How to Cook Beef: The Best Cooking Method for Every Cut (Part 2) - Verde Farms (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cooking method for beef? ›

Braising or pot-roasting—cooking with moist heat—tenderizes meat and is ideal for large roasts and tough bone-in cuts from the chuck, loin and round. Another benefit: It's relatively labor-light.

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Grilling is a method that works for almost any steak. Ribeye, New York Strip, and Sirloin are favorite cuts to use due to their thickness and abundance of marbling.

A tougher cut of beef, such as from the chuck or the round, would benefit from low and slow cooking methods, while tender beef cuts, like filet mignon and porterhouse steaks, should be cooked over dry heat on the grill or in a searing hot pan.

These cuts—ribeye, New York strip loin, and filet mignon—can certainly be dubbed the best, and few will disagree. “Filet is the most tender cut, but has the least amount of flavor. Ribeye is the most flavorful, but the least tender of the three, and New York is in the middle.” Flannery explains.

To cook it until it's so tender it falls apart, you'll need to choose a joint like chuck and blade or beef brisket and either braise, slow roast or slow cook it for at least a couple of hours.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

Typically, leaner cuts like the flank or skirt can be chewy if not prepared correctly. Cooking Method: Overcooking can cause the steak to lose its moisture, making it dry and chewy. Conversely, undercooking can make certain cuts feel tough. Aging Process: Steaks that are not properly aged can be less tender.

Simmering and stewing are used for less tender cuts of meat while poaching is used for tender cuts. Also, poaching is only appropriate for beef while any type of meat (beef, veal, pork or lamb) can be simmered.

What is the best cooking method for a steak cut? ›

There are several steak methods that could answer the question, “What is the best way to cook a steak?” However, the best cooking method for steak, generally, is grilling. Grilling works well for most steak cuts, adding lots of flavor and allowing an even cook when you know how to grill steak properly.

Shank. Shank is arguably the toughest, cheapest cut of beef. Located in front of the brisket at the cow's forearm, this beef cut is notable for its sinewy dryness.

The most tender of all cuts of beef, tenderloin steaks are lean and known for their delicate, butter-like texture and thick cut.

Because the meat has less fat, it could use a little cooking oil for frying or grilling. Sear the beef over a high heat on a grill or stovetop skillet to seal in its juices, then proceed with a lower temperature to finish grilling, frying, or roasting. Cuts like steaks are less forgiving.

Whether on the grill or stovetop, sear the steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side directly over the flame with the lid down or use your favorite cast iron skillet on the stove. Then, move the steaks out of direct heat or into the oven until finished to your liking.

Cook all organ and variety meats (such as heart, kidney, liver and tongue) to 160 °F (71.1 °C). Cook all raw beef steaks and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.

Panfrying and Stir-Frying

Although these methods use high heat, cooking times are very short, which helps maintain tender meat with good flavor. These cooking techniques also promote the retention of nutrients and are less likely than many other methods to cause the cholesterol in fatty meats to become oxidized.