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Beef is still America's favorite meat. Whether you're enjoying a grilled steak, a juicy burger, or a savory stew, beef 's deep, hearty flavor is sure to come through.
Choose meat that is bright to deep red; any fat should be creamy white. As with all meat, color is a good indicator of quality. Cut edges should look freshly cut and moist; never wet. Vacuum packed beef is darker and often looks more purple than red. Last, remember that the names of steaks and roasts often vary from state to state: A "strip steak" in California is known as a "shell steak" in New York.
Some of America's favorite dishes start with ground beef: meat loaf, meatballs, burgers, chili, and casseroles, and that's just the beginning. Its popularity is well deserved: It delivers big time flavor at relatively low cost.
Here you can find many beef recipes with pictures and tips about how to prepare beef.
If you're not cooking steaks, roasts, or even ground beef within 6 hours of getting them into your refrigerator, remove the store packaging, place the beef on a plate, cover loosely with wax paper, and set in the coldest part of your refrigerator for no more than 2 days. (The store's plastic wrap aids bacterial production in your refrigerator's humid environment).
It's important to cook a meatloaf just until cooked through so that it remains moist and tasty. In our recipes we give the exact time needed to cook up a flavorful loaf. But you can also use an instant-read thermometer, which is the most fail-safe way to determine doneness for ground meat in loaves and in patties. Insert the thermometer into the thickest portion of the loaf or in the middle, inserting it halfway in. For patties, insert it horizontally until it reaches the center. The thermometer should read 160°F. Be sure to wash the thermometer before you reinsert it if needed.
To cook up a tender piece of beef,it's best to match the cut of meat to the right cooking technique.
Choose porter-house steak, T-bone steak, London broil (top round), top loin, rib-eye, sirloin steak, tenderloin, flank steak, skirt steak, cube steak, minute steak, and ground beef.
Choose chuck roast, brisket, short ribs, shin (shank cross cuts), and oxtails. Cubes for stew are usually cut from boneless chuck or bottom round, but chuck gives the moistest results. Bone inch cuts add flavor and body to stews. Roasting: Choose standing rib roast, tenderloin, ribeye, eye round, and tri-tip.
Disease causing bacteria like E. coli contaminate only the surface of food, so the inside of a roast or steak is not affected. The bacteria are killed when the outside of the food is exposed to high temperatures, when grilling and roasting, for example. When beef is ground, any outer surface contamination gets mixed throughout the meat. The bacteria on the surface of a grilled burger may be killed, but unless the interior of the meat is cooked to 160°F, dangerous bacteria can still be present. To eliminate this danger, always cook ground beef until well done. When pressed in the center, a burger or patty should feel firm and spring back.
