DARREN'S TOP TEN BEEF CUTS

1. Filet Mignon:
The most tender and most expensive piece of meat, the Filet Mignon is taken from the tenderloin. The tenderloin itself can be sold whole in its entirety or the small forward end of the tenderloin can be cut separatly and is then known as the Filet Mignon. The word Mignon means small in French. However, American butchers tend to call all cuts from the tenderloin Filet Mignon, so one must be careful when purchasing.

2. Porterhouse Steak:
So-named after it was first served in the drinking houses where porter ale and stout were enjoyed. A large, flavourful steak cut from the rear of the short loin, nearest the sirloin. Porterhouse Steak is fine-grained with a characteristic portion of fat, it is usually cut from 1 1/2" to 3" thick. The tenderloin portion, which is the smaller sized meat inside the bone, can be removed and served separately as a Filet Mignon. When the Filet Mignon is removed from a Porterhouse Steak, the Porterhouse should be called a New York Steak or boneless Club Steak. If the bone remains in, it may then be called a Shell Steak. Naming often varies in differnt regions of the world, which can cause confusion. Best seared in a pan or grilled over flame.

3. T-Bone Steak:
This steak is easily identified by its T-shape bone. It comes from the center section of the short loin, between the Porterhouse and Club Steak. Similar to the Porterhouse, but with a smaller section of tenderloin and a smaller tail. It has a fine-grained outer shell. Should be cut from 1 to 3 inches thick. Pan searing is the best cooking method; broiling and slow cooking for thinner cuts.

4. Strip Steak:
Strip Steak is cut from the short loin before any other steaks are removed. It is also called a Top Loin Steak, New York Sirloin Steak or Kansas City Steak. A whole Strip Steak can be grilled, fried or broiled and then cut into individual portions or covered with pastry and baked, as in savory Beef Wellington. These steaks are tasty and expensive.

5. Sirloin Steak:
The Sirloin is a large steak, which makes it suitable for families or big occasions. Ideal for cooking when cut 2" to 3" thick, with a small amount of bone. They can vary in shape and come in pin-bone or hip-bone, flat-bone, and round-bone varieties; the bone adds flavor to the meat. If you broiled in the oven or barbecued on the summer grill you are likely to get best results. The thinner cuts may be pan-broiled.

6. Ribs:
a. Short Ribs (pictured below)
Very lean meat here but the character infuses the cut with great taste. They can make an intensely-flavoured stew or a delicious when on a BBQ. You can buy bone-off or bone-in Short Ribs. Be sure to brown and season the bones along with the meat. The short ribs pictured are at the lower end of the rib that curve to comprise the rib cage. The butcher trims and cuts these ribs into small portions.










b. Standing Rib Roast:
This is the part of the steer where the ribs meat the spine behind the shoulders. The flesh off these long ribs makes rib-eye steak. As you can see, it makes a great Sunday roast!














7. Cross Rib Roast/Chuck Roast:
This comes from the front part of the animal, the chuck. This cut makes a wonderful choice for a pot roast. It is sometimes called an English Cut or Boston Cut roast as well as Shoulder Clod. great for families on a budget looking for a hearty meal.

8. Rump or Top Round Roast:
A great cooking opportunity with this cut always presents itself; but, the trick is to keep the cooking slow. Ideally, the cut should be around 5 lbs in weight to serve a family of six. To keep it tender don't cook too fast or it will dry out quickly because, as the leaner area of the cow, it has little fat and a lot of muscle. Though this aspect makes it healthy.

9. Tri-Tip Steak:
Often overlooked, but one of the tastiest cuts you can buy at an avoradable price. At modern packing plants the sirloin part of the animal is boned out whole and the two tri-tips are separated, boned and sold whole to butchers. This cut is great for BBQ and grilling in general. It performs well with marinades and dry rubs too.

10. Hanger Steak:
So named because it hangs from the diaphragm of the cow. It is commonly cut into two separate pieces. The Hanger Steak is more flavourful because it is the inner skirt and is close to the kidneys; opposed to the outer skirt, which is called the skirt steak and has tougher muscle in it. This cut is best marinaded and cooked quickly over high heat. Served rare or medium rare to avoid toughness.

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A great recipe to try, courtesy of Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. This duo's splendid offering, 'The Complete Meat Cookbook' is a must for any serious carnivore:

California Barbecued Tri-Tip: (Serves 4-6)









2.5 lbs of Tri-tip, fat trimmed to 0.25 inch
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coarse black pepper
Darren's Dry Rub of your choice or
Orange-Ginger Marinade (recipes below)

Darren's Dry Rub:
1 tsp Sea salt
1 tblsp Pepper
1 tblsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
handful chopped cilantro/coriander

Orange-Ginger Marinade: (just put in a processor and pulse until ready)
One 2" piece of ginger, cut into 4 chunks
3 garlic cloves
1 large orange
1 tblsp Asian sesame oil
Third of a cup of soy sauce

Prep Step:
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and rub them all over the meat or season with a dry rub; cover and marinate for two hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
If you use a wet marinade puncture the roast all over with a fork.
Place the meat in a large zip loc bag and pour the marinade over.
Turn the meat from time to time to allow the marinade to penetrate evenly. Leave overnight in refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before cooking.

Option 1 - Indirect heat:
Remove meat from the marinade and pat dry.
Sear the meat for 2-3 minutes on each side directly over the coals and then move it an area of the grill with no coals.
Put a drip pan under the meat, cover the grill, and roast for 15 minutes.
Remove the roast when it registers at about 127-128 degrees for medium-rare.
When you allow the meat to rest for 10 mins with a loose foil cover, it will continue to cook in its own juices.
Cut thin slices across the grain and serve with a garnish of spicy fresh salsa and/or homemade guacamole. Sides could be warm tortillas and pinto beans.

Option 2 - Direct heat:
Set up the grill so there are hotter and cooler areas.
Sear meat on hot area for 2-3 minutes, taking care not to burn the outside.
Transfer to cooler area of grill and turn it occasionally over a 20-minute period.
Check temperatue (127 to 128 degrees)and carve and serve as above.


Try this and let me know how it went.


This Wednesday I'll be blogging about beans - abundant, nutritious and delicious and I'll be posting two great recipes using heirloom beans - one foor veggies and the other for carnivores.