Chefs on Favorite Under-Appreciated Cuts of Meat

In honor of The Five Days of Meat, we've asked Boston food and drink personnel a variety of meat-related questions, and we'll share their responses throughout the week. Now, here are a bunch of Boston chefs on their favorite under-appreciated cuts of meat, from tongue and neck to intestines and trotters. (Previously: Boston chefs on the meatiest dish they've ever eaten and the most unusual meats they've ever eaten.)

"Neck is making a comeback, but definitely still under appreciated. Goat or lamb neck is fantastic on the smoker." — Joshua Lewin, chef of Bread and Salt Hospitality
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"I think that intestines are underutilized other than for sausage casings. The French make a fabulous sausage with them called andouillette." — John Delpha, chef/partner of Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar (opening summer 2014)
[Photo: Provided]

"There are so many. I'll say the pig cheek. They're wonderful. They're kind of small and unctuous, easy to cook, just really tender. Even surrounded by the whole jowl, like cured for guanciale or smoked, it's a really nice piece of meat. The jowl itself has some fat and meat striations to it in addition to that cheek, which just makes it a really nice experience if you're into fatty bacon and that sort of thing." — Jesse Hassinger, butcher at M.F. Dulock Pasture-Raised Meats
[Photo: Chris Coe]

"The neck of animals. I feel it is the most flavorful and most tender if cooked properly." — Robert Sisca, executive chef of Bistro du Midi
[Photo: Official Site]

"Chicken oysters." — Dante de Magistris, chef/owner of Restaurant dante and il Casale
[Photo: Official Site]

"Pig ears, beef tongue, sweetbreads." — Matt Foley, executive chef of The Merchant
[Photo: Official Site]

"Sweetbreads need to be more appreciated. They're one of my favorite things in the world, and I think people think that they're going to be gross, but they're just so delicious. I'd also say oxtail. It's a lot of work, which is one of the problems. My favorite way to have it is braised in a rich stock, red wine, pick off all the meat, use that braising liquid for a sauce, and toss it with gnocchi, Brussels sprout leaves, and walnuts. In the wintertime, it's one of my favorite combinations." — Michael Schlow, chef/owner of Via Matta, Tico, and Alta Strada
[Photo: Sophia Tsakmaklis]

"I think I'd have to go with beef heart. We do see it quite often now on menus, but what Jamie Bissonnette taught me about beef heart was that it's a muscle, not an organ, so it's very approachable and very easy to work with. It's an extremely lean muscle because it gets used constantly. You can do a simple preparation, shaving it thin; it's got great flavor, and I love it. What I especially love about it is when you prepare it and give it to someone who has never had it. They're going to like it, and then they think you're a better chef than you are, because they're like, 'I just had beef heart and loved it!' They're so excited that they actually liked it. They tried something new, they ventured out, and now they've kind of expanded their paradigm and cultured their palate a little bit, and you get the credit for that. And it's a pretty simple cut of meat to fabricate and cook. What I like to do is spice it heavy, smoke it, and shave it thin. I think shaved thin is the most palatable for newbies." — Samuel Monsour of The Future of Junk Food pop-up and more
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"Doug [Rodrigues, executive chef] just got in some duck tongue; that'll be interesting. And the tendon was cool — we braised that down and then complemented it with a pork head sauce and calamari, so it was a very unique kind of twist and turn. I think that's where we solidified our action-packed adventure we're in now. It's freaking cool to turn an underappreciated cut into something like that." — Brian Poe, chef/owner of The Tip Tap Room and Estelle's
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"This is a toughie — most chefs are now very appreciative of all cuts. We really love tendon, tongue, and heart." — Irene Li, co-owner of Mei Mei
[Photo: Katie Chudy]

"We both love the neck from any animal. It's our favorite cut and the cut we find most under-appreciated. In classic American butchery, the neck (or the coppa) is largely undersold due to the demand for more and larger loin. The demand for loin requires part of the coppa to be left on the loin and the other part to be left on the shoulder. The coppa itself has so many different muscles that can be perfectly tenderized when cooked properly and has a great ratio of fat to meat." — Kevin O'Donnell, executive chef, and Michael Lombardi, executive sous chef of The Salty Pig
[Photo: Provided]

"Pig cheeks." — Dennis Wilson, chef of Gather
[Photo: Official Site]

"Trotters. I feel that when I was an apprentice (mid 90s) back in Sydney, everyone was doing something with them. These days I just don't see them and feel that it really is something that is under-appreciated not only as an under-appreciated cut but also as an under-appreciated part of the craft." — Samuel Jackson, owner of KO Catering and Pies
[Photo: Callaway Photography]

"Sweetbreads. They are so versatile; they are just a hard sell to customers." — Peter D'Antonio, executive chef of The Westin Waltham-Boston
[Photo: Facebook]

"Chicken." — Chris Coombs, executive chef and co-owner of Boston Chops and Deuxave
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"Bavette steak, which is on the T.W. Food menu." — Tim Wiechmann, chef/owner of Bronwyn and T.W. Food
[Photo: Official Site]

"Sirloin flap meat. When it is properly sous vide it eats like butter." — Kyle Ketchum, executive chef of Bostonia Public House
[Photo: Official Site]

"Tongue. It's kinda making a run these days but not nearly enough. If prepared correctly, it has amazing flavor and texture." — Tony Maws, owner of Craigie on Main and The Kirkland Tap & Trotter
[Photo: Cal Bingham]

"The coppa." — Joshua Smith, owner of Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions
[Photo: Rachel Leah Blumenthal]

"I don't think it's under-used, but I'm a sucker for flank steak. I don't know why. I grew up on it, and my mom just cooked it perfectly." — Leo Asaro, executive chef of Tico
[Photo: Chris Coe]

"Pork cheeks and bone marrow." — Dan Schroeder, chef of Forum

"Bone-in pork shoulder." — Paul Booras, Director of Culinary Operations of Tavern in the Square

"I feel like there are two parts of the chicken I'd love to see utilized in a dish if cost had no relevance; chicken oysters or the tail on the chicken. If you can turn the chicken tail into a dish, I'd eat it every day." — Carey Dobies, executive chef of Savvor Restaurant and Lounge

· All coverage of The Five Days of Meat on Eater [~EBOS~]