Beef Recipes

Warm weather and grilling season go hand-in-hand. Become a grilling expert and make beef the star of your next grilling party. Before cooking meat, a basic familiarity of the parts of the animal is helpful. Different body parts will be called different things in the butcher shop, and different recipes will generally make some distinction as well.

The animal is usually divided in to four parts along their exterior side, and a fifth part along the underside or belly. Begin from the shoulder and work your way down the back of the animal to the hind leg. Beef is divided into chuck, rib, loin and round. The underside is called brisket or flank.

Veal and lamb are divided into shoulder, rib, loin, and leg or round. The under side is the shank or breast. Pork is divided into shoulder, loin, and ham or leg. The underside closer to the forelegs is the picnic shoulder, and the area closer to the hind legs is known as spareribs.

The tenderest sections of an animal are the ones that are the least exercised and fare best under dry heat cooking, such as broiling, grilling, roasting and sauteing. This typically means the back, rib and loin. From the loin we get New York Strip, filet mignon, T-bone, and porterhouse steaks.

The second-most tender area of an animal is the area between the loin and the rump, which yields the sirloin. The leg and hip are less tender, and the shoulder is tougher still. The assumption that the tender parts of the animal are the best is limited. Tougher parts often have stronger and more potent flavors and are better prepared with moist heat, such as stewing and braising.

Select beef last when shopping to ensure that beef stays cold as long as possible until you get home. Choose beef with a bright cherry-red color, without any grayish or brown blotches. A darker purplish-red color is typical of vacuum-packaged beef. Once exposed to oxygen, beef will turn from a darker red to bright red.

Fresh ground beef does go through a number of color changes during its shelf life. These color changes are normal, and the ground beef remains perfectly wholesome and safe to eat if purchased by the "sell by" date on the package label. Choose steaks, roasts and pot roasts that are firm to the touch, not soft.

A package of ground beef may appear bright red on the surface, where it is exposed to oxygen through the permeable plastic wrapping, while the interior, where oxygen is absent, remains purplish-red. With extended exposure to oxygen, beef's cherry-red color will take on a brown color.

Choose packages that are cold, tightly wrapped and have no tears or punctures. Be sure the packages do not contain excessive liquid, an indication of temperature abuse or excessive storage. For vacuum-packaged beef, be sure that the seal has not been broken and that the package is not leaking. Purchase before or on the "sell by" date printed on the package label.