Often associated with quality and indulgence, beef is a nutrient-dense food with a rich, savoury flavour that lends itself well to all kinds of cultures. Robust winter beef dishes like American barbecue, stir-fry beef, beef ribeye roll, or a juicy beef sirloin porterhouse are menu items that can make or break an establishment.
With varying levels of thickness, tenderness and flavour, it’s important to pick the right cut for your dish. Different cuts make for different cooking processes; some need longer cooking times to achieve the best texture, while other beef cuts are best flash fried, seared or grilled. Whether your beef cut has short fibres and fewer tendons, or more fat marbling should
be an important factor when choosing your dish.
But with such a variety of cuts, thicknesses, bone in or out options, and even now specific breeds or styles of cattle bred for a particular quality such as Wagyu, it can be hard to choose.
Ribeye comes from the upper rib cage of a cow, making it well-marbled and tender, while a porterhouse steak comes from the lower rib portion. The main difference between the two comes down to fat and bone content, so opt for a ribeye if you’re looking for a fattier option. Both cuts bring their best game when grilled or pan-seared, but for flame grilling, the porterhouse is the way to go.
Some diners prefer a pure fatless, easy eating melt in your mouth texture such as fillet, or a classic flavourful sirloin. Don’t be afraid to suggest cuts they may not know; flat iron steak, for example, delivers an intense beef flavour, has good marbling and can be quick to prepare and cook and sliced thinly are juicy, making for great warm winter salad ideas.
Bigger bites
A hearty thick cut bone-in steak like Flintstone makes for impressive presentation on a share menu. The bone, and the meat’s size and structure influences how the heat is distributed, demanding a longer cooking. This flavourful cut makes it an ideal option for slow cooking, in order to infuse the bone marrow and connective tissue into the dish.
What about wagyu
This highly-prized luxury beef is known for its exceptional marbling. Once almost exclusive to Japan, New Zealand-made Wagyu beef is becoming popular. Wagyu cattle are usually raised on grass supplemented with grain, with ever-evolving feeding advancements being created to raise the game of this gorgeous meat. Of course, top-notch meat requires thoughtful handling and cooking. A bone-in Wagyu short rib, with its intense marbling, is juicy and delicious, and will deliver decadent flavour when slow-cooked.
