MEAT: Everything You Need to Know

by Pat LaFrieda, Carolynn Carreno

Overview

Pat LaFrieda, the third generation butcher and owner of America’s premier meatpacking business, presents the ultimate book of everything meat, with more than seventy-five mouthwatering recipes for beef, pork, lamb, veal, and poultry.

For true meat lovers, a beautifully prepared cut of beef, pork, lamb, veal, or poultry is not just the center of the meal, it is the reason for eating. No one understands meat’s seductive hold on our palates better than America’s premier butcher, Pat LaFrieda. In Meat: Everything You Need to Know, he passionately explains the best and most flavorful cuts to purchase (some of them surprisingly inexpensive or unknown) and shares delicious recipes and meticulous techniques, all with the knowledge that comes from a fourth generation butcher. If you have ever wondered what makes the meat in America’s finest restaurants so delectable, LaFrieda—the butcher to the country’s greatest chefs—has the answers, and the philosophy behind it.

In seventy-five recipes—some of them decades-old LaFrieda family favorites, some from New York City’s best restaurateurs, including Lidia Bastianich, Josh Capon, Mike Toscano, and Jimmy Bradley—the special characteristics of each type of meat comes into exquisite focus. Pat’s signature meat selections have inspired famous chefs, and now Meat brings home cooks the opportunity to make similar mouthwatering recipes including multiple LaFrieda Custom Burger Blends, Whole Shank Osso Bucco, Tuscan Fried Chicken with Lemon, Crown Pork Roast with Pineapple Bread Stuffing, Frenched Chop with Red Onion Soubise, Beef Wellington with Mushroom Cream Sauce, and Chipotle-Braised Tomahawk Short Ribs, along with many more.

Step-by-step photographs make tricky operations like butterflying a veal chop or tying a crown roast easy even for beginners; beautiful double-page photographic diagrams show more clearly than any previous book where different cuts come from on the animal; and advice on necessary equipment, butcher’s notes, and glorious full-color photographs of the dishes complete this magnificent and comprehensive feast for the senses.

Throughout the pages of Meat, Pat LaFrieda’s interwoven tales of life in the meatpacking business and heartwarming personal reminiscences celebrate his family’s century of devotion to their calling and are a tribute to a veritable New York City institution. Pat’s reverence and passion for his subject both teach and inspire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476725994
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	09/02/2014
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	93,262
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Pat LaFrieda’s first introduction to the meat world was in the summer of 1981, when he was just ten years old and learning the tricks of the trade at his father’s butchering business. Thirty years later, Pat, his father, and cousin own and operate New York City’s most prestigious and valued meatpacking facility. Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors supplies the finest restaurants in New York City, Philadelphia, DC, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago, and more. They also operate four retail locations at Citi Field—home to the New York Mets—including two Pat LaFrieda Original Steak Sandwich stands, a LaFrieda Meatball Slider stand, and the sit-down restaurant, Pat LaFrieda Chop House. In 2014 they became the "Official Burger of the Mets." Pat has appeared on countless national TV shows including Today, The Chew, Rachael Ray Show, CNN, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Martha Stewart. More information can be found at www.lafrieda.com.

Carolynn Carreño is a James Beard award–winning writer for magazines including Bon Appétit, Saveur, The Los Angeles Times, Gourmet, and Food & Wine and coauthor of books with chefs Nancy Silverton, Kenny Shopsin, and Sara Foster. Her cookbooks are known for their distinct voice and storytelling style.

Read an Excerpt

Meat

Editorial Reviews

05/19/2014
A purveyor to many of NYC’s high profile chefs, LaFrieda may be the first celebrity butcher. His family’s business has been around for nearly 100 years, and here he takes readers behind the counter to show them what to look for and what to avoid when buying meat, as well as advice on how to prepare it—there are 75 recipes covering everything from common fare such as meat loaf, burgers, and sausage to show-stoppers like a beef Wellington with mushroom cream sauce, and a roasted calf’s head with whipped brain puree. LaFrieda’s emphasis is in educating readers on the various animals, diagramming cuts, and showing how to best utilize them. Tips like how to break down a chicken or cut pockets in veal or pork chops for stuffing make this a valuable reference that will give readers a greater appreciation for not only their favorite cuts of meat, but their butcher as well. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

“The Magician of Meat.”

New York magazine

Pat LaFrieda does everything right as a butcher. MEAT stands out to me as the best handbook there is on this subject.

chef and entrepreneur - Mario Batali

Pat LaFrieda has led the ‘butcher revolution’ in the United States. Every serious cook needs this instructional, well-illustrated, and very well written book.

founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - Martha Stewart

It made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me miss my grandpa. I absolutely adore this book.

New York Times bestselling author - Rachael Ray

If you want to know about meat, this is the book. The recipes are great and each one has a story to tell.

chef and owner of The Dutch, Locanda Verde, and Lafayette - Andrew Carmellini

MEAT by master butcher Pat LaFrieda is officially the carnivores' holy grail and my new reference point for all things meat.

Chef Michael White

The recipes and techniques in this book are things that can be used in any kitchen whether it’s at home or in the restaurant.

chef and owner of Restaurant Marc Forgione, American Cut, and Khe-Yo - Marc Forgione

A celebration of Pat’s enormous skill set, his encyclopedic understanding of meats and their various cuts and how to best use them. Butcher extraordinaire!"

Butter restaurant - Chef Alex Guarnaschelli

Certain to make meat-lovers’ mouths water.

CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group - Danny Meyer

A must-have for any home cook, it will surely be a valuable resource for years to come.

Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad - Chef Daniel Humm

MEAT is a superb, detailed sourcebook that I am thrilled to have on my shelf.

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian

A fantastic resource for both the professional chef and the home cook.

Chef Missy Robbins

Meat is unsurpassed and truly sets the standard for a book that offers both recipes and education.

Cooking by the Book

A genuinely good read.

Cooking Light

If you want to know about meat, go straight to the meat man: New York City-area butcher Pat LaFrieda has released his meaty magnum opus."

EATER National

"New York City's ultimate butcher, the man behind the famous LaFrieda burger blends, penned the definitive cookbook on all things meat."

Fathom

I loved absolutely everything about this book.

SanFranciscoBookReview.com

09/01/2014
LaFrieda may not be well known by the general public, but he is a trusted and celebrated butcher who provides meat to many of New York City's famous chefs and best restaurants. Each chapter of this work concentrates on a particular meat: its cuts, butchering techniques, and recipes. Although exquisitely organized and easy to follow, some of the book's recipes might be daunting, especially those that include less widely available portions of meat. While there are manageable recipes for burgers, steaks, and chops, as well as breakfast sausage and even a simple foie gras mousse, an equal number of more involved dishes such as roasted bone marrow with shallot confit and roasted calf's head alla Perla are presented. Offal-loving cooks who are up for a challenge will savor the process of whipping calves' brains into a rich and delicious puree. Clear photographs illustrate where on the animal each piece of meat comes from, and what a finished recipe should look like. The book is an homage to the author's family butchering business and his fondness of meat. VERDICT These recipes are as varied and intense as LaFrieda's love for his profession.—Claire A. Moitra, Rhode Island Sch. of Design, Providence

Library Journal