Beef Recipes

Beef is produced from the meat of the cow. Specifically, it comes from the full grown cattle of 2 years old. As the prime red meat, beef recipes vary around the world, but it is mostly enjoyed as a steak and as an ingredient in pork sausages.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “the best beef is obtained from early maturing, special beef breeds. High-quality beef has firm, velvety, fine-grained lean, bright red in colour and well-marbled. The fat is smooth, creamy white, and well distributed.” A high premium and regard is given to some cow breeds, such as the famous Angus beef, which has always been a regular in many fine dining restaurants all over the world.

As a grilled steak, beef can be cooked according to the diner’s preference—from rare (pink inside) to medium rare to well-done. Each has its own delicious characteristics, enhanced by the heat of the grill and the infusion of a spice rub, marinade or sauce. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come out with guidelines in handling and cooking each kind of meat. It recommends cooking beef at an internal temperature of 145°F with a rest time of three minutes especially when grilling or roasting.

The marble of fat (“marbling”) helps make the beef “more tender, flavorful and juicy,” according to the USDA. “The greater amount of marbling in beef, the higher the grade” given to the beef. As with pork, beef is also classified according to the prime cuts. The major cuts come from the chuck, loin, rib and round. Each cut has its recommended way of being cooked since various parts produce either tough or tender meats.

Tougher cuts like the chuck and round do well in slow cooking (via crock pot or slow cooker). Slow cooking uses moist heat, just like braising and stewing, with a cooking liquid helping tenderize the beef. Find beef recipes for this cut in the beef stew category. Meanwhile, more tender meat cuts like the loin and rib, according to the USDA, benefits from a dry heat method of cooking like roasting, broiling or grilling as a steak or barbecue.

Beef And Pork Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

8 large cabbage leaves
Boiling water
1 egg
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 cup celery, minced
1 cup cooked rice
3 cans (8 oz.) of tomato sauce

Preparation Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cabbage leaves into a large mixing bowl. Fill a large saucepan with water. Heat on high heat until boiling. Pour water over cabbage leaves and let stand for 5 minutes or until leaves are wilted.

2 In the meantime, beat the egg in a medium-size bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the tomato sauce, and mix together well.

3 Drain water from cabbage leaves. Lay them out, one at a time, and place a large spoonful of the meat mixture into the center of each. Roll them up and hold them together with toothpicks.

4 Place rolled cabbage leaves into a large, flat baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over them. Bake for 45 minutes.