Recipes

These cuts require slow, low, moist cooking – i.e. a braise (think “crock pot”). You will be successful if you place these fine cuts in a flavored liquid (say, beef broth, barbecue sauce, or even beer) accompanied with aromatics (onion, garlic, shallots) and a panoply of flavorful herbs and spices. For a Classic Pot Roast (aka Pot a Feu), combine onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes with thyme, parsley, and bay leaf in water (thinner) or beef broth (thicker). I like the linked recipe because it provides a version for a pressure cooker which certainly helps to speed things up. To elevate this Sunday night classic to Beef Bourguignon, add bacon, then onions, carrots, and mushrooms, the bouquet garni, and split the liquid half and half with beef broth and red wine. There is a Belgian variant on this classic dish, Beef Carbonnade, calling for a dark beer instead of wine. For Barbacoa, use onions and garlic with chilies (for ease, try a can of adobo chilis), cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and clove – again in a beef broth and a can of Mexican lager for good measure.  For Barbecue Beef Sandwiches, use onion and garlic with barbecue sauce thinned with water, shred the result and top with pickles and thinly sliced raw onions on hamburger buns (btw – the boneless chuck roast is particular good for shredding). Google any of these classic dishes for more specific directions, ingredients and their quantities – they will follow, more or less, the same play book.

I generally use a crock pot for chuck roasts, though a heavy pot with a lid in the 325F oven works just fine. I would give yourself three hours to ensure the roast is pull apart tender. There’s no speeding up a chuck roast by cranking up the heat, it takes awhile to melt the inter connective tissue to a mouthwatering spoon tender consistency.

WARNING: I do not recommend using a rump, bottom round, eye of round, or any round roast for these recipes. Please see the next section for these cuts.

Round, Bottom Round, Eye of Round, and Rump Roasts are large chunks of beef coming from the round. The round is the back end of the animal – the rump and hind legs. These cuts are very lean; pure beef with little fat. These are your Classic Roast Beef cuts. These cuts respond well to dry heat methods – particularly roasting.

SEASON YOUR BEEF: DRY RUB or WET RUB

I recommend seasoning your beef. This generally means rubbing salt on the beef and letting osmosis pull the salt into the interior of the beef. This, of course, takes time. Overnight in the fridge is best, but any amount of time is better than no time at all. I also use A LOT of black pepper – totally cover the roast. You can add or substitute sage, rosemary, garlic and onion salt, chili flakes, marjoram,  juniper berry, the list goes on an on. Get creative with your rub and go for it!

A marinade or brine works great too – this is a salty, flavorful liquid. Like their rub counterparts, a brine helps beef maintain moisture when roasting as well as add flavor.A marinade or brine may include salt, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc along with herbs and spices. Place the roast and marinade in a large plastic bag (a big ziploc works great) and leave it in the fridge. As insurance against a big mess, set the bag in a shallow pan – just in case the plastic bag has a tiny hole somewhere.

THE ROASTING

Hey, what about the roasting part? I’m glad you asked. Get your oven hot – like 425F to 450F degrees. I recommend getting an oven thermometer to make sure your oven actually gets this hot. For example, my oven is actually 390F when the dial is at 450F; that’s 60F degrees off!

Pat your roast is dry with paper towels. Ideally, let it sit out to get to room temperature, but if you are pressed for time, this is the step to cheat on. Slide into the oven, ideally on a roasting rack set on a cooking sheet, though set directly on a cooking sheet with  is just fine). You can add potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pan too. The outside of the roast will brown, creating a flavorful crust, while the inside slowly heats up. Measure the inside temperature periodically using a digital thermometer (yes, another item you should buy). Once the internal temperature hits 115-120F degrees, remove the roast and immediately cover with aluminum foil and let sit for at least ten minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise, likely cresting 125-130F degrees. This is perfectly medium rare roast beef.

SLICE IT THIN – IT MATTERS

Take the time to slice your roast beef thin. Unlike the braising methods described in the previous section, roasting does little to increase the tenderness of the beef. So, you have to mechanically tenderize the beef by thinly slicing it. This allows your teeth to easily bite through with little resistance. Once sliced, sprinkle liberally with salt and douse with a quality neutral-flavored oil, like sunflower or grapeseed oil (or avocado oil – a sumptuous alternative). The beef will absorb some of the golden elixir, complimenting the beefy flavor and tender bite with a  lip-smacking body. You can serve for a formal dinner using the drippings in the sheet pan to create a piping hot brown gravy, or for a more casual event, serve room temperature on Kaiser buns spread with horseradish and stone ground mustard and topped with thinly sliced raw red onions. Or just pick at it with your fingers. It all works.

For the adventurous, try Grilling a Round Roast. There’s plenty of YouTube examples to follow. It’s definitely a fun way roast in summer when you don’t want to heat up your house with the oven.

Steaks are synonymous with Grilling. Our steaks are cut to a hefty, though still easy to manage, 1 1/4″ unless otherwise noted below. Everything here can go on the grill (or under a broiler), though some need the help of a rub or marinade.

Thinking ahead will help you pull off a delicious steak. Ideally, you want a room temperature, dry, seasoned (ie salted) steak. Seasoning can certainly be more than salt, but any seasoning should have a salty component. It just makes it taste better. The sooner the seasoning gets on the beef, the more time it has to distribute the seasoning throughout the beef.  And just like the round roast, seasoning can be a dry rub or a web marinade. Just make sure to pat dry with paper towels or a utilitarian kitchen towel before it hits the grill.

For the cooking, start with the Rule of Fours: Start with a fully thawed, dry, room temperature steak. Put on a HOT (and I mean HOT!!!!) grill, 4-minutes per side over direct heat, then remove, douse in a delicious fat, and tent with aluminum foil for an additional 4 minutes. Pay attention to you grill. Lots of flare-ups? Probably too hot. Barely audible? Probably too cold. It should sizzle without flares engulfing your meat.

To be more exact, use a digital thermometer to determine internal temperature. It’s totally foolproof. 120 for rare (the best), 140 degrees for medium. 160 degrees for leather. Grass fed beef just doesn’t do well at the well done end of the spectrum.

I want to emphasize the post grill step – often called the “rest”. This is when you remove the steak, douse it in a delicious fat, and keep it warm by tenting with aluminum foil. The beef will literally relax, absorb the fat, and end up juicier for it. Fats that I have used successfully range from butter, olive, avacado oil, bacon fat, to mere sunflower oil. After the rest, slicing steaks ahead of serving is a great way to share a single (or multiple) steaks across a crowd. Everyone doesn’t have to have their own personal steak! If you slice it, finish with a sprinkle of sale and a drizzle of oil – enough to make it shine. It will appear more appetizing and taste better too.

Best Cuts for this Grilling: Tenderloin, Porterhouse, T-Bone, Ribeye, Hanger, Sirloin Flap, and Top Sirloin.

Very Good Cuts for Grilling: Flatiron, Flank, and Skirt. These cuts are thin. The method still works, but it’s for a much shorter time (ie less than 3mins)

Good Cuts for Grilling: Ranch Steak, Tenderized Top Round, Sirloin Tip Kebobs, Sirloin Tip Steaks

Don’t Grill: Short Ribs, Brisket, or Roasts (except in the special case that you intend to grill a roast – watch some YouTube first though).

Now for a quick primer on what Sun Prairie offers in the world of steaks…

Tenderloin Steak – Otherwise known as the fillet mignon, this is a very tender steak with great mouth feel. We don’t get many of these from each animal, so availability is limited. Salt, pepper, grill…don’t try to hard with this one. Light flavorful sauces are divine with this steak.

T-Bone Steak – The T-bone is really a bone-in New York strip with a bit of tenderloin on the other side of the “T”. Another wonderful steak with two distinct parts – don’t overcook and tread lightly with the spices – keep it simple.

New York Strip – See above. This is a boneless steak that sits well on the grill. This is a tender cut that doesn’t need a lot of additional support. Great with mushrooms.

Porterhouse Steak – This is a large steak that is really a bone-in New York strip on one side and big chunk of tenderloin on the other. It is a favorite for many and for good reason. See above for treatment.

Ribeye Steak – A classic and one of my favorites. The meat is tender with great flavor. Pairs nicely with a robust red wine and grilled broccoli.

Top Sirloin Steak – A boneless cut with a full, beefy flavor. While it can stand alone on the grill with little preparation, I prefer this steak with an adventurous rub – open your spice drawer and go crazy as this steak can really hold up to the challenge. Try sage, pepper corns, salt, and a few red pepper flakes.

Flatiron Steak – aka the top blade steak. This small steak’s only detractor is the unfortunate strip of gristle that runs down the center. Carve around it on your plate for one of the most tender and flavorful pieces of beef. It tends to be thin, so be attentive at the grill. I favor light spice treatment.

Flank, Skirt, and Sirloin Flap Steak – These cuts, listed in order of quality, can be used interchangeably when demanded in recipes. These cuts are thin, grainy, and incredibly delicious. I prefer these as classic fajitas grilled with a dry rub and finished with a squeeze of lime during the rest. They also do well with a southwest marinade or any “Magic Rub”. These cuts are excellent as Fajitas.

Top Round Steak/Blade Steak – We mechanically tenderize this steak to increase its versatility. Appropriate for the grill after a heavy rub or marinade (store bought varieties are great for this one), this under appreciated cut can be turned into a delicious fajita or stir fry meal. Slice thin across the grain.

Ranch Steak – These are relatively small steaks that is best as diminutive cubes for a beef and bean stove top recipe or in an asian stir fry,  though they can still be grilled. Another good candidate for store bought marinades, this steak should not be overcooked. Also known as the center cut steak.

Sirloin Tip Kebobs – aka “Tips”. This cut is the only one that I recommend cooking to and beyond medium. These pre-cut large cubes are obviously great for kebobs, but are also excellent in everything from beef stroganoff, casseroles, and buef au poivre. Incredibly versatile and popular.

Oxtail is one of the most misunderstood parts of the cow. It is a study in half-truths – it’s not from an ox, but it is the tail; the top, meaty end. This quickly tapering cut is divided into two inch lengths, thus the biggest, bigger, big, small, smaller, smallest portions that come in our (typically) two pound bags.

The oxtail is inevitably made into a meaty soup. This can be a a French inspired Oxtail Stew, heavy on wine and root vegetables. Or a more Italian fare with this delightful Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup recipe. What I like about these recipes is they both request you brown the oxtails first. My only alteration would be to use some high heat oil like sunflower or safflower oil instead of olive oil (you will burn the olive oil before you brown the meat). Oxtail can be the base for a Ukrainian Borscht – a not to different version of the above variations, except that it is heavy on beets, cabbage, dill, potatoes, and sour cream (but sear/brown the oxtail first before you cook it!).

I can’t help but add this simple Korean Oxtail Soup (‘Kkori Gomtang’) to the list. It is bone broth set to eleven. You can skip adding the extra cow’s foot or add a couple of our knuckle bones as a substitute. In the end, this is about as simple as it gets.

But tonight, I am trying Hawaiian Oxtail Soup. I was drawn to this recipe because (1) it employs solid technique (2) it’s both unique (to me!) and American. The ingredients of star anise and shitake mushrooms may be difficult to find, but they are essential. I made my version with store bought beef broth rather than chicken broth. And I included the half cup of peanuts (see the notes at the end o f the recipe). Once you distill this recipe, it’s a three step process: roast the oxtails, make and skim the flavorful broth, reheat and add the greens/condiments.

Enjoy!

Back ribs are a fun, casual outing. They require little prep time, but do require a handful of hours to cook. Those that have the skill and patience for a proper barbeque, then this is one of your classic cuts. For the rest of us, I make an oven-bake approximation to the real deal.

For Oven-Baked Beef Ribs, you basically thaw, season, wrap in foil, bake at 250 for 3 hours, slather in bbq sauce, and serve. Though recommended, I don’t worry about removing the silver and simply eat around it. If you want a little sass and humor with your ribs, then watch this version from Divas Can Cook. I skip the liquid smoke.

For the seasoning, I recommend salt, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, and mustard, but there’s a million delicious variants. The pre-mixed bbq rubs are really fantastic and good value too. Lastly, the ribs are more bone than beef, so make up plenty to make a meal. You can simmer the leftover ribs to extract the remaining flavor for a bone broth. Drink directly, or use for any soup to add body and flavor.

Some ideas… are Sweet and Salty Beef and Broccoli, Beef Stroganoff, Marinaded Kabobs. I will come back and fill these out later.

Pan-Seared Steak with Tomatoes and Olives, Thai Red Curry. I will come back and fill these out later.

Tagliata. I will come back and fill these out later.

Fajitas, Beef Stir Fry.I will come back and fill these out later.

For the cross cut shank, there’s the Italian classic, Osso Buco. You should make this at least once – it’s rich and delicious, and great for a dinner party because it is both impressive and can be made well ahead of time. Like lasagne and chili, the flavor improves if it the flavors can rest and mingle for hours or overnight(s). If making this superb dish, then make the condiment Gremolata as well. It’s a parsley and lemon condiment that lifts and brightens an otherwise heavy meal. To get all chef-y on you, it creates tension on the palate – lemon (zest!), parsley (fresh!), and a shank (richness!) – that melts together for a cacophony of flavors. Wash it down with a Nebbiolo or another, full-bodied, Italian wine.

Otherwise, shanks are my go to for making beef stock. Rough chop and onion, plus half that quantity of carrot and celery (1 part onion; 1/2 part carrot; 1/2 part celery) for 2lbs of shanks. Include a bouquet garni (bay leaf, parsley stems, thyme) and cover with water. Allow to simmer (not boil!) for 3-4 hours. A crock pot on low, overnight or over the day, works too.

Strain out the solids with a colander. Reserve the shank, hand shred the beef, and set aside for later use. Use the shredded beef for taco night with a heavy hand on spicy seasoning (a packet of McCormick Taco Mix is just perfect – there’s no MSG!). The rest of the contents can be fed to your backyard chickens, compost, or trash. The remaining beefy elixir can be used straight away for a French Onion Soup, Beef Chili, or reserved for later use. If you have time, put the juice in the fridge and allow it to cool. The fat will solidify on the top. Remove and discard. Now it’s a pure delicious additive that elevates any cooking as a stock or cook down as part of a sauce. And you’ve extracted every penny out of your shanks!