How to cook beef

Beef comes from the adult bovine, including cows (females that have had a calf), steers (males castrated when very young), heifers (females that have not been bred), and bulls younger than 2 years. Beef from an animal slaughtered after age 2 years is generally classified as “well-matured beef”. Meat from these animals begins to toughen and becomes more of a purplish red. Baby beef, in contrast, is from a 7 to 10 month old calf.

Of all the animals domesticated for food, cattle reign supreme. This animal, once only a beast of burden, became a source of meat and milk only after feed from improved agricultural practices became plentiful.

Even though cattle were first introduced to the New World in the 1500s, beef did not become popular in the United States until the Civil War, when other meats and poultry were in short supply.

After the Civil War, the abundance of grazing land and emerging transportation systems in the United States made it easy to move large amounts of beef throughout the country. For years, Americans have been one of the world’s top consumers of beef. But in response to concerns about red meat’s link to cardiovascular disease and cancer, consumption has declined significantly. Since 1978, beef consumption has dropped 28 percent, whereas poultry and pork consumption has grown rapidly. Beef producers have launched several programs to provide leaner beef products. The industry has developed leaner beef breeds, let the animals forage from grasslands instead of grain lots, and developed economic incentives for producing leaner cattle.

Retailers also have reduced the average thickness of fat around the edge of steaks and roasts from 3/4 inch to 1/10 inch, and sometimes no external fat is present at all. In addition, low-fat ground beef and other meats have hit the shelves. The result is that beef is 27 percent leaner than it was 20 years ago.

When eaten in moderation and prepared with low-fat cooking methods, beef remains a nutritious addition to meals.

How to cook beef

When shopping, pick a cut of beef whose tenderness and level of flavor appropriately fit the recipe you are using. In general, the more expensive the cut of meat (rib, loin, breast, filet, sirloin), the greater the flavor and tenderness. Cheaper cuts (leg, hip, shoulder) may be less tender but are just as flavorful. They are best prepared with slow, moist-heat cooking, such as boiling, poaching, stewing, steaming, or braising. Any of these moist-cooking methods are also best for any leaner, tougher cut of beef (leg, hip, shoulder), and slow cooking provides the best results.

Using a tenderizer also makes tough cuts more palatable. Acid ingredients such as vinegar, yogurt, cider wine, citrus juice, and tomatoes often are used in marinades because they tenderize the meat. Natural enzymes such as papaya, figs, and pineapple also can be used for the same purpose. Cover meat with the marinade and place it in a non-metallic container in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.

Aged beef that you might find at your local supermarket probably has undergone wet-aging. The carcass is vacuum-packed in plastic bags and then placed in coolers for a week to a month. This process tenderizes the beef, but it does not have the dramatic improvement in flavor that occurs with dry-aging.

Ground beef contains enough fat (about 15 to 20 percent) to give it flavor and make it juicy without excess shrinkage. The most flavorful hamburgers are made with ground chuck, but that is not the only kind of hamburger available. The leanest (around 11 percent fat) and most expensive of the ground meats are ground round and ground sirloin. New processing of ground meat is now making available even leaner choices (around 5 percent fat). The leaner choices are ideal for calorie and fat watchers, but they have to be cooked carefully to avoid their becoming too dry.

For more flavorful cuts of meat, dryheat cooking (roasting, baking, broiling, or grilling) is more common. Try these methods with steaks, tenderloins, and filets. To reduce the fat content of beef sauces or soups, refrigerate them and gently spoon off the fat layer that forms on the surface.

Serving suggestions

Although beef can be part of a healthful diet, the key is to think of it as a side dish and not the main entree. Dishes such as sirloin kabobs fulfill the craving for beef without the need to eat a lot of it. Stir-frying, in which thin strips or chunks of beef are combined with large quantities of vegetables, is also an excellent way to have beef play a supporting role at mealtime. Stews and casseroles with vegetable-based sauces also offer this advantage.

Another simple option is to cut down on the amount of ground beef called for in a recipe. Reducing the amount of ground beef by half cuts the calories, fat, and cholesterol by half.