Use your butcher

"A butcher that you trust"

For a start use a good craft butcher, a good indication is when your butcher is used by some of the better chefs in the area, if you like what you get when you go out for a meal don't be afraid to ask where the meat came from, they will most likely tell you especially if it is sourced locally.

Most people do not use their butchers properly, i.e. they go in and ask for a pound of steak/ round steak mince etc.

What you should do is tell your butcher what you want to do, for how many people and let him select and prepare the meat. You may not end up with what you thought you wanted!

Most people think that spending lots means that you get what you need by default. Often you will find that a different cut, smacked around with a hammer does better job that that t-bone you were going to stew !

You may think you know better than the chap who has been working with meat all of his life, but generally that is just arrogance. A good butcher can really make his presence felt at a meal !