In his newest book “The Great Meat Cookbook” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Bruce Aidells takes aim at dispelling confusion at the meat counter over “pasture-raised,” “organic” and “heirloom.”

Many of his 250 recipes also bear helpful tags such as “In a Hurry,” “Fit for Company” and “Low Fat.” In addition Aidells (with writer Anne-Marie Ramo) provides home cooks with tips on buying tender cuts of steak, choosing and cooking the best pork chop cuts, braising meat, bringing a successful roast to the table and using spice rubs and pastes to liven up dinner.

Besides extensive coverage of beef and pork, the author gives attentnion to bison, lamb and goat. Alas, this appealing hardcover volume, which hits book stalls Oct. 2, ignores rabbit.