It’s a little bit of a rarity today, however generally massive questions do have easy solutions. For instance: What’s the distinction between beef and Angus beef? Straightforward: The breed of cattle.
Significantly. “Angus” merely refers to beef that comes from the Aberdeen Angus cow. Initially from Scotland, it’s a sturdier breed that grew fashionable amongst farmers due to its potential to supply meat with the next marbling content material (a.ok.a., these white strains of fats that make your meat style so good.)
In case you’re pondering, “Whoa, that’s it? I believed it additionally meant one thing concerning the superiority of the meat,” belief me, you’re not alone. And we will thank the crafty of the meals business advertising and marketing machine for that. (Type of like how Japanese wagyu refers to any beef from Japanese cattle whereas kobe beef refers to one thing rarer—however that’s an entire separate situation.)
“There are a lot of completely different beef merchandise with ‘Angus’ labels available in the market right now, however the Angus identify itself will not be essentially a sign of highest high quality,” explains Michael Ollier, the senior company chef for Certified Angus Beef. “Figuring out beef as ‘Angus’ has develop into a well-liked technique to indicate high quality, but it surely’s additionally necessary to know grades of beef.”
As a substitute of basing your buy on a standard and attention-grabbing label just like the phrase “Angus,” Ollier recommends as a substitute that consumers search for the USDA grade because the indicator of high quality. “These are assessments of beef high quality which can be fully separate from Angus or different breed identifications and assist to ‘rank’ beef’s high quality. The grades you’re prone to see are Prime (the easiest), then Alternative, then Choose. Like different high quality necessities, Angus labels might align with particular USDA high quality grades, or not.”
You might also wish to take note of issues like how the meat was raised (grass-fed beef vs corn-fed, as an example, or whether or not any antibiotics have been used).
One other key tip is to familiarize your self with the manufacturers of Angus beef. Licensed Angus Beef, for instance, should meet 10 strict high quality requirements for “marbling, taste, tenderness, look, sizing, and extra.”
Per Ollier, “The signature brand is a simple manner for shoppers to know that it’s Angus beef that actually is a lower above.” As a result of it has to fulfill the ten high quality requirements to qualify for the model, Licensed Angus Beef at all times represents the highest finish of the USDA spectrum, between Alternative and Prime. Nonetheless, he factors out that whereas different merchandise labeled “Angus” might not have to fulfill every other {qualifications} past coming from that band of cattle, it might or is probably not higher than branded beef.
Now that you simply’ve beefed up on all the information, it’s about time to get cooking already. Listed here are 9 favourite beef recipes to take a look at.
Juicy Lucy Burger
Layering slices of cheese on a burger is nice and all, however any true cheeseburger aficionado is aware of that the head of the shape is the almighty Juicy Lucy. For the uninitiated, that’s the place you sandwich a stack of American cheese between two seasoned floor beef patties to create a thick patty with a gooey, melty, oozy scorching cheese core. Get our Juicy Lucy Burger recipe.
Grilled Rib-Eyes with Chile-Lime-Tequila Butter
Grilling up a pair steaks with cocktail in hand is among the nice pleasures of the summer season season. After all, the steak and booze equation additionally works while you’re utilizing your spirit of option to season the meat. Bourbon makes a high-quality base for a flank steak marinade, for instance, or in the event you didn’t get burned by it in faculty and nonetheless have love for tequila, there’s at all times this recipe for grilled rib-eyes smothered in a punchy tequila-lime compound butter. Get our Grilled Rib-Eyes with Chile-Lime-Tequila Butter recipe.
Korean Short Rib Kebabs
Impressed by the flavour profile of Korean kalbi, these skinny strips of boneless brief rib—seasoned with soy, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, and Sriracha—are an important different to a extra conventional beef and veggie shish kebab and the proper centerpiece to a yard Korean BBQ feast. Get our Korean Short Rib Kebabs recipe.
Steak and Eggs Benedict with Bearnaise Sauce
We’ve all been there: out at brunch and completely torn between two scrumptious sounding choices. Do you retain it basic with eggs benedict, or do you go the hearty, conventional steak and eggs route? Effectively, right here’s some excellent news. In case you choose to brunch at residence, this recipe lets you get each in a single dish. Get our Steak and Eggs Benedict with Bearnaise Sauce recipe.
Beef Empanadas
Floor beef is probably not probably the most thrilling lower on the butcher counter, however you’ve gotta love its versatility. It’s best-known for burgers, after all, but it surely’s equally important in such favorites as smoky chili, spaghetti and meatballs, and shepherd’s pie. Level is, whereas the lower could also be primary, the dishes it’s utilized in are removed from boring. Simply take these basic Argentinian beef empanadas for instance: Floor beef is blended with cumin, pimento-stuffed inexperienced olives, currants, bell pepper, and honey to create a tasty sweet-savory stuffing for the buttery, flaky pastry pockets. Get our Beef Empanadas recipe.
Smoky-Sweet BBQ Beef Short Ribs
In case you really feel like taking a break from the beloved pork child again ribs this grilling season, why not attempt swapping some beef brief ribs into the rotation. Coated in a sweet-spicy rub and slathered with smoky chipotle barbecue sauce, the important thing to those fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs is that they’re roasted within the oven first earlier than hitting the grill to caramelize the crust of the meat. Get our Smoky-Sweet BBQ Beef Short Ribs recipe.
Chipotle Beef Tacos with Caramelized Onions
Taco-bout a craveworthy dish: slices of grilled flank steak which were basted with chiles in adobo sauce and candy caramelized onions wrapped in a heat corn tortilla. Sufficient mentioned. Get our Chipotle Beef Tacos with Caramelized Onions recipe.
Classic Steak Tartare
For these trying to recreate that basic French bistro expertise at residence, there could also be no extra iconic dish than steak tartare. Since you’re working with raw meat right here, simply bear in mind the standard of the meat is of the utmost significance: Inform the butcher what you’re getting ready to allow them to advocate the most effective lower. We like to make use of USDA prime tenderloin on this case. (After all, if you wish to hold the French bistro theme however aren’t actually into the entire chopped uncooked beef factor, you can at all times go for a pleasant steak au poivre.) Lean how to make steak tartare.
Red Curry Sloppy Bahn Mi Sandwich
No disrespect to that beloved, basic Americana sandwich, the sloppy joe—I’m actually transported again to summer season camp simply desirous about it—however generally it’s enjoyable (and attractive) to interrupt with custom. Right here, the typical Joe takes a detour by means of Vietnam and will get a bahn mi makeover: Pink curry, lime, and coconut season the bottom beef, recent crunchy veggies like carrot and jicama function garnish, and the standard comfortable bun is swapped out in favor of crusty French bread. Get our Red Curry Sloppy Bahn Mi Sandwich recipe.
