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I was given a cut of meat that I am unfamiliar with. I was told the Spanish name is Cacho de Paleta. I'm not sure how to prepare it, and was hoping to find some recipes and preparation tips online. To do that, I was hoping someone could tell me the English name for this cut of meat, so that I can search for it online.

The cut appears to come from the upper leg of the cow (the shank, perhaps?). You can see a picture and a diagram of the section of the cow it comes from here.

What is the English name for this cut?

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    It might be easier to come up with an analogous cut name if you explain what these cuts are like and what they're used for. Note that butchery around the world makes for a varied usage of meat and some cuts simply don't exist across cultural borders.
    – Catija ♦
    May 10, 2016 at 22:05
  • Also, it might be better if we break this into two questions, one for each cut of meat.
    – Catija ♦
    May 10, 2016 at 22:09
  • @Catija: That is part of the problem. I don't know what the cuts are used for, I'm trying to find that out online, but to do that I need to know what it is called in English
    – Menachem
    May 10, 2016 at 22:35
  • So do you not speak Spanish? Often we get these questions from people who have moved from home and are trying to find a product they used to get.
    – Catija ♦
    May 10, 2016 at 22:41
  • Ah, the additional background helps explain a lot! Thanks for adding it.
    – Catija ♦
    May 10, 2016 at 22:43

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Cacho de paleta means "hunk of blade" as far as I can tell, however blade comes from the shoulder and that doesn't look the right shape for a shoulder cut. It looks more like leg to me, in the US that would be called shank and in the UK it would be shin if the front leg and leg if it's from the back leg.

Whether it's shoulder or leg meat preparation is similar as both are working cuts with lots of collagen. Roasting is out - you won't get the collagen breaking down and the lack of fat will mean a tough, dry result. Use a long, slow and wet method like stewing or better yet braising. Put it in the oven at 120C for 4 hours with a cup of water and a cup of red wine in a covered pot as a basic preparation method.

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According to the Cátedra de Anatomía Animal de la Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (Chair of Animal Anatomy of the School of Veterinary Medicine, of the National University of Costa Rica), in this video on their youtube channel, Cacho de Paleta is called "Chuck Tender" in the USA.

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