The Cuts Of Meat You Should Avoid Putting In Soup

While there are countless types of soup, that doesn't mean that throwing anything in a pot will reward you with a delicious meal. Some ingredients you should avoid adding to soup. Among these are fatty cuts of meat, such as pork belly or ribeye. While fat tends to mean extra flavor, it can also add unwanted texture to your pot of soup.

As the fat renders out with cooking, it will rise to the top, leaving you with an oily film that will make its way to your mouth. While you can remove it with a paper towel, or by skimming it out with a ladle or using Gordon Ramsay's bread hack, it's a messy business that doesn't always get rid of all the fat. Some fatty cuts of meat can also take longer to break down and become tender. While this is ideal for the slow cooking process of a rich stew, soups in comparison require a meat that will add flavor without requiring hours on the stove.

The best cut of meat for your soup depends on what kind of meat you are using, the style of soup you are making, and whether you want the meat to be the star player or one ingredient in an ensemble. Cuts of meat with bone or cartilage, for example, are ideal for creating rich broths or stocks. Use chicken carcasses, beef shins, or pork bones to create the base of a soup. For the meat itself, you want a lean cut that will cook quickly but won't turn stringy or fall apart. For a classic chicken noodle soup or lemony Greek avgolemono, shredded pre-cooked breast or thigh meat can be added right at the end. Soups are also a great use for leftover rotisserie chicken.

Some soups call for beef, lamb, or mutton. An easy way to add beef to soup is with pre-sliced or shaved cuts of meat — usually sirloin or brisket. These quick-cooking slices are added to Vietnamese pho just before serving but can add a meaty twist to other dishes like minestrone. When buying lamb for your soup, look for meat from younger animals. This is not only lower in fat, but the fat sits outside the muscles, where it can be easily removed. With lamb or mutton from older animals, the fat is dispersed throughout the meat, which makes it great for grilling but bad for soup.

Though it can have a higher fat content, ground meat shouldn't be overlooked as a soup ingredient. The trick is to cook it separately and drain off the fat before adding it to a soup. Ground meat is perfect for a trendy lasagna soup, a comforting soup of leek and ground beef, or a chicken meatball soup with penne and chard.