Tips

Best Beef Cuts and Cooking Techniques for Delicious Flavor – Expert Tips

As a savvy home cook, it is essential for us to know how to select the best beef and transform it into delicious dishes.

Administrator

1 November, 2023

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According to professional beef processors, the body of a cow is usually divided into two halves, divided along the cow’s spine, with each half being further divided into the front and back meat parts, separated by rib bones 12 and 13.

In terms of texture, the toughest parts of the meat are the leg and shoulder muscles because they are the main movement parts of the cow and they contain a lot of muscle fibers. On the other hand, the most tender and easy-to-cut parts of the meat are the tenderloin and rib bones, which are the parts that are furthest away from the hooves and horns.

Therefore, according to the experience of professional chefs, each part of the beef can be suitable for different dishes as follows:

Beef shoulder (brisket or flank) is great for making pho

Shoulder beef (brisket) is meat that has both muscle and tendon. The shoulder has more fat and tendon, which is called flank, often seen in traditional pho dishes. The shoulder beef is tough, so it is often used to make braised dishes and it is also delicious when salted or stir-fried.

Beef ribs are great for grilling or frying

Beef ribs can be used for grilling or frying because the rib bones of the cow are quite tender.

Beef belly is perfect for hot pot

Beef belly is the meat taken from the cow’s abdomen, with alternating lean meat and fat, soft and suitable for grilling, stir-frying, and hot pot.

Beef shank is great for stewing or simmering in wine sauce

Beef shank, also known as leg meat, is divided into two parts: the front leg meat and the rear leg meat. The small part in the front leg is called “hoa” and the part between the “hoi” and “dui” in the rear leg is called “rua”, which is softer than “hoa”. This can be considered the most expensive meat part of the cow. This meat part is usually used for stewing, boiling, steaming, or making soup.

Beef sirloin is great for making pho or beefsteak

Sirloin is the meat on the back of the cow, it is tender and sweet. To prepare this meat part, just marinate it with basic spices such as salt, pepper, sugar, and roast it. Sirloin is also used to make pho, beefsteak, hot pot, and stir-fried dishes.

“Thăn chuột” is the softest part of the beef. “Thăn chuột” has small pieces of meat, tender, and less fat, just simple cooking methods like stir-frying, rare beef for pho…

“Thăn ngoại” is the meat cut from the sirloin, with little fat and muscle, it is very tender when eaten. This part is used to make beef steak, grilled dishes, and beef stir-fry.

Beef buttock is great for simmering

Beef buttock is a less commonly used meat because it is quite tough due to its tendons and chewiness. Beef buttock will be soft and delicious when used for braising and simmering.

Beef flank, also known as beef belly or beef rib, is a part of meat that is quite similar to the beef chuck. It has alternating layers of fat and muscle, often used to make braised dishes or beef balls.

Tips for choosing fresh and delicious beef

Good beef is resilient and feels sticky to the touch

Fresh and delicious beef should have a bright red color, a sticky texture when touched, firm meat fibers, not too dry or too wet.

Avoid buying old beef. Old beef will have a dark red color, a tough texture, and it takes a long time to make it tender. Veal will have white fat, very fine and tender meat. Female beef is usually more delicious than male beef.

When pressed, if the meat fibers are good and there is no foul smell, then it is good beef.

If the meat is pinkish, with large meat fibers and white fat, it is buffalo meat, not beef. Beef has yellow fat.

According to Giadinh.net