Serves: 5
Get Good Grades.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects and grades US beef. The inspection is to ensure food safety standards are upheld, but the grading is voluntary--producers don't have to participate. These grades, however, are the best indication of what you can expect in terms of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Grades are based on the animal's age (younger is better) as well as the amount and distribution of marbling, the tiny flecks of fat throughout the muscle tissue (more is better). There are eight grades for beef, but you'll probably only encounter three or four of them:
* PRIME beef is the best--only 2% of US cattle earn this title for their "slightly abundant" marbling. You can see the fine, evenly distributed flecks throughout the meat. Most prime grade beef goes to upscale restaurants and hotels, but why should they have all the fun? Inquire at your local butcher shop or make friends with a rancher and see how the other half lives.
* CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF™, while not a USDA grade, is a trademarked designation reserved for only 7 out of 100 cattle, which must meet strict standards for texture, firmness, and marbling. Fans attest to its intense flavor and richness. Try it for yourself if you haven't already done so.
* CHOICE is the second best USDA grade and the most widely available. Choice beef has moderate or small amounts of marbling and the cattle are fairly young. Some say the difference between Prime and Choice is less significant than the difference between Choice and Select. For grilling, buy Choice when possible.
* SELECT beef is the leanest, least expensive grade and the flavor within this grade can vary widely. It has only "slight" amounts of marbling and tenderness. Not the best grade for grilling. Don't hesitate to marinate it first to boost its texture and flavor.
Try Aged Beef.
There is another beef distinction that makes a big difference in tenderness and flavor, and that is aging. During aging, enzymes in the muscle fibers break down and bingo, you've got yourself a tender morsel. Dry-aged beef is exposed to air for 3 to 6 weeks and kept very cold. During this tenderizing process, the beef can lose up to 10% of its weight through moisture loss--which results in a more concentrated beef flavor. Aficionados swoon for this stuff. If you can find dry-aged beef, pounce on it! Wet-aged beef is sealed in Cryovac® bags for the tenderizing process, so there's no moisture loss. In the end, you have more meat with a "fresher" taste. Try each aging process if you're lucky enough to find samples and you may just have a new, pricey addiction.
Choose Your Store.
Today we have many options for purchasing beef. You probably have a grocery store you trust for everyday purchases. For prime grade, special cuts, or special attention, visit a good butcher shop. There's no match for the expertise you can tap over the counter. And if you haven't already, check out the warehouse clubs in your town. You might be surprised at the quality of the meat, and because these stores deal in volume, they often have great deals on Choice cuts.
Don't Forget The Roasts.
If your culinary daring ends at steaks and burgers, we've got good news. Many beef roasts are wonderful on the grill, especially those from the loin, short loin, and rib sections. Grilled roasts not only add a nice dimension to your repertoire, they can feed a crowd (or make someone very happy in the leftover department). Not every roast is made for high-heat cooking like grilling, however. Cuts from the foreshank and round sections fare best in moist heat, i.e., braised or in stews. The chuck has some cuts suited for the grill--we handpicked a couple and included recipes for them in this chapter--and ground up, it does make the best burgers. Take a look at the beef chart in our Grilling Guide (see REFERANCE & APPENDIX) to find all these cuts.
Know When To Quit.
Doneness is the cornerstone of your beef enjoyment and thus a matter of personal taste. In our recipes we offer the approximate cooking times to reach the USDA's definition of medium rare, with the exception of ground beef, which should always be cooked to 160°F, or medium doneness, to avoid risk of any food-borne illnesses. We use the USDA's definition of medium rare for beef, i.e., an internal temperature of 145ºF--some beef eaters will find this a bit high. We think you can enjoy beef that's plenty juicy at a safe 145ºF, but if you like your meat rare, enjoy at your own risk (except of course for burgers--sorry, but some aspects of modern living are tough on us all). In order to reach 145ºF as your finished temperature, the recipes for large cuts prompt you to remove the beef from the grill when it reaches 135ºF thick steak recipes have you remove them at 140°F. Stopping short allows for carry-over cooking, which means the temperature continues to rise up to 10°F as the meat rests (the larger the cut, the higher it will rise). Thinner steaks can be removed at 145°F.
Go Against The Grain.
Beef muscle is made of longer, often tougher fibers than most other four-legged creatures. Cutting across these fibers when you slice the meat will produce more tender bites. This is especially important with tougher cuts such as flank and skirt steak, London broil, and bottom sirloin.
And A Word On Searing.
Many folks think searing locks in juices. But the fact is (and it's been proven in lab tests, so who are we to go against the pros?) searing merely caramelizes the surface of your food, adding nice texture, color, and flavor. Don't get us wrong this is no trivial matter. Caramelization is a critical quality of masterfully grilled beef, but you can overdo it. Keep in mind that as long as you are searing the beef, or even cooking it at all, you are tightening the proteins and squeezing out juices. If you want juicy meat beyond that beautifully seared surface, just don't overcook it!
From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.
This _Beef On The Grill: Some Kind Of Wonderful recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling 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
