Teachin' ya Tuesday - How to make "cheap meat" delicious.

In this humble blogger's opinion, there is no such thing as a bad cut of meat. (And when I say meat here, I mean any animal protein - beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and anything else you might come across. I ain't skeered of whatever you might have to offer.)
It is all about preparation, not price - I promise.

One of the house favorites around here is steak night - we love a good hunk of red meat in this family, no doubt, and it is one of my favorite meals to prepare for birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. That being said, I have given up on splurging for "good" steaks, even for those celebratory dinners. Not. Worth. It.
The best tasting steaks I have ever made at home are simple, inexpensive (and nice and lean, BTW) Top Sirloin steaks prepared using this salting method. Doubt if you will - but try it anyway. You'll see. Try it on just about any cut - whatever is on sale for rock bottom prices. My mouth waters just thinking of it.

I am a big fan of stew meat as well - for price and portion control it is tops in my book. Not just beef, but lamb and pork stew meat are frequent ingredients in our kitchen. The trick with these, and with all "tougher" cuts of meat is to either marinate for a long time using a nice acid-y marinade (think balsamic vinegar and herbs and overnight at least) if you want to do a quick-cooking preparation; or cooking low and slow for an extended period of time (crock pot, low temp, from early morning until dinner) accompanied by flavors your family enjoys. (Herbs, or sauces, or mustard... anything that will impart flavor as the meat cooks.)

As for poultry - dark meat gets a bad rap for being less nutritionally desirable than the expensive breast meat. This is not necessarily true. Thighs are slightly higher in fat than breast meat - but they also have a rich, meaty flavor that can mean more satisfaction for less actual consumption (but that is just my opinion.) The Hub is not a huge fan of dark meat but the price is right, so I use it in stews, soups, pot pies, enchiladas, casseroles, and other ways that mask the rich flavor of the darker cuts.

I am always looking for new ways to use inexpensive cuts of meat in delicious ways - what tricks/tips do you have for me?