Tough joint of meat for refuge, by the way (4,8)
I believe the answer is:
hard shoulder
'refuge by the way' is the definition.
(roadside area of UK motorway)
'tough joint of meat' is the wordplay.
'tough' becomes 'hard' ('hard' can be a synonym of 'tough').
'joint of meat' becomes 'shoulder'.
'hard'+'shoulder'='HARD SHOULDER'
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for hard shoulder that I've seen before include "space for emergency stops" , "emergency situation" , "Motorway breakdown lane" , "Part of motorway" , "Motorway edging" .)