Mama Talks About Cooking Beef

If it's tender or tough just depends on how much it used the muscle. So, meat near the shoulder or leg, which is used a lot, is going to be tougher.

Cuts in the center (the rib, plate, and loin) are going to be more tender.

Each cut needs to be cooked differently to get the best flavor and most tenderness.

For grilling, broiling, and pan frying:

Rib Eye Steak
Strip Steak
T-Bone Steak
Flank steaks (cook them quickly and remember to cut them against the grain)

For Stir frying:

Flank Steak
Top Round Steak
Sirloin Steak
These cuts are best cooked quickly, and because the meat is cubed, they'll be more tender.

For roasting:

Top Sirloin
Tenderloin
Standing Rib Roasts
Top Rump Roast

For a pot roast, braising (slow cooking) or pressure cooking:

Chuck Roast
Rump Roast
Chuck is best because it has the most flavor and is also the most tender.

For ground beef, use chuck, again because it has the most flavor.

How you cut meat also will determine whether or not it's tender. Flank and shoulder steaks (London Broil) have a long grain. These steaks must be cut against the grain. If you do, they will be oh so tender. If you don't...well, that's where the shoe leather comes in.

One more very important thing to remember no matter what the cut of beef, you MUST let it rest at least 5-10 minutes before cutting it to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat, if you don't, all of your juice will run out when you cut into it and you'll have one dry piece of meat.

Try these great beef recipes: