Savvy chefs and shoppers know they’ll get a better cut of meat from a specialist supplier than a supermarket’s pre-wrapped plastic trays, but some are still daunted by a trip to the butcher’s.
Boxcar Butcher and Grill, in Marylebone, central London, seeks to boost consumer confidence with a meat masterclass, in which an expert butcher talks small groups through the process of portioning up a cow - and provides a running commentary on how to cook each cut to perfection.
It’s a laid-back affair, which begins with a glass of wine in Boxcar’s smart basement kitchen and ends with a three-course meal in the restaurant upstairs. In between, master butcher Sean McCormack turns the forequarter of beef hanging from the ceiling into a pile of steaks, ribs and roasting joints.
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When it comes to butchery, the sum of the parts seems to be greater than the whole: the carcass starts out looking like more fat and bone than lean meat, but with each deft cut of Sean’s knife, a new pocket of ruby-red muscle is revealed.
A kitchen porter returns periodically to whisk away the fillets, sirloins, rumps and bavettes, a selection of which are destined for our own dinner plates. Having been expertly chargrilled, they’re presented with minimum distraction - nothing but fries and bearnaise sauce to complement the intense meatiness. A rich treacle tart served with salted caramel popcorn and ice cream rounds off the evening.
Details of the next Butchery School will be posted on the Boxcar website. The price is £95 per person including wine and a three-course meal. Boxcar’s restaurant and butchery is open daily at 23 New Quebec Street, London W1
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