Beef – Dani Valent

Many people struggle to cook meat to their satisfaction, with beef being one of the biggest stumbling blocks for home cooks. Many chefs have told me that the most common question they get asked is how to cook a steak. It really can be intimidating and confusing to purchase, prepare, cook and serve beef: there are so many different cuts of meat and so many ways to cook them. People prefer their meat cooked in all kinds of different ways too. Some people are all about flavour, others won’t touch it unless its tender, some love gnawing on a bone, others prefer fillets, some delight in grills and others swoon for slow-cooked dishes.

As with all ingredients, knowing more about beef turns us into better cooks, so I’ve spoken to top butchers and chefs to help you along your way to beautiful beef. I hope you enjoy my chat with master butcher Gary McBean, talking us through some of the most important beef cuts. I also did a deep dive into brisket with Oliver Hagen.

A special word for the Thermomix cooks among us. When I first started cooking with Thermomix, I didn’t dive straight into cooking beef, or meat at all. In fact, it took me a while to work out the best ways to do it. Once I did, I’ve fallen in love – over and over again – with my Thermomix’s ability to braise, steam, poach and saute and also its lovely ways with meat-friendly condiments and marinades. Here’s a selection of favourites below.

Beef Brisket

Our chat with Gary, above, focuses on prime cuts. These are the cuts of meat that are normally grilled as steaks. There’s a whole other world of so-called secondary cuts. These are harder working muscles that are less tender (and thus less prized as steak) but they are very rewarding to use in slow-cooked dishes. Brisket is a great secondary cut taken from the front part of the underside of the animal. It’s generally sold boneless and can also be separated into the front (point) end and the flatter rear section. Brisket loves a slow cook and is economical, generally about half the price of prime cuts.

“It’s an amazing cut,” says butcher Oliver Hagen from Hagens Organics. “It does a lot of work because gravity is pushing it down and it has to work to push up and hold everything together. That means long fibres, which shred beautifully. It’s also layered with intramuscular fat so it’s self-basting as you cook it. It’s so perfect for slow-cooking because it won’t dry out, even if you cook it for 10 or 12 hours.”

Hagen loves pickling it to create corned beef that’s perfect for a Reuben sandwich, or giving it the slather and rub treatment (see Hagen’s recipe for slow-cooked brisket tacos). “Because it’s a fattier cut, it’s great with something acidic like a chimichurri or salsa verde to cut through.”

Other cuts that Hagen wishes people would prize are flatiron (from the shoulder) and hanger (from the diaphragm). These are both tougher steak cuts but they have lots of flavour. “People can get so stuck on tenderness as the benchmark of quality,” he says. “But it should be flavour. Why is ‘melt in the mouth’ the mark of good meat?” He’s also a big rap for roasting pieces such as corner-cut topside, from the inner-thigh muscle. You’re unlikely to see these pieces shrink-wrapped in the supermarket cabinet, but you can ask a trusted butcher.

“Get to know your butcher,” says Hagen. “Rely on them. Take their advice. They have so much knowledge.”

Beef Stir-Fry

There are so many things to love about this recipe. It’s an all-in-one dinner that feeds a crowd. It’s tasty and adaptable. It’s surprising – overcoming a phobia of steamed meat in one fell, delicious swoop.

Vitello Tonnato

Vitello Tonnato, a venerable Italian meat platter, made by layering poached veal with a tuna sauce. It’s so easy to poach the meat in the Thermomix and then use the flavoursome poaching liquid as a base for the sauce.

Thai Beef Ribs

Ribs are one of my favourite winter meals and this is an easy, flavoursome way to cook and eat them. Thai spices and aromatic lime give the rich meat a lift, and a peanutty coleslaw adds texture and tone.

Barolo-Braised Beef with Polenta Cremoso

Beef is marinated in red wine, caramelised in a pan with mushrooms, then braised in the Thermomix until it’s melting tender and full of flavour. Just before serving, polenta is cooked with butter and cheese to irresistibility.

Beef Rotolo

This rolled beef dish is easy enough to serve for a mid-week meal and pretty enough to present at a dinner party. Steak is rolled with pesto and steamed in the Varoma over stock, which is then the base for a mustard sauce.

Cauliflower-Crumbed Schnitzel

This quick, easy oh-so-tasty meal was inspired by a rock band interview I read in the orthodontist’s waiting room – you never know when the lightbulb is going to flash!

Cauliflower Hummus with Spiced Beef

This cauliflower hummus is a favourite for its big flavours and creamy texture. Add inexpensive spiced beef, cooked for longer than you’d think, and you’ve got a dish that’s fancy enough to make it onto the menu at Maha, Shane Delia’s glam and gorgeous Melbourne restaurant.

Accompaniments

Burnt Butter Hollandaise

Chef Tony Twitchett told me about this concoction when we caught up at a gastronomy congress and I just had to get the recipe! He serves it at Taxi Kitchen in Melbourne’s Federation Square and it’s indicative of the Asian spin he puts on his modern Australian cuisine.

Cervelle de Canut

I love dishes that are more than the sum of their parts: really delicious but so easy to make that you feel like you’re cheating. This Cervelle de Canut definitely fits into that category. It’s a flexible friend, great with crackers and also good to dollop over roast potatoes or steak, or to dot on oysters.

I love my Elk top & Obus pants

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2019-06-17T23:47:47+10:00
© Dani Valent 2024