beef or pork). I presume they think I want meat for long, slow, casserole type cooking.

The thick pork chops I have had here from Spanish butchers have been tough and tasteless. For me, chops should have quite a bit of fat on - here there is very little fat.

As I said before the only thing I have found to be good is chicken (or turkey).


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

DunWorkin said:


> Asking the butcher doesn't always work. They do not seem to understand the concept of joints for 'roasting'. When I have tried this I have been given tough pieces of meat (lamb, beef or pork). I presume they think I want meat for long, slow, casserole type cooking.
> 
> The thick pork chops I have had here from Spanish butchers have been tough and tasteless. For me, chops should have quite a bit of fat on - here there is very little fat.
> 
> As I said before the only thing I have found to be good is chicken (or turkey).


Well you're not the only one to complain about the meat in Spain, but I suspect it may be a problem with the meat in the _south _of Spain. As I live in the Comunidad de Madrid I'm able to buy meat that has come from Avila and Segovia and this is generally recognised as being good quality. 
Also maybe I'm just used to the meat that I buy. We often buy "cinta de lomo fresco" (as a lump, can't think of a better word at the moment, not sliced) and roast it and it seems delicious to me. We also buy solomillo (as a lump) roast it till it's medium rare and again delicious. 
I rarely buy meat from the supermarket, and normal chicken gives me the heebie geebies as I dread to think what it's been fed and the conditions it's lived under so we buy "de corral" or orgánico. With meat our main supplier is an organic farmer in Segovia, but there are butcher's that sell reasonable meat in the local market.
I suppose it's a case of getting used to what you've got, adapting tastes and cooking methods and maybe sourcing a butcher you feel confident buying from. Can't be of any more help..


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

UPDATE

My friend took me to Benidorm indoor market today and introduced me to a butcher she has been using there.

I managed to find all the types of meat I have been looking for. I have not cooked any yet but if it tastes half as good as it looks I will be really happy.

He was extremely helpful and seemed to understand what I was looking for - English style pork chops - leg of pork with the skin on to make crackling - leg of lamb with some meat on.

Another benefit - the prices were very reasonable.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Excellent, is that just a Friday market though?


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Pazcat said:


> Excellent, is that just a Friday market though?


No, it is every day (Mon-Fri) and Saturday am. It is in Av Ametlla Del Mar in Rincon de Loix next door to Mas y Mas

Here is the market's webpage
The Benidorm Indoor Market

If you go there, this butcher is just after you go in on the right hand side. There are lots of nice stalls in there and it is all clean and bright.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well you're not the only one to complain about the meat in Spain, but I suspect it may be a problem with the meat in the _south _of Spain. As I live in the Comunidad de Madrid I'm able to buy meat that has come from Avila and Segovia and this is generally recognised as being good quality.
> Also maybe I'm just used to the meat that I buy. We often buy "*cinta de lomo fresco*" (as a lump, can't think of a better word at the moment, not sliced) and roast it and it seems delicious to me. We also buy solomillo (as a lump) roast it till it's medium rare and again delicious.
> I rarely buy meat from the supermarket, and normal chicken gives me the heebie geebies as I dread to think what it's been fed and the conditions it's lived under so we buy "de corral" or orgánico. With meat our main supplier is an organic farmer in Segovia, but there are butcher's that sell reasonable meat in the local market.
> I suppose it's a case of getting used to what you've got, adapting tastes and cooking methods and maybe sourcing a butcher you feel confident buying from. Can't be of any more help..


Try "cinta de lomo completa" I usually cut it up myself to give steaks the sort of thickness we like and into joints for roasting - some I, then, spiral cut (for stuffing with dried fruits and nuts then rolling), some I cut into rough cubes for slow-cooker stews with sage and onion dumplings. Chickens (pollo limpio), here, I find are very good value especially as they haven't been 'moisturised' with a sodium polyphosphate solution nor do they have a great wad of fat in the cavity to make them up to the weight it says on the label, yet, despite not having all the added liquid, by cooking them in the halogen oven they are moist and tender. I often buy "chuletas de cabeza de lomo" for mincing to make sausage meat and sausages since they seem to have just about the right proportions of fat:meat.

As for legs of pork, they seem to all be taken up by the jamon people for making ham. w.r.t. the crackling - it is probably better if one doesn't have it with all that extra fat.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Well you're not the only one to complain about the meat in Spain, but I suspect it may be a problem with the meat in the _south _of Spain. As I live in the Comunidad de Madrid I'm able to buy meat that has come from Avila and Segovia and this is generally recognised as being good quality.
> Also maybe I'm just used to the meat that I buy. We often buy "cinta de lomo fresco" (as a lump, can't think of a better word at the moment, not sliced) and roast it and it seems delicious to me. We also buy solomillo (as a lump) roast it till it's medium rare and again delicious.
> I rarely buy meat from the supermarket, and normal chicken gives me the heebie geebies as I dread to think what it's been fed and the conditions it's lived under so we buy "de corral" or orgánico. With meat our main supplier is an organic farmer in Segovia, but there are butcher's that sell reasonable meat in the local market.
> I suppose it's a case of getting used to what you've got, adapting tastes and cooking methods and maybe sourcing a butcher you feel confident buying from. Can't be of any more help..


Certainly no shortage of good quality meat in the south either, we have cerdo iberico and retinto beef, free range poultry, venison and other game all widely available. I think some people don't feel comfortable away from supermarkets though, especially if their Spanish isn't that great.


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