Tips and Tricks for Preparing Different Cuts of Beef
House Basics
You always want your meat to be closer to room temperature before you cook them. Cooking meat cold causes the muscle to seize and changes the cooking time. I recommend pulling your meats out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking them.
Season meats 15 minutes before cooking, allowing salt or other acids tenderize the tissues and infuse flavor.
Allow all of your proteins time to rest. Resting is critical to maintaining moisture in meats, allowing the muscle to relax from the heat. Residual cooking is also a factor and important to keep in mind. I usually pull my proteins up to 10 degrees before their appropriate cooking temperature, allowing the residual heat to do the rest of the work.
Cooking temperatures of meats per USDA Guidelines (Measured in degrees Fahrenheit): Poultry: 165, Ground Meat: 160, Beef: 145
Moist cooking techniques involve steam such as wine, water or stock and tend to be best for leaner meats with higher amounts of connective tissue needed to break down and allow the meats to become tender. Moist Cooking involves braising, roasting or stewing. The best meat cuts to apply these techniques to include Brisket, Shank, Shoulder (Chuck), or Round. And Soup Bones for Bone Broth!
Dry Cooking techniques are better for cuts of meat with higher fat content. Dry heat adds robust flavors with cooking methods that require direct high heat and less time. Methods of Dry Cooking include Grilling, Pan Searing and Pan Frying. The outlier here is Barbequing. The best meat cuts for dry cooking tend to be thinner cuts like RibEye, New York, Flat Iron and Skirt Steak.
Braising
The braising process begins with seasoning and browning the meat in a pan with a small amount of oil. The meat is then cooked, with a lid on the stovetop or the oven with a small amount of liquid at a low heat for a long period of time. These cuts also tend to be larger cuts of meat.
Suggested Cuts: Chuck, Shoulder, Brisket and Short Rib, and Bones (for Bone Broth)
Roasting
Roasting typically utilizes larger cuts of meat as well. They are cooked in roasting pan, uncovered in the oven with a small amount of liquid to reduce. Temperatures and times for roasting vary vastly based on the cut of meat. Have your thermometer ready! Browning the meat beforehand is a nice touch as well.
Suggested Cuts: Chuck Roast, Cross Rib Roast and Top Sirloin
Stewing
The rules to Stewing follow the above start for Braising. While similar to Braising, stewing uses liquid to cover the meat completely and does not technically require a lid. Generally the meat is also cut into smaller pieces, perfect for slow cooked meals and leaving the meat tender to the fork after a couple of hours.
Suggested Cuts: Chuck, Shoulder, Brisket and Short Rib and Ground Beef!
Grilling
Grilling is what most of us do outdoors when we cook a steak or burger. It’s done over a gas or charcoal lit grill with grates for a shorter period of time, close to high heat.
Suggested Cuts: RibEye, New York, Tri-Tip, Flank, Skirt or Bavette
Pan Searing
Pan Searing occurs on the stovetop in a skillet with a small amount of fat at medium to high heat, offering a very even cooking experience. Pan searing also allows the juices to remain in the pan which are a wonderful start to a pan jus for your meat. Contrary to popular belief, you do want to move the meat around to release some of the steam when cooking and creating a nice sear. Typically you want to cook each side for the same amount of time.
Suggested Cuts: Bavette, Flank, New York, RibEye, Flank, and Flap
Pan Frying or Stir Fry
Pan Frying or Stir Frying happen in a skillet or wok over high heat with a small amount of fat for a short period of time. Typically a stir fry includes other ingredients and incorporates small pieces of marinated meat while stirring consistently.
Suggested Cuts: Bavette, Flap, Skirt, Sirloin, Carne Asada, or RibEye
Barbequing/ Smoking
Barbequing involves cooking for very long, slow periods of time using indirect, low-heat. This method is typically done over iron grates or on a spit with seasoned woods like almond, hickory or cherry, these woods add an incredible smoky flavor to meats.
Suggested Cuts: Barbeque Cuts have a wide range - Brisket, Shoulder, Short Rib, Prime Rib and Ribeye
Tips by Isabelle Jackson Nunes