A little beef history...
Beef is the culinary term for Bovines (cows). If you have never seen a cow before you need to get out more often. There are somewhere around 800 different breeds of Bovine worldwide. Around 55 B.C. it has been recorded that the Red Devon cattle were being raised and used in south-western England, thus are one of the oldest breeds of cattle on the planet. That is what you call well aged steak or a lot of milk. Cattle were first herded and domesticated about 6-7000 B.C. The remains of domestic cattle have been found in and about Turkey.
Now we know that beef is not native to North America. It first arrived in Mexico via the Spanish and the French in the mid 1500s. It was around the time of the American civil war when beef started to appear on the dinner plates around North America.
Argentina knows where the Beef is, they consume, per capital, more beef than any other country in the whole world. They consume 65.2 kilograms per person. Argentina is BAR-B-Q CENTRAL for the whole planet. Also among the worlds largest consumers of beef are USA, Brazil, Japan, and China.
Beef, what do we do with it? In most cases that I am aware of, WE EAT IT! If there is any other uses for it, I am not aware of them.
There are many different cuts of beef that are used in home cooking and there are a number of cuts that you would normally find in a restaurant. Most popular cuts being steaks, roasts, and ground beef, (hamburger). There are not very many pieces of beef that taste quite like a properly grilled NEW YORK STEAK.
1-Start with one steak per-person. (cut to the weight of your choice), and at least 1" thick.
2-In a zip lock style plastic bag combine the following ingredients: 2-3 table spoons minced garlic cloves, a couple of tablespoons each of Worcestershire sauce, hot mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.
3-Place the steaks into the zip lock bag and marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
4-Grill at a high heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side for rare, 10 minutes or more on each side for well done. Medium will be somewhere in-between 6 to 10 minutes.
Roast Beef
1-Start with your favourite roast whether it be a Prime Rib or a Sirloin Tip roast it is all the same to the oven.
2-Lay carrot sticks, celery sticks, and thick slices of onion on the bottom of your roasting pan. You can add a little olive oil to this pan if you want.
3-Place the roast, fat side up, onto the vegetables.
4-What you season your roast with is you choice, salt and pepper are all that is really needed, though some fresh garlic is a natural with just about all beef.
5-Place the whole pan into a preheated (400 F) oven for about 20-25 minutes, just to sear in the juices.
6-Turn the oven down to 350 F and let the roast cook for about 20 -30 minutes per pound. If you are using a meat thermometer the internal temperature should be no less than 140 F at the center of the roast.
7-Let the roast sit for about 10-15 minutes before you serve it. Letting the roast sit helps makes it easier to carve.
