One of the beautiful things about life is that everyone is different and therefore has differing opinions. This includes every aspect of life including the best way to cook beef. Anyone who eats red meat, invariably has a favorite way to prepare beef. There is a multitude of different options to choose from. Of course, some of that preference often comes from which cut of beef the person favors. Regardless, many people have set out in a pursuit to definitively determine which method of cooking beef is the absolute best. To make this determination, there are a few things that must be considered. This includes breaking down the goal into different cuts of meat and weighing the pros and cons of each available cooking method for each cut. To set one method above all others as the “best”, is a difficult undertaking. One reason for this goes back to the fact that everyone is unique and has their own opinions. Therefore, it is impossible to make a choice that will please everyone. This means that to crown a cooking method with the title of “best”, it is necessary to look beyond opinion. This is what you will find here, details about various ways to cook beef and what makes each method better or worse than another. Because the term “best” is overly subjective, you will also find information about different ways to utilize specific cooking methods to make them better. That way, anyone can choose the method they prefer and improve so that it is the best version of that method.

 

First, let’s talk about ground beef. Cooking beef is like cooking most anything else, everything begins with choosing your ingredients. Picking up some ground beef may sound like an entirely straight forward, but there are several considerations. One of the first things to consider is how lean the beef is or is not. Every package of ground beef has a lean percentage and fat percentage on the label. If you are looking for something healthy, you will want a lean ground beef, the leaner, the better. If you are looking for more flavor and are not as concerned with how healthy it is, you want a higher percentage of fat. For example, if you are making a meatloaf, many people choose a ground beef with more fat. On the other hand, if you are interested in making a stir fry, you want a leaner ground beef. 

 

Once you choose one of your favorite ground beef recipes, you can move on to preparation. This is where you really start considering the different methods of preparation. Once you reach this point, the first question you must ask yourself is, what dish are you making? If you are including the ground beef in a larger dish with ingredients that are prepared separately, your best options is to brown the meat in a skillet. When you prepare beef this way, there are few things to remember. First, Add your seasonings as soon as you put the beef in the skillet. If you wait, the meat will already be partially cooked. This means that the seasonings will not be able to absorb into the meat properly. Next, there are three different ways to cook beef in a skillet. This includes stir-frying, pan frying, and pan broiling. When cooking ground beef, pan frying and stir-frying are generally the best options. Either way, you will have some accumulation of rendered fat in the pan. Even the leanest beef will have a small amount. For the best results, you should choose the best pans to cook with and remove the excess fat from the pan. If you do not, it will begin to absorb back into the meat when the heat is turned off. Also, if you are adding other ingredients, the fat will affect the way they taste. It may be necessary to leave a bit of the fat in the pan, but most should be removed. Keep in mind that you can store this fat for other uses.

 

Next, consider some popular cuts of beef such as sirloin, roast, and top round. Each cut is different in terms of tenderness and taste. This means that each cut is best cooked in a specific and different way. This is where it becomes difficult to determine a method of cooking that is truly the best. Any cut that is more on the tender side is best cooked using a dry heat method. Whereas less tender cuts require a moist heat cooking method. If you are unsure what entails and moist or dry cooking method, here is some basic information. If you want to use dry heat, consider grilling with the best gas grill under 400 dollars, roasting, pan frying, pan broiling, oven broiling, and stir-frying.  On the other hand, if you are looking for a moist heat, consider using a crockpot, oven baking, and boiling. You can use several of the previously mentioned methods as well; however, you will need to add a liquid to the container you are cooking the meat within. This can be water, broth, or a sauce. If you are not looking to add a particular flavor, beef broth or water are your best options. For times when you are trying to cut back on calories and keep the meal healthier, stick with water. All other times, use your best judgment. Regardless of the type of liquid used, you must be sure to keep the moisture present all during cooking. If you are roasting or using a crockpot, be sure to check on your meat every so often. If your liquid level is low, add a bit more to keep a consistent level throughout cooking.

 

No matter what method you employ when cooking your beef, there are a few rules that must be followed. One of the most important things to remember is what the internal temperature needs to be. When cooking steaks that you might have ordered via a steak delivery service, you must take into account how well done you want each steak to be. This will affect how long it needs to cook. If you are going for optimal, the internal temperature of ground beef needs to be 160 degrees fahrenheit. For other types of beef, you want to reach 145 degrees fahrenheit. Beef, unlike most other meats, does not have to be fully cooked through to be safe. This is where the varying levels of doneness come into play. Regardless of how rare you may want your steak or roast, it still has to come to a safe internal temperature. As long as you remain within that range, you can alter other aspects of the cooking process to best suit your individual needs and wants. That is how you cook the best beef.