Beef Basics

Here are a few tricks of the trade that may help bring out the best in your beef cooking.

Shredding
Carving
Building A Fire

Shredding
Shredding beef is a great short cut for making quick and hearty meals. Shredded beef can be used as an ingredient in everything from appetizers to main dishes. Whether you want to cook your own beef or use one of the new heat-and-eat beef products, here are a few tips to get you started:

Good choices for shredding include brisket, bottom round and chuck roasts.

Cooking It Yourself
Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless beef roast, cut into four large chunks
1 medium onion, quartered
3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons pepper
¾ cup water


Option 1
Slow Cooker: In slow cooker, place onion and garlic; top with beef chunks. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper, add water. Cover and cook on low, 9 - 9½ hours, or until beef is tender. (Or follow your slow cooker manufacturer's instructions for cooking times and temperatures.)
Remove beef and cool slightly. Trim and discard excess fat from cooked beef. Shred beef with 2 forks.


Option 2
Range top or oven: Slowly brown beef on all sides in a small amount of oil in a heavy pan. Pour off drippings. Season beef as desired.
Add small amount (½ - 2 cups) of liquid (broth, water, juice, beer or wine).
Cover tightly and simmer gently on low heat on top of the range or in a 325°F oven until beef is fork tender. Shred beef with two forks.


Using Convenient Beef Products
Fully-cooked, heat-and-eat beef products can be a short cut when preparing shredded beef recipes. Prepare a heat and eat beef brisket or pot roast according to package directions and shred with two forks. Go to Express Meal Starters to find a list of available heat-and-eat beef products in your area.



Carving
Carving is an important step to creating a great beef eating experience. If you carve beef too quickly after cooking, your steaks can be dry and your roasts tough and stringy. Letting the beef stand for only a couple of minutes can make all the difference. It gives the natural juices time to redistribute and reduces moisture loss. So, how long do you wait? Follow these guidelines:

Steaks - wait 1 to 2 minutes
Roasts - wait 10 to 15 minutes, keep covered
Important:
Use a sharp knife. You can use a butcher's steel to ensure sharpness.
Place roast or steak on a wooden cutting board to prevent slipping.
Carve meat into slices by cutting across the grain.

Build A Fire
Planning a backyard BBQ and want everything to be perfect? The first step is building a fire for your grill.

Step 1
Lay charcoal in a grid-like fashion so all briquets are overlapping and touching. A double layer of charcoal in an 8X8 grid will give you up to 50 to 70 minutes of cooking time.
Step 2
Lightly cover coals with lighter fluid and light. Let it burn down about 30 minutes until it reaches 350°F to 375°F. To determine the temperature of the coals, use a hand count or a grill thermometer. Hand Count - Cautiously hold the palm of your hand four inches above the cooking rack. Coals are ready when you can hold your hand there for four seconds.
Step 3
Bring out the beef, you're ready to grill!

Grilling Hints:
Airflow is key to controlling the temperature of the grill. Circulation of air will cause coals to burn hotter. Adjust the vents on the bottom of the grill to increase or decrease airflow.
Use a wire brush to clean the cooking grid. The grid cleans better when it's hot. An onion, split in two halves will also work well to clean the cooking grid.