Serves: 5
Selecting Beef
Lean, fresh beef should be bright red in color ground beef should be cherry red. A darker, purplish red is typical for beef that’s vacuum packaged, as well as for the inside of ground beef. Once it’s exposed to air, beef will turn its familiar bright red.
Ground beef is made from the primal cuts of beef: chuck, round and sirloin. Leanness varies from 70% to more than 90%. We tested our recipes using ground beef that’s 80% lean. On average, 1 pound of ground beef makes 12 ounces of cooked beef.
Cooking Beef
Cook beef--except for ground beef--to medium-rare or medium doneness for the best flavor and texture and to kill any bacteria present in the meat. Ground beef should be cooked thoroughly.
Cooking Ground Beef
Ground beef is handled frequently and touches many surfaces during grinding, making it easy prey for bacteria. So it’s important to cook it thoroughly. Meat loaf and all other ground meats must reach 160° in the center of the thickest portion to be safe to eat.
Note: Due to the natural nitrate content of certain ingredients often used in meat loaves, such as onions, celery and bell peppers, meat loaves may remain pink even though beef is cooked to 160°. Always check meat loaf with a thermometer to make sure it has reached 160° in the center of the thickest portion.
Unlike regular ground beef, which has enough fat in it to keep it from sticking during cooking, very lean ground beef needs a little help. To keep it from sticking, spritz the skillet with a little cooking spray. Lean ground beef loses moisture during cooking, so it’s somewhat drier than ground beef with a higher percentage of fat.
Do not overmix ground beef when making burgers, meatballs or meat loaves because the meat can become compact and tough, so use a gentle touch.
Roasting Beef
Beef is roasted in the oven with literally no water, so start with a tender cut of meat such as boneless rump roast or a rib roast. Check the Timetable for Roasting Beef to determine the right oven temperatures and times for each cut. Follow these steps for roasted beef that’s well browned on the outside and moist and tender inside:
1. Choose one of the beef cuts from the Timetable for Roasting Beef.
2. Place beef--right from the refrigerator--fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. (For easy cleanup, line the pan with aluminum foil first.) As the fat melts, it bastes the beef, making other basting during cooking unnecessary.
3. If you like, season the beef with herbs, spices or other seasonings before, during or after cooking. Sprinkling the roast with salt before cooking adds flavor.
4. Insert a meat thermometer so the tip is centered in the thickest part of the roast and not resting in fat or touching bone. Don’t cover the roast or add water.
5. Using the chart as a guide, roast at the recommended oven temp until the meat thermometer registers the "Meat Thermometer Reading (after roasting)" temperature. The roast will continue to cook after you take it out of the oven.
6. Take the roast out of the oven and cover it loosely with a foil tent. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches the "Final Meat Thermometer Reading (after standing)" temperature. After standing, the roast also will be easier to carve. Avoid covering the roast tightly because doing so will create steam, which will soften the surface of the beef.
Broiling or Grilling Beef
Broiling and grilling are great ways to cook tender cuts of beef, such as steaks or ground beef patties. Less-tender cuts broil and grill best if they’re marinated first. The tips below use direct heat. Check the Timetable for Broiling or Grilling Beef, below, to determine the cook time and doneness temperature for each cut.
1. Choose a cut good for broiling or grilling from Timetable for Broiling or Grilling Beef (below). If you like, marinate the beef first.
2. To Broil: Set oven to broil. Check your oven manual for whether the oven door should be open or closed during broiling. To Grill: Heat the coals or gas grill to medium spread the coals to a single layer.
3. Remove any excess fat before cooking to avoid flare-ups.
4. To Broil: Place beef on the rack in the broiler pan. (For easy cleanup, line the pan with aluminum foil first.) Position the pan so the top of the beef is the distance from the heat recommended in the chart. To Grill: Place beef on the grill the distance from the heat recommended in the chart.
5. Broil or grill the beef for about half the recommended time or until it’s brown on one side.
6. Turn the beef, and continue broiling or grilling until it’s done to your liking. To see if it’s done, cut a small slit in the center of boneless cuts or in the center near the bone of bone-in cuts. Medium-rare is very pink in the center medium is light pink in the center and well-done is brown all the way through. Burgers must be cooked until a thermometer inserted in the center of the thickest portion reads 160°. If you like, season the beef after it’s done.
Panbroiling Beef
Panbroiling is a quick, fat-conscious way to cook beef because drippings are poured off as they form. In other words, the meat doesn’t stew in its own juices or need additional fat to cook. Panbroiling is a great way to cook steaks and burgers. Check the Timetable for Panbroiling Beef, below, to determine the right oven temperatures and times for each cut.
1. Choose one of the cuts for panbroiling from the Timetable for Panbroiling Beef.
2. Use a heavy nonstick skillet, or coat a regular skillet with a film of vegetable oil or cooking spray. Heat the skillet for 5 minutes over medium heat.
3. Place the beef in the skillet don’t cover and don’t add oil or water.
4. Cook for the time recommended in the chart, turning once. Occasionally turn cuts that are 1-inch thick. Drain excess drippings from the skillet as they form. To see if the beef is done, cut a small slit in the center of boneless cuts or in the center near the bone of bone-in cuts. Medium-rare is very pink in the center medium is light pink in the center and well-done is brown all the way through. Burgers must be cooked until a thermometer inserted in the center of the thickest portion reads 160°. If you like, season the meat after it’s done.
How to Carve a Standing Rib Roast
Place roast, large side down, on carving board. Remove slice from the large end, so roast will stand firmly. Insert meat fork below top rib. Slice from outside of roast toward rib side.
After making several slices, cut along inner side of rib bone with tip of knife. As each slice is released, slide knife under and lift to plate.
From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This BEEF BASICS recipe is from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 9th Edition Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
"I must say this is the best recipe software I have ever owned."
-Rob
"Your DVO cookbook software saves me time and money!"
-Mary Ann
"Call it nutrition software, meal planning software, cooking software, recipe manager, or whatever you want. It is the software I use to stay healthy!"
-David
"Your software is the best recipe organizer and menu planner out there!"
-Toni
"Thank you so very much for creating such a wonderful cooking recipe program. I think this is the best recipe program there is!"
-Sarah
"I saw lots of recipe software for PC computers but I was having a hard time finding really good mac recipe software. I'm so glad I discovered Cook'n! It's so nice to have all my recipes in a computer recipe organizer. Cook'n has saved me so much time with meal planning and the recipe nutrition calculator is amazing!!!
-Jill
My favorite is the Cook'n Recipe App.
-Tom
