Food Preparation - Cooking

Marinating
A great tip for less expensive cuts is to tenderize them with your favorite marinade. Just place steaks in a resealable plastic bag for 6-24 hours in your favorite marinade.  Try salsa, Italian dressing, teriyaki, soy & garlic, lemon or lime juice or bottled marinades. Then grill or broil as usual.

Grilling
Heat the grill till the coals are medium hot and keep lid open while grilling.

Beef Cut	Thickness/Weight	Total Cooking Time
Top Round	3/4-inch 1-inch 1 1/2-inches	8 to 9 minutes 16 to 18 minutes 25 to 28 minutes (covered)
Chuck Shoulder	3/4-inch 1-inch	14 to 17 minutes 16 to 20 minutes
Chuck Blade	3/4 to 1-inch	15 to 18 minutes
Flank	1 1/2 to 2-pounds	17 to 21 minutes

Broiling
Broil on rack of broiler pan so that surface of beef is 3 to 4- inches from heat for 1-inch steaks; 2 to 3-inches for 3/4-inch steaks, 1-inch for top round and flank. Broil per chart for medium-rare to medium, turning occasionally.

Beef Cut	Thickness/Weight	Total Cooking Time
Top Round	3/4-inch 1-inch 1 1/2-inches	12 to 13 minutes 17 to 18 minutes 27 to 29 minutes
Chuck Shoulder	3/4-inch 1-inch	10 to 13 minutes 16 to 21 minutes
Flank	1 1/2 to 2-pounds	13 to 18 minutes

Roasts

Beef Pot Roasts make comforting home-cooked roast beef meals with fork-tender well done beef. Pot Roasts are less tender but very flavorful. They are best cooked by 'moist heat' referred to as simmering or braising. You need a large heavy pot with a lid and a substantial amount of liquid in the pot.

Pot Roasts include: Blade, Cross Rib, Top Blade, Bottom Blade, Brisket and Shoulder.

Oven Roasts provide a more restaurant-style roast beef experience - deliciously brown on the outside with a doneness that can be enjoyed from medium-rare to well done - however you like it! They are best cooked by 'dry heat', starting off with a brief oven-sear, followed by low-temperature roasting. You need a shallow roasting pan with a rack. No cover or liquid required.

Oven Roasts come in 2 categories: economical Oven Roasts which are less tender cuts, or always tender Premium Oven Roasts (* = Tenderness rating):

***** Rib, Tenderloin, Rib Eye, Strip Loin, Prime Rib, Top Sirloin (Premium Oven Roasts)
*** Sirloin Tip, Tri-tip, Rump (Oven Roasts)
** Outside Round, Inside Round, Eye of Round (Oven Roasts)