Now, you're feeling a little hungry. A BIG hungry. And you're low on iron in your diet. You just want to tear into some meat tonight and here you are.... looking at a wall of red things in black and white packages with odd names you might recognize- Chuck, Shank, Sirloin and so on. What to do what to DO?
There are a few starting places here, but the best way to start is with a visual. Let's start by learning ourselves what cuts are what with a handy picture I copied from another website-
Now this is what cuts of beef usually end up getting cut as in the market. Ideally, you'd be hanging out at your local butcher shop and looking at all these with a trained professional, but some of us don't have those nearby and have to rely on the Safeway or Kroger.
So uh... what are you making with your beefy bits? Oven roasts are GOOOOOOOD times. Pot roasts are good too, and low maintenance. Steaks, as we all know, are summer time fun, and then there's ground beef. And Stewing bits. And RIBS. Stir-fry/fajitas, too! SO many options, Mr. Cow, you've really outdone yourself.
One thing I've learned that can help when paired with the picture is that the farther you get from the legs and head, the more tender the beef gets. Far from the head... the butt. Far from the legs... the head? The back. Yes, the back. See the Sirloin area? Sweet meats be found there, laddy. And the best of the best is the tenderloin. You know porkchops? Yeah, that's a tenderloin slice with a rib attached. Its this long arm-sized muscle that is tender as the day is long.
Ground beef, that's just a nice term for "parts 'n' stuff" because if it was from just one section, it would be called "Ground Chuck" or "ground tip." It's usually got a higher fat content than just plan steak because it's a mix of extra bits.
Now let's study a handy chart for a minute, as supplied by the National Livestock and Meat Board.
So this chart is pretty handy, it even helps you find a good piece of meat for any occasion.
But Let's say you want to make some Fajitas. You can't very well use some awesome loin steak as yoru fajita meat, so you'll want to go for a meatier part. The tip is nice, or maybe some round.
Another thing you'll want to do is season your beef properly. Now when you're making a steak or a burger remember one thing- what you're eating. You don't pay $200 for sushi covered in Old Bay or something, do ya? No. So why smother your steak in weird crap? You're PROUD of your steak, aren't you? You want to show off that you know how to pick out good steak, ya?
Some people choose to smother their steaks in cheese and types of salad dressings. There is a special level of hell reserved for people like that- they will perish in flames. If you put ketchup on your steak, then you're probably not reading this, because you're out hunting squirrels for the 'youngin's'.
At most choose a few herbs for a steak that will really bring out the flavor of the steak. Leave the heavy marinades behind, they're for lousy steaks. Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, thyme, rosemary... these are the kinda of things you want to use, and NOT TOO MUCH. People abuse their steaks like.... well, I guess I could make a tasteless Ike and Tina Turner joke here, but they take them for granted.
In this day and age we can afford to buy some REALLY good steaks, and you should
take them for what they're worth, a good steak.