Beef: The Soul of Cooking

In fact, beef is food for the brain. Sixty percent (60%) of the human brain’s solid matter is fat; of that, 30 percent (30%) is protein. The human brain, while accounting for less than two percent (2%) of our body weight, consumes a whopping twenty percent (20%) of the total body energy or caloric intake! The medical consensus is that this enormous proportion of energy consumption occurs when the body is at rest, with energy consumption being as high as thirty to thirty-five percent (30%-35%) when the body is active! The human brain also consumes twenty percent (20%) of our oxygen supply.

Beef Quality Grades

Beef quality is graded in the United States and other foreign countries by industry accepted standards as to the age of the animal, amount of marbling (intramuscular fat) that determines the ultimate taste and tenderness of the beef. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the organization responsible for grading (and inspecting) beef slaughtered in the United States. While beef inspection is mandatory, grading is voluntary; however, grading is a legally defined system and uniform process of evaluating beef carcasses; it also determines the wholesale and retail price of beef as well as helping the consumer make educated choices when food shopping. The USDA has eight beef quality grades: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Most beef for meat production comes from steers, (castrated bulls approximately 18 months of age). To stay away from a beef dissertation, Prime is the best (and most expensive) grade of beef with intramuscular fat (IMF) greater than 8%. Only about 2% to 3% of all beef sold is graded USDA PRIME. What is sold in most markets is beef graded USDA CHOICE with intramuscular fat (IMF) between 5% and 8%. The more marbling the tenderer, juicier and better tasting in flavor and texture and that extra fat will also help you in cooking. In an effort to confuse, rather than educate the public, some markets sell their beef with store brands, trade names or labeling such as “Blue Ribbon, Premium Beef, Certified Angus Beef”, etc. I find this practice deceiving. Trust your eyes and then your butcher... and I mean that in a positive way as there is very good imported beef that might be graded differently. Whatever the case might be, stay away from USDA SELECT grade and below; these grades are usually sold institutionally in large quantities to hospitals, prisons, schools, etc. and to processors to make hamburgers, hot dogs, other processed beef products, canning and so on. In another article we will write about the different cuts of beef but let’s now go to the grill and remember: Freshness, quality and purity are foremost in food enjoyment as they have a direct bearing on the palatability characteristics of the finish product in flavor, juiciness and tenderness.

Perfect Barbecued Sirloin Steaks, with scallions and corn on the cob (Serves 4)

• Four 14 to 16 ounces Sirloin steaks, minimum one inch thick, with abundant marbling. Make sure all steaks are uniform in thickness for uniform cooking times. Bring the steaks to room temperature one hour before grilling.

• Four ears of fresh corn.

• Four bunches of scallions. (Trim roots and rinse).

• Rub both sides of the steak with olive oil, then add coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to both sides and rub again. (Note coarse salt melts slowly and will not prevent the steak from browning; you can add fine salt to taste after grilling).

• Pre-heat grill to high, add the steaks and lower temperature to medium, medium high to prevent charring from flare-ups

• On the upper grill place the corn (no seasoning and no wrapping in foil). Turn the corn to obtain an even golden yellow, remove from the grill and season to taste; I prefer mine with nothing on it.

• Also place the scallions on the upper grill with no seasoning and turn once until they wilt a little and begin to caramelize.

• Grill the steak on one side until it turns grey and begins to develop grill marks repeat on the other side and occasionally cover BBQ to increase temperature and retain moisture. Repeat the process to the desired meat doneness. (See below).

• Place the scallions on a plate and the steak directly on top of the scallions. Finish with fine salt to your taste if desired. Enjoy!

Determining meat doneness: Meat doneness is classified as: Black and Blue (Bleeding), Very Rare, Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, Well Done and Very Well Done (Shoe Leather), depending on the internal temperature of the meat. Remember to err on the side of undercooking as you cal always reheat the steak.

I do not recommend measuring the temperature on steaks since the cuts are relatively thin and readings could be misleading. Instead I use the finger method by slightly depressing the meat with your finger and sense the pressure or resistance from the meat. As a point of reference, if you bring your thumb and forefinger together and press the fleshy part at the base of both fingers with your other forefinger, which is an accurate comparison as to how a rare steak feels. You can also cut a bite size piece from the tip of the steak noting that the center will be slightly less cooked.

Notes: Substitute rib eye steaks to your preference.

Adjust quantities to number of servings if more or less.

Origins of the Word Barbecue

The etymology or origins of the word Barbecue (BBQ, Bar-B-Q, etc.) are unclear and as diverse as there are continents, each with a different history or story as the case might be. Closer to us, the claim is that the word barbecue comes from the Taino Indians of the Caribbean who had the word ”barabicu” meaning sacred fire, referring to an elevated wooden platform they used to cook and smoke fish and meats. The word evolved to the Spanish “barbacoa” and then to the English barbecue or barbeque. Another story cites 19th century bars and beer joints with pool tables that advertised as “Bar, Beer and Cues”, referring to the billiard cues, hence Bar-Be-Cue. Others trace the word to Haiti and for the French, it is of course, a French word originating from ancient times when animals (particularly goats) where impaled with the rotisserie spit through the animal from the goat’s beard (“barbe”) to the tail (”queue”) thus we have “barbe-a-queue” or barbecue.

Photo: UnSplash