Meat is delivered to the “Norfa” fresh meat department from the UAB “Rivona” butcher shop. In the modern facility, up to 20,000 pigs are slaughtered per month. In a separate facility, beef is prepared, with about 210 cattle slaughtered per month, and about 53 tons of cut beef meat are distributed for sale. Fresh chicken is prepared in the “Rivona” poultry processing plant – about 150 tons of various chicken products are produced per month.
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Modern equipment and a short meat processing time guarantee that the meat is always fresh. Pigs and cattle are purchased from Lithuanian farms. Beef is prepared from meat cattle – Limousin, Angus, Charolais, and Simmental breed heifers, aged up to 24 months, ensuring the highest quality meat.
In the “Rivona” butcher shop, carcasses are cooled in refrigerators for 6 hours and then distributed in the evening to “Norfa” network stores. According to “Norfa” chief butcher Dainius Bartošius, the meat is immediately cut, minced, and displayed in store showcases according to sales needs, so customers always find fresh products.
One piece of meat – different dinners
If you had to choose one piece of meat that could easily turn into different dishes, it would undoubtedly be pork and its best-selling part – the neck. According to D. Bartošius, the neck is the easiest to cook from because this part of the meat has the most fat and connective tissue distributed between the muscles, which gives the meat juiciness.
The butcher recommends making pilaf, goulash, frying chops coated in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, steaks with vegetable casseroles or cheese, stewing in a closed pot in the oven, marinating shashlik, and slow cooking at low temperature from the neck. “Practically, you can cook a different dish every day from the neck; it will be tasty and definitely not boring,” comments D. Bartošius.
The tender pork part is also the shoulder, which also has a lot of connective tissue, although it is slightly tougher than the neck. D. Bartošius advises making stews, marinating shashlik, using it for minced meat production, and frying meatballs or cutlets from it.
Rolls and roasted meat from the loin
The loin has the least fat and connective tissue, so it is a bit drier compared to other pork parts. The most popular dish from the loin is probably beaten meat rolls or zrazy with dried porcini mushrooms and black bread filling.
Often, one large piece of meat is roasted from the loin in the oven – coat the meat with oil, sprinkle with spices and salt, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. The roasted loin is delicious as a hot dish with vegetables, suitable for slicing cold, and the meat slices can be used for sandwiches.
D. Bartošius advises varying the loin steak with different fillings, skewering it with lard or bacon strips – the fats improve the flavor of the dish.
Even on the guest table – bone-in ham roast
If you choose pork ham, try roasting it whole – with the skin and bone. Soak the ham overnight in cold water with marinade, boil it the next day in water with bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, and celery stalks. Boil for up to an hour, then roast in the oven until nicely browned and the meat is tender.
A quicker dish from ham is stewing. Cut the meat into pieces, fry in a pan, and put it to stew in a pot with vegetables.
Ham is suitable for goulash and pilaf, and you can also mince it and form meatballs for soup or fry in a pan, serving with vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Bacon with bones or ribs is a frequent choice for customers. Ribs have more fat and can be roasted in the oven or on the grill – the meat remains tender and juicy. Before roasting ribs, the meat should be marinated, and at the end of roasting, brushed with a favorite sauce that adds even more flavor.
Bacon strips can simply be fried until crispy, suitable for hearty breakfasts with scrambled eggs. Bacon is also used for roulades, giving the meat more fat and tenderness.
Dishes from minced meat – quick and tasty
In the store, we still face the dilemma – to buy chopped meat or minced meat? According to D. Bartošius, chopped meat and minced meat are essentially the same product, only differing in composition: “Chopped meat is a more natural product. It is boneless and chopped ham or shoulder meat, which may contain only up to 1% salt and selected fat content – 10-30%. Minced meat is seasoned ground meat, which may contain salt, starch, proteins, soy, pepper, or other aromatic substances or food additives.”
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For those in a hurry, not wanting to spend more time in the kitchen than necessary, it is better to choose minced meat, which is already ready to cook. You bring it home from the store, take it out of the package, and can immediately start frying. “Lunch will be ready in 10 minutes,” says the butcher.
Chopped pork meat and minced meat are among the best-selling meat products at “Norfa”: over 250 tons are sold monthly in supermarkets, plus about 100 tons of all other types of chopped meat: beef, veal, chicken, turkey, etc.
Fragrant and nutritious chicken soup
If today’s plans include one specific dish, you need to choose the right meat parts for it. Let’s start with soup. D. Bartošius advises cooking soup from chicken – the most suitable parts are quarters with a lot of meat, drumsticks, and thighs.
A tasty and nutritious chicken broth is made from chicken backs, wings, and necks. Season the broth with vegetables, add pasta or rice, and you will feed the whole family with a hearty and aromatic soup.
Stew – a one-pot dish
According to D. Bartošius, pork is best for stewing because it requires less preparation time than beef. Cut pork shoulder or neck into evenly sized pieces and fry in a pan. Put them into a stew pot with vegetables and stew for about 1.5 hours. You will have a hearty main dish in one pot, and if there is more liquid, it can also replace soup – one large plate of stew is enough for lunch.
Pork ham is also suitable for stewing. “When cooked slowly at low temperature, ham meat becomes very tender, just melts in the mouth, and the fibers are easily broken with a fork,” says D. Bartošius.
Beef can also be stewed – choose shoulder, neck, shank, or brisket. According to the butcher, beef has a lot of connective tissue and some fat; when stewed for a long time, collagen turns into gelatin.
For a quickly prepared stew, the butcher recommends choosing chicken: suitable are chicken thighs, drumsticks, wings, backs, necks with bone and skin. If you want more meat, you can also use chicken quarters.
Steak – a gourmet choice
For those who want to enjoy a steak here and now, without waiting for the meat to marinate, they should choose pork tenderloin or aged beef.
Pork tenderloin is very lean but also a tender part of the meat. D. Bartošius advises cutting the tenderloin into slices, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and frying immediately: “The most important thing is not to overcook it; the meat inside should remain pink to avoid drying out. The average cooking time is 4–5 minutes on both sides.”
A luxurious steak is also prepared from aged beef, which you can also buy at “Norfa”. Before frying, let the meat rest at room temperature, brush with oil, and place in a heated pan. Add a piece of butter, a clove of garlic, and a sprig of rosemary alongside.
Depending on the thickness of the steak and the desired degree of doneness, cook the beef for 4-6 minutes. While cooking, baste several times with melted butter. The meat inside should remain pink and juicy.
Place the steak on a warmed plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and optionally cover with foil. Let the steak “rest” for a few minutes.
Whatever meat part you choose, you will enjoy pork, beef, or chicken and prepare a truly delicious dinner.
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