Chris Cosentino on 6 Unusual Cuts of Meat

By Emily McKenna

Chef Chris Cosentino’s nose-to-tail philosophy includes using these rarer cuts, available from specialty butchers.

Nicknamed the caveman chop, this bone-in pork chop with a strip of belly meat attached makes for two cuts in one.

Lamb belly has the richness of pork belly, with a terrific gaminess. Rub it with rosemary and lavender before braising.

“It’s the most intense lamb flavor ever,” Cosentino says of this cut, which he marinates in lemon, fennel and garlic then slow-roasts.

The thymus glands of calves, sweetbreads are simple to cook. After an overnight soak in buttermilk, they’re ready for grilling.

Minimal prep yields a creamy, delicate flavor. Braising for two to three hours in a 300-degree oven makes the meat supertender.

Cosentino grills then braises these ribs, which are meaty like pork ribs but with iron-rich venison flavor.

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Published August 2008