Beef is the number one choice in retail meat purchases. Thanks to more standardized cuts, improved labeling, and more nutrition and cooking information available at the point of sale, it’s easier to choose the right cut of beef for your family.
Nutrient-Rich
Beef is nutritious and healthy. It is a naturally nutrient-rich source of several essential vitamins and minerals. Due to leaner cattle and closer trimming of fat, the beef you buy today is 27 percent leaner than it was 25 years ago.
Protein in beef is a complete protein, so it supplies all the essential amino acids the body needs to build, maintain, and repair tissues. It’s also a good source of iron, zinc and B vitamins, which are important for building muscles, healing wounds, and a healthy immune and nervous system.
Versatile
Beef is convenient, versatile, and easy to prepare. Today’s beef lends itself to a wide variety of cooking methods. It partners deliciously with a broad range of flavors, from Asian to Mediterranean. And it fits your busy, active lifestyle.
Pick Your Cut
There are 29 cuts of beef that meet government guidelines for being lean. According to government guidelines, a serving qualifies as “extra lean” if it has less than 5g total fat, 2g or less saturated fat, and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving. A serving qualifies as “lean” if it has less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat, and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving. Examples include eye round, top round, round tip, bottom round, sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, and flank. These may be cut as roasts or steaks. For ground beef, choose 95% lean ground beef most often. For more details: www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/leanbeef.aspx
Once you’ve picked a cut, don’t forget about portion sizes. Start with a 3 oz. serving of beef (about the size of a deck of cards) and round it out with brightly-colored vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Food Safety
Pick up beef just before checking out. If it takes longer than 30 minutes to get your purchase home, keep the beef in a cooler. For refrigerator storage, follow the “use by” information on labels. When freezing beef, label each package with the date, name of cut, and weight to help follow the “first in, first out” rule.
Make Your Meal Tastier
Seasoning: Burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, and other ground beef recipes will be tenderer if you handle the meat as little as possible as you add seasonings and other ingredients. If you over-mix it, you’ll end up with a firm, compact texture after cooking.
- Browning: Dry beef by patting it with a paper towel before cooking. Liquid sizzles in the pan, creating steam that can prevent browning.
- Uniformity: To cook kabobs evenly, cut them into equal-sized cubes (but don’t worry if they’re not perfectly square) and leave a little space between each piece.
- Stir-frying: Put beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until just firm, to make the meat firm and easier to cut into strips.
- Salting: Add salt after cooking. Salting before cooking can draw the moisture and juices out of the meat.
- Turn Meat with Tongs: If you use a fork, it will pierce the beef and release flavorful juices. When flipping burgers, you can also use a spatula, but don’t use it to press down on the beef, or you’ll lose the juices that make your burger moist.
- Monitor the Heat: If the heat is too high, you might overcook your beef on the outside while the inside is still undercooked. For tender beef, cook to the desired doneness. Use medium heat with most dry-heat cooking methods, such as grilling and sautéing, and medium-high heat for stir-frying. Low heat is ideal for moist-heat cooking methods, like braising.
- Marinades and Rubs: Marinades and rubs not only add excitement and flavor to many cuts of beef but with the right ingredients, marinades can also be used to make some cuts more tender.
Nutrition researchers found that rinsing cooked beef crumbles with water heated in the microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes reduced fat content by up to 50%. Blotting with paper towels can reduce the fat content of cooked burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf. To prepare lean cuts of meat, try broiling, grilling, roasting, pan-broiling, braising, stewing, or stir-frying.
Use a food thermometer to ensure food is cooked to a safe, minimal internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Steaks and roasts should be cooked to 145°F. Hamburgers should reach 160°F.
Not sure what’s for dinner tonight? Let beef be the guide to a delicious and nutritious meal in just minutes!
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
Sources:
- wybeef.com
- nebeef.org
- eatright.org
- usda.gov
- beefitswhatsfordinner.com