Meat Harry

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Do you know the difference between a brisket point and a brisket plate?
What is the distinction between a pork butt and a fresh ham? Is the
steak tail found on the part of the cow that goes swish in fly season?
If you don’t know, then you might want to have a look at this book by
Harry Jordan, professional butcher. Meat is usually the most expensive
portion of any meal, but most consumers know very little about what they
are buying.

The book consists of meat charts, descriptions of the various cuts of
meats, photos of the cuts, chatty butcher anecdotes, and recipes for
cooking each type of meat. The recipes are fairly basic, ranging from
Prime Rib Roast and Beef Stroganoff in the beef chapter, to Barbecue
Spice Mix and Picnic Roast in the pork chapter, to Garlic Chicken and
Stuffed Chicken Leg with Spicy Tomato Sauce in the poultry chapter.
Although Jordan does not say that there is anything wrong with buying
meat from large supermarket meat departments, he points out that there
are many advantages to buying your meat from a private butcher. For one
thing, he says, you can ask to have the meat cut exactly to your own
personal preference. For another thing, if you are a regular customer
the butcher will likely give you the choicest cuts in order to keep you
coming back. Yet another reason is that if you are not sure about what
you are buying, the butcher is happy to give you expert advice.

The text is laid out in simple chapters. The book, however, could have
been improved with the addition of an index—finding a particular cut
or recipe is a bit of a struggle. Finally, Jordan likes to season each
chapter with a sprinkle of very cornball jokes and puns.