Glutton Forum

Beef cuts have a real pretentious quality about them.  Beautifully marbled filet mignon and Delmonico steaks leave people feeling like they have to drop $30 on a decent cut of beef.  That's just not true.  If you read the article I typed up a little earlier on different cuts of beef, you'll know that the price that you pay for a piece of the steer is dependent primarily on its tenderness and flavor.  Cuts taken from the rib and the short loin primal sections are almost always the most expensive.  This is largely because, if they're prepared properly, they tend to be juicy and delicious on their own.  You don't have to add much to a porterhouse steak to make it taste amazing.  With shoulder steak, however, we may have to work with it a little.

No worries though.  There ain't no shame in juicing up that skirt steak with a little bit of marinade.  If you're cooking on a budget, and can't afford anything but a dirt cheap beef cut, have no fear.  It doesn't have to taste cheap.  There a butt ton of recipes out there that will make your tough meat tender and delicious, and rather than give you a huge list of them, I'm going to lay down some basics.  You can take what you learn here, apply some of your own creativity, and go buck wild the next time you make a meal.  Or, if you're lazy like me, you can just look up some recipes online.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't enjoy a chuck steak on the grill.  If you look on any beef cut diagram, you'll see that the chuck comes from the front shoulders of the animal.  This is an area of the cow that gets a lot of exercise, therefore, it's also one of the most muscular portions.  Although muscle provides some delicious flavor, it doesn't have the fatty marbling that you see in more premium cuts of beef, and isn't all that tender when grilled without a little help.  In fact, it's pretty darn chewy.  To transform it into a juicy delicious steak, you can first let it soak in some steak marinade. 

Prepare you pieces into four to six ounce portions.  Not only is this the typical serving size for a piece of steak, but it's a portion ideal for marinating.  The marinate works best with an acidic base, so you're going to want to include ingredients like red wine and vinegar, or even citric bases like pineapple juice (great in teriyake recipes).  You'll also want to add some beef tenderizer to the mix.  For every pound of beef, you should use half a cup of tenderizer.  Put it all into a large bowl, seal it up, and leave it in the fridge for anywhere from six hours to a full 24.  Once they're done soaking, it's time to cook them up.  If you want them grilled or broiled, you'll typically cook them on medium to high for 15-20 minutes, depending on the recipe.  If you're going to broil in a pan, cook on medium for five minutes without using any extra oil or liquid.  If you have a non-stick pan, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.  Keep the top off when you broil, and don't add the seasoning until they're done cooking for best results.

Another great way to cook chuck and some of the tougher round beef cuts is by stewing it.  I think we've all had beef stew.  If you haven't, and you're not a vegetarian, something's seriously wrong with you.  Here's the gist on making a mean beef stew.  Take a pound of a tough cut of beef, like chuck, shank, or short ribs, and cut it up into smaller, bite sized pieces.  Any low heat cooker, like a crock pot is perfect for stewing beef.  Before putting the meat in, however, you're going to want to prep it by covering the pieces in flour and some seasonings, and frying it lightly in a pan.  Once you have them golden, and warmed up, toss them in the pot along with the broth, any vegetables you want, and some wine or a heavy beer for some additional flavor.  You can let your creation stew all day - the longer, the better - serve it up, and let the beef melt in your mouth.  I have drool all over my keyboard, and it's really slowing me down.

Again, those are just some basics.  There are a million things you can do to your cheap beef cuts to make them delicious.  Save the tenderloin for the rich, and work some magic with that $3.00 steak.