The Frugal Foodie Father: Price chopping lamb shopping

I finally had the guts to take the advice of my neighbor, a retired butcher, who told me you should only ever buy meat that’s on sale. The thinking is, it’s likely about to hit its expiration date, so has aged a bit in the case (or package as the case is more often these days). You’re getting aged meat at a steal. Sure, it’s not dry aged, and usually isn’t the prime, grassfed stuff, but I like the thinking, the convergence of frugality and foodieness. So, emboldened by this inside knowledge, I bought two packages of lamb shoulder chops at the supermarket the other day for 3 bucks or so. I marinated them in roughly chopped garlic, rosemary, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for about a half an hour. I used the same marinade for sliced zucchini and red peppers. I grilled it all up, along with some country white, and, along with an arugula and shaved parm salad, it was an ideal early fall grill. Kid tip: chop the lamb up for them, as the shoulder chops are a bit gristly and tough to chew. But, remember: gristle and chew are often the hallmarks of flavorful meat. You don’t want your kids to grow up to be little filet mignon eaters, do you, when they could be eating hanger steak and other chewy and cheap cuts beloved by our French brethern? Okay, so hanger can get a bit funky, but skirt, now we’re talking. A universally lovable cheap and chewy cut. Look for it on sale at a butcher near you.
—Hugh