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Beef Cooking Tips
 How
many servings can I expect out of a cut of beef?
Boneless beef cuts, such as for stew or pot roasts or boneless short ribs,
will yield between 2 1/2 and 3 servings (3 oz. cooked, trimmed) per pound.
Bone in cuts, such as a 7 bone pot roast, will yield about 2 to 2 1/2
servings per pound; and very bony cuts, such as short ribs, will yield
1 to 1 1/2 servings per pound.
Cuts of Beef
While not all markets will carry the same beef cuts, many chuck and round
cuts can be used interchangeably. For example a chuck blade, arm or shoulder
pot roast can be substituted in a recipe calling for one or the other,
with only a slight variation in cooking time. The key to determining cooking
time is simple - simmer until beef is fork tender.
Beef Cooking Tips
- Use moist heat methods such as braising, simmering, stewing or poaching
to cook less tender cuts of beef.
- Moist heat and long, slow simmering in a tightly covered pan results
in fork tender meat.
- Moist heat means gently simmering, not boiling, which keeps the meat
from shrinkage and keeps it moist and juicy. We've all had dry pot roast.
This was most likely due to boiling rather than simmering.
- Dredging beef in flour helps seal in flavors and moisture, espedcially
for cuts that are very lean.
- Dry cooking methods like broiling, roasting, pan frying, sauteeing,
grilling work best for more tender cuts of meat.
- While not needed for tenderization, moist cooking methods can be used
for ground beef when making chilis or soups.
- Browning beef prior to cooking by moist heat methods adds rich color
and flavor.
- The key to browning beef before moist cooking is to do it slowly,
as a slow browning adheres to beef better than a quick one.
- Browning usually requires a small bit of oil, and always if the meat
has been dredged in flour as it will otherwise stick to the pan.
- Pat beef dry with a paper towel before cooking for better browning.
- Salt beef after cooking or browning (unless it's added to the dredging
flour) as salt draws moisture out of beef.
- Grill beef of medium, ash covered coals. To check for temperature,
cautiously hold the palm of your hand over the coals at cooking height.
Count the number of seconds you can hold your hand in that position
before the heat forces you to pull it away. It should take about 4 seconds
for medium heat coals.
- Make sure meat for stew or chilis is cut to uniform size so the pieces
cook at the same rate.
- Trim fat from beef after cooking as leaving a layer of fat preserves
juiciness.
- Slow cookers and pressure cookers are ideal for less tender cuts
of beef.
- A tight cover is imperative for retaining the steam necessary for
moist heat cookery.
- Lauren Vaughan, a Fabulous Foodie from Plano, Texas sent in
this tip: For easy storage and thawing of ground meats, before freezing
divide the meat into several equal parts and place between pieces of
wax paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten meat into a thin, wide patty.
Layer the wax paper and rolled out patties and store in a large freezer
bag. Not only do the thin patties take less freezer space than the store
wrapped heap of meat, they also take less time to defrost and you can
defrost only the amount you need! Especially handy if you're buying
in bulk and only cooking for two!
- Cooking bags, such as those made by Reynolds, are great for moist
cooking beef and can actually reduce cooking time. They also greatly
reduce the mess to be cleaned up afterward!
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