COOKING TIPS

Grilling

Best cuts for grilling: Chuck eye steak, shoulder top blade steak, shoulder center, shoulder petite tender, rib steak, ribeye steak, back ribs, porterhouse steak, t-bone steak, top loin steak, tenderloin steak, tri-tip roast, tri-tip steak, top sirloin steak, sirloin tip center steak, ground beef, and beef for kebabs.

1. Preheat grill until very hot, about 500 – 550°F. If using charcoal, allow it to ash over. If using gas, turn to high.
2. Season steaks with salt and pepper or with one of Chef Joy’s steak rubs (link to rub recipes).
3. Place steaks on preheated grill.
4. Use tongs to flip steaks over – forks let the juices escape so be certain to use tongs.
5. Continue grilling steaks to desired doneness. Press lightly on the steak to check the color of the juices: red juices indicate rare to medium rare while clear juices mean medium to well done.
6. Remove steaks from grill and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving to redistribute the juices.

Braising

Best cuts for braising: Shoulder steak, boneless short ribs, bottom round steak, and eye round steak.

1. In a Dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat a thin layer of oil over medium heat.
2. Season roast with salt and freshly ground black pepper or with desired seasonings.
3. Place roast in pre-heated pot with tongs. Sear roast on every sides, including ends.
4. When meat has seared, remove from the roasting pan.
5. Add carrots, celery and onion to pan and stir occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 3-4 minutes.
6. Stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
7. Add red wine and cook another 2-3 minutes.
8. Return roast to the pot and add fresh herbs. Pour beef stock or broth over roast.
9. Cover pot with lid and place in a 175°F oven.
10. Cook for about 4-6 hours. Remove roast from oven when roast is tender and pulls apart easily.

Roasting

Best cuts for roasting: Ribeye roast, tri-tip roast, eye round roast, round tip roast, sirloin tip roast, chuck 7-bone pot roast, chuck pot roast, shoulder pot roast, bottom round roast and ground beef.

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Season roast with salt and freshly ground pepper or with desired seasonings.
3. Place roast on a wire rack in roasting pan with the fat side facing upwards.
4. Place the roast, uncovered, in preheated oven.
5. After about 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 275°F.
6. Roast the meat for 45 minutes per pound for a medium roast.
7. Remove roast from oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let roast rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to redistribute the juices.
8. Slice roast across the grain and serve.

Pan Roasting

Best cuts for pan roasting: chuck eye steak, shoulder top blade steak, shoulder petite tender medallions, ribeye steak, porterhouse steak, t-bone steak, top loin steak, tenderloin steak, round tip steak, sirloin tip center steak, ground beef and cubed steak.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Season steaks with salt and freshly ground pepper or with desired seasonings.
3. Heat oil in an ovenproof sauté pan on high heat on the stove until oil shimmers.
4. Add steaks to pan and sear for about two minutes on each side, flipping with tongs.
5. Place pan in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until steaks reach desired doneness.
6. Remove steaks from oven and place on serving plate.
7. To make the sauce, remove any excess oil from pan and add minced shallots and garlic. Stir in red wine. Boil briefly, and whisk in a few tablespoons of chopped butter.
8. Serve pan sauce over steaks.

Broiling

Best cuts for broiling: Chuck eye steak, shoulder top blade steak, shoulder center, shoulder petite tender, rib steak, ribeye steak, back ribs, porterhouse steak, t-bone steak, top loin steak, tenderloin steak, tri-tip roast, tri-tip steak, top sirloin steak, sirloin tip center steak, ground beef, and beef for kebabs.

1. Preheat broiler according to oven directions. Oven rack should be 3 to 5 inches from heating element.
2. Season steaks with salt and pepper, or as desired.
3. Place broiler rack in oven.
4. When juices begin to rise to the top surface of the steaks, flip with tongs.
5. After steaks have cooked evenly on both sides, check for doneness.
6. Remove steaks and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Sautéing

The beef cuts used for sautéing should not be more than ½ inch thick.

1. Season steak with salt and freshly ground pepper or with desired seasonings.
2. Add a small amount of oil to large sauté pan or frying pan on medium-high heat.
3. Once heated, use tongs to gently place steaks in pan.
4. After about 2-3 minutes, juices will begin to rise to the surface. Flip steaks with tongs and cook steaks another couple of minutes on other side.
5. When steaks reach desired doneness, remove from pan onto serving plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Stir-Frying

The best beef cuts to use for stir-fry are various sirloin cuts or  top loin and rib-eye.

1. Heat oil over high heat in a large sauté pan or frying pan.
2. Slice desired Branch Ranch cut thinly and evenly.
3. Season beef slices with salt and freshly ground pepper pepper or with desired seasonings.
4. Add seasoned steak to heated oil.
5. While cooking, stir beef regularly for 2-3 minutes, or until beef is browned and reaches desired doneness.

Seasoning

Certain types of ground beef recipes, such as burgers, meatloaf and meatballs, require as little handling of the meat as possible to maintain tenderness. Be sure not to over mix the meat with too much handling when seasoning or you will end up with firm and compact beef after cooking.

There are two different ways to season your meat: marinades or rubs. Both of these seasoning options add complimentary flavor to the beef.

A marinade is a mixture of seasonings and liquid ingredients that add flavor and seasoning to beef. Marinades also help to tenderize the meat and can be used on drier cuts of beef to impart more moisture.

A rub is a mixture of dry seasonings rubbed onto of meat prior to cooking. Rubs are commonly used on roasts, steaks and ground beef. Rubs help to bring out beef’s natural flavors, but they also help seal in juices and form a delicious crust. Rubs do not tenderize meat in the way marinades do.