Footnote to beef

Brawn from Borough Market

The beef noticed at reference 1 came from the people up the road and webbed at reference 5. Very good it was too. But it is not the sort of butcher that is going to bother with a top rib, mainly because it gets its meat in in a fairly cut up state. Don't recall seeing a sheep or a pig there for some time, never mind a fore quarter of beef - this being what you need to cut out a top rib. Whereas under previous management, probably many years ago now, I once bought a pig's head there. I rather think it was for some scholastic, rather than culinary, purpose. I do remember that I made sure the eyes had been taken out, probably the brains too. One can only take being a carnivore so far. All this despite the fact that we once bought a pig's head to make brawn with, but I think that was a different occasion. I wonder whether I would like the stuff now? Or even care to make it?

So before organising this last beef, I got in touch with the Ginger Pig people , whom I had passed on my last outing to Borough Market, noticed at reference 3. Yes, they could do top rib, but they would need a few days notice as retail butchers did not usually take whole fore quarters any more, their (grammar?) being deemed too heavy for safe handling at around 100kg. And I assume that the way you would normally cut a fore quarter into half means that top rib was no longer an option. They would need to take a whole fore quarter as a special. But phone them up beforehand and they would be happy to do it.

All set to do just that and the second lockdown intervened, and it would not have been in the spirit of the thing to travel to London for such a purpose, although I dare say a train journey followed by a short run on a Bullingdon would have been safe enough. So ordered the fore rib from Manor Green Road instead.

Hopefully I will be able to get a top rib in before Christmas, although I dare say it will not be the economy cut it used to be - as fore rib from Ginger Pig costs getting on for twice what I actually paid. No doubt excellent stuff, maybe complete with a birth certificate, but dear. I might say that I have seen birth certificates on quarters of beef just once, in the butcher in Niton on the Isle of Wight. I don't think we took advantage, BH not being keen on serious cooking when she is supposed to be on holiday. Especially not the sort that involves cleaning the oven afterwards. 

Sadly, although Bing turns up a butcher in Niton this afternoon, it is nowhere to seen in Street View, so I guess it has gone the way of so many other butchers. Some years now since we were there, having settled down in Brading, on the other side.

PS 1: not sure that I would have been keen on lugging 100kg lumps of meat about, even as a young man. Bags of cement at 50kg maybe. And certainly not now. But at least I have some idea now why the cut is so hard to get.

PS 2: and now that I know that someone in Borough Market sells brawn, maybe I will give it another go. Does quite well in sandwiches in fresh white bread. Maybe they sell that at Borough too. 

Reference 1: http://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/11/fore-rib.html. Eating the fore rib.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-meaty-dream.html. Dreaming about top rib.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/10/cheese-time.html. Spotting the ginger pig.

Reference 4: https://thegingerpig.co.uk/.

Reference 5: https://www.masterbutchersepsom.co.uk/.