Could you give me some information on ways to cook different cuts of beef? Mine always seems to turn out tough. I always try to marinate and that helps some. I usually cook round steak. Also do you have a good recipe for braised steak?
Thanks for your help.
Answer Michelle:
First, the best way to keep meat from being tough is not to cook it too much. That means rare or medium rare. Meat changes when exposed to heat, the muscle fibers contract squeesing out myoglobin, the red tinged juice which is not blood but intercellular fluid. The protein then coagulates turning from red to gray. You end up with a gray tough dry piece of meat.
Now, the differnt cuts. The rule of thumb is the higher up the better...hence the saying "eating high on the hog or (beeve)" Filet Mignon, tenderloin, and other permutations are from the long back muscle along the spine. Pork chops are the same cut as pork loin only you get part of the spinal vertibrae with it. Ever notice the little round cut out on the bone? That was the spinal cord channel. It is sawn down the middle. Pork loin is the same cut but without the bone.
Most roasts are from the shoulders or rump. Skirt steak and brisket are from the area over the stomach and rib cage.
Sirloin is just a very lean steak. these need careful cooking because too much and they ene up dry and tough for the reasons above.
Fat or marbling such as found in t-bone (the beef equivelent of the pork chop) keeps the meat juicy. Fat makes your salivary glands work making dry meat appear moist. That is a nice trick to rescue dry meat, make a gravy or sauce with butter of olive oil in it to serve over it.
Marinades do not tenderize. They flavor. Period. Papain found in pinapple juice will digest meat, but only the outside giving you a thin layer of mush on the meat. Only mechanical means really tenderize meat, a good meat mallet or blades like those used to make swiss steak. Go for less cooking.
Braising is a combination of steam and boiling. You can braise anything by adding a small portion of liquid, beer wine, in a covered container and adding the meat adn keeping it just below boiling. Sound familiar? It should that is what a crock pot does. I cooks the meat using a combination of time, moisture and near boiling temperature.
This converts the tough connective tissue to gellatin and the meat falls apart. Like a good post roast.
Braising is good for fish, but I would not recommend it for steak.
Go get a good instant read meat thermometer and use it to cook with. Don't use the hit or miss 10 minutes per side...crap. Every stove, every pan, every oven or broiler is different. Use the thermometer and you can't go wrong.
130-35 beef rare
140-45 beef medium
155 medium
Ps always brown meat before crock pot cooking or braising. A good cast iron skillet, heat very hot, then put in the meat to brown very quickly both sides. This causes a browning reaction, intensifying the flavor in the browned part
