Meat recipes for every occasion include slow-cooked elk, low-sodium pork tenderloin, and perfectly seared filet mignon. Master oven-roasting in bags and electric smoker techniques for the best pulled pork.
A round or eye of round steak comes from the rear end of the cow. Because the muscles in this area get a lot of use, cuts from this section are leaner and tougher than many others. While this means a lower fat content and fewer calories than better marbled cuts, it also means fewer good cooking options.
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Grilling brings out a T-bone's natural succulent flavors without the help -- or the calories -- of a pool of oil and butter in a pan. This formidable steak is two prized cuts in one: the top loin and the tenderloin, also known as New York strip or fillet mignon.
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Cooking steak on the stove without oil is a quick and easy process called pan-searing. Though some procedural details vary depending on the cut of meat and its size, the general process is universal. Only sear fully thawed meat; otherwise the outside cooks far quicker than the inside.
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Rib-eye steaks have some of the juiciest, most tender, most flavorful meat available. This cut is ideal for grilling and for its indoor counterpart -- broiling. The broiler is an often-overlooked oven feature, but it's easy to use and does a good job in crisping the outside of the beef.
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A beef sirloin steak comes from close to the cow's rump. Because it's taken from a fairly well-used muscle, sirloin is not particularly tender. The best bet to tenderize it is to start with quality meat, marinate it and cook it only to medium rare. Steak quickly dries out and becomes tougher when it reaches medium.
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Pan-fried pork chops make for a juicy, filling meal you can cook up in minutes. Thick cuts require a bit more care and attention so you don't scorch the outside and dry out the meat near the surface before the pork safely cooks through all the way.
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Pan-frying chuck steak requires tenderizing, since these arm and shoulder cuts are a bit tough for dry-heat cooking methods. Marinating in milk, buttermilk or yogurt does the trick, as does a soak incorporating pineapple, papaya or kiwifruit. Alternatively, tenderize a boneless cut by pounding it into a cutlet.
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The exceptionally tender, flavorful and somewhat expensive NY strip steak, also known as a Kansas City strip and top loin, is well-suited to broiling.
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Roast beef can be a scary proposition if you're not practiced with the preparation. It's a somewhat intimidating cut and dish, and when it goes wrong, the dried-out, tough, chewy, discolored results aren't a big hit.
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Preparing a steak on a baking sheet in the oven is relatively easy. The main concern is not overcooking steak. As you cook it past medium, or 140 degrees Fahrenheit, it begins to dry out, losing flavor and developing a tougher texture. A meat thermometer is a steak cook's best friend.
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Flat iron steaks go by several names, but most often top blade steaks or top chuck steaks, as they're from the cow's chuck section. Chuck refers to cuts from the neck and shoulder, which are cost-effective and flavorful, but on the tougher and fattier side.
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The center cut half-boneless loin is considered one of the prime pork roast cuts. This cut includes part of the backbone. The bone adds flavor to the meat and accelerates cooking a bit.
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In the U.S., filet mignon is a beef cut taken from the larger end of the cow's tapered tenderloin muscle. The cut is boneless, relatively lean and typically 1 to 2 inches thick. Its tender texture makes it ideal for broiling.
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Freeze an uncooked beef roast within three to five days of purchase if you aren't preparing it. Keep it frozen in its unopened packaging for up to a year.
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There is nothing wrong with baking frozen hamburger patties in the oven. Although putting frozen hamburger meat in the oven increases the cooking time, it is still a quicker option than properly defrosting the patties first.
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Lamb steaks have a milder flavor than beef, which allows for stronger, more elaborate or more adventurous preparations. Pan-frying them is a quick and simple procedure even novice home cooks can pull off successfully. The toughest part is figuring out how you want to season the steaks.
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A thick veal rib chop is best prepared using a two-step pan-roasting process. Begin by frying it over high, direct heat to create a nicely seared exterior crust, then finish it more gently with indirect heat in the oven to cook the inside all the way through without charring the outside.
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Technically, a picnic ham isn't ham; it's pork. Ham is defined as a cut of meat taken from the top of the hind legs of a pig. A picnic ham, on the other hand, is a cut of pork taken from the pig's front legs, and it includes part of the shoulder.
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A ham steak is a cut of ham purchased uncooked or smoked. They're generally between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Ham steaks make a convenient meal, especially for one or two people, being smaller, quicker and less complicated to prepare than an entire ham roast or other pork dish.
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Rib-eye is a high-quality cut with nice fat marbling in tender, flavorful meat. Its saturated fat, cholesterol and calorie content make it a delicious dish best enjoyed in moderation, but you can make it a bit healthier by baking it rather than cooking it in oil on the stove top.
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