Meat by Anthony Puharich & Libby Travers – Hardback Cookbook

Meat: The Ultimate Companion is a 512-page hardback by Sydney butcher Anthony Puharich of Victor Churchill and food writer Libby Travers that explains meat from farm to butcher to plate, with more than 110 recipes for the major cuts. Anthony Bourdain wrote the foreword.

Know your meat before you cook it

Most cookbooks start at the bench. This one starts in the paddock. Anthony Puharich has spent his life between farmers and chefs, and here he hands over everything a butcher knows: breeds, cuts, how to buy well and how to cook each cut the way it deserves. The message is simple: eat better meat, eat the whole animal, and waste nothing.

What's inside

It's organised by animal, with chapters on Birds, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle and Wild, followed by Techniques. Each covers the history of the animal, international breed maps, cut diagrams and descriptions, plus expert advice on selecting, storing and cooking.

The illustrated butchery techniques show you how to break down cuts at home, and the 110-plus recipes draw on cuisines and chefs from around the world. It's lavishly photographed and illustrated, so it's as much a reference as a cookbook.

Who it's for

Barbecue cooks who want to understand their brisket, lamb shoulder or pork belly from the inside, home butchers, and anyone who loves a big, beautiful reference book. It's a heavyweight in every sense, and a cracking gift.

About Anthony Puharich & Libby Travers

Anthony Puharich is a fifth-generation butcher and co-owner of Victor Churchill in Sydney's Woollahra, often called one of the world's most beautiful butcher shops. Through his wholesale business he supplies many of Australia's finest restaurants, linking farmers and chefs. Libby Travers is a food writer and commentator with a focus on sustainable produce and food culture.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

The Smuggler's run more brisket than most, and he still learnt something from this one. It's the butcher's whole brain in one book, from paddock to cut to plate. Darryl's favourite is the cut diagrams, because once you know where a cut lives on the animal, you know how to cook it. Buy it and you'll never just grab whatever's on special again. Pair it with The Whole Fish Cookbook for the same waste-nothing thinking from the sea, and The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook for wild game. Season the venison with Butchers Axe Hunter Lamb & Game Rub.

Questions answered

Who wrote Meat: The Ultimate Companion?

It was written by Anthony Puharich, a fifth-generation butcher and co-owner of Sydney's Victor Churchill, with food writer Libby Travers. Anthony Bourdain wrote the foreword.

How many recipes are in Meat: The Ultimate Companion?

There are more than 110 recipes for the major cuts, alongside breed maps, cut diagrams and butchery techniques.

Is Meat: The Ultimate Companion good for beginners?

Yes. It explains how to choose, store and cook each cut, which helps beginners buy better meat and cook it with confidence.

Is Meat: The Ultimate Companion a hardback, and how many pages?

Yes. It's a 512-page hardback published by Murdoch Books in 2018.

Is Meat: The Ultimate Companion an Australian book?

Yes. Anthony Puharich is a Sydney butcher, and the book was published by Australia's Murdoch Books.