How to Use Different Cuts of Beef
How to Use Different Cuts of Beef
Beef we all love it, but how are you supposed to know what to do with it all? There are so many different cuts that even professional chefs get confused sometimes. As with any animal, some parts are more suited for various cooking methods, so here’s a quick guide to help you out next time you’re at the store.
Blade Usually this is called “braising steak” or chuck. It’s a bit more tender than your average stew beef, and goes well in casseroles and stews alike.
Brisket Usually brisket will be already boned and rolled at the supermarket, and sometimes it comes pre-salted. It comes from the chest and upper front leg, so it’s not the most tender of cuts, but it’s perfect for slow cooking or pot roasts.
Chuck Meat from the shoulder of the cow, best used for casseroles or stews.
Fillet Tender and succulent, the fillet is a prime cut for steak dishes. It’s often the cut used for Beef Wellington because of its smooth texture and rich flavour. Best cooked quickly on a very hot pan.
Flank Usually the flank is turned into mince.
Leg This is your basic stewing steak. It’s tough, but a long, slow stewing will really bring out the flavour.
Neck Like the leg, this cut is tough and really only suited for stewing or use in a crock pot. Usually it’s used to make mince.
Rump This is considered a prime cut, but it’s not quite as tender as the sirloin or fillet. However, that means it’s cheaper as well. This is perfect for that quick cooking like frying, grilling, and BBQ.
Shank Tough, without much flavour, usually turned into mince or sold as a stewing meat.
Shin You’ll usually find the shin cut ground up as mince, though sometimes it’s sold in pieces as stewing meat.
Short Sirloin One of the prime cuts, usually boned and rolled and perfect for a succulent roast.
Sirloin Steak One of the most popular cuts, sirloin makes a juicy steak no matter how you cook it. T bones and Porterhouse steaks use sirloin cuts.
Top Round This is a great lean cut, which can be used for roasting grilling, or frying.
