Hi Skinnies….. It is Kristi Kalleske here. Let’s talk Cooking with Beef & Beef Thermomix Recipes!
The cuts of beef we choose or buy on a whim (it was on special) can determine the success or fail of any recipe, especially when cooking in the Thermomix.
My knowledge of beef comes from my Dad who was a butcher, my mum & marrying into a family who raised beef.
Mum taught me how & what to cook with all the varying cuts.
As a child I would love nothing more than to hang around as Dad butchered all varieties of animals, often on-farm. I literally watched all the ins & outs of breaking down an animal.
I’ve spent a lot of my life packing beef but never without appreciating the animal & the extreme care taken to raise them. In my own family when the kids would ask what’s for dinner? & I’d reply “roast beef, corned beef… something beef!” they’d always complain…
Well that was before I bought a Thermomix & found Skinnymixers.
Now I’ll unroll that piece of brisket that used to be corned & boiled for hours… chop into large pieces & use the Smokey BBQ Beef Ribs recipe for soft gelatinous meat, dripping in Smokey BBQ sauce….. just thinking about this makes my mouth water!
Knowing the right cuts of beef or what you may be able to substitute can save you time, money, wasted recipes that haven’t turned out as you’ve used the wrong cut, or cooked too long or not long enough. The following information is just my personal preference of how I use beef & the cuts most used in Thermomix cooking.
Some cuts have multiple names & different in other countries. I’ll stick to Australian terms here & what I’m familiar with.
Kristi’s Top Beef Tips –
- Partially frozen beef & sharp knives makes for much easier slicing, especially when preparing for the beef stroganoff when you want paper thin slices. Defrost completely before cooking.
- Yellow fat on the outside of beef means it was grass fed, white fat is grain fed.
- ‘Stripping beef ‘ means to remove any fat/sinew & slice thinly against the grain in preparation for stir fry etc.
- My perfect cooked steak – room temp meat, griddle pan on medium to high heat, cook 3 minutes, turn, cook another 3 minutes, remove to a warm plate & rest for half the cook time. This is for any frying steak about 3/4 of an inch in thickness.
- Not overloading the pan/wok – It is really important to not overload your wok with beef when first frying off. If you add too much beef it will just stew in the juices – becoming tough & dry. Cooking a handful at a time is plenty. All the cuts I’ve listed to be used for steak can be pan-fried, BBQ, popped in the Weber or cooked over Charcoal. Just not for long cooking periods unless suggested otherwise.
What cut for what cook?
Whole Beef Eye Fillet/Tenderloin
- This has a line of sinew that runs on the outside of the meat, slip your knife just under & slice off, this is inedible & not nice to chew through (see picture).
- Sear & roast whole or slice into minimum inch thick steaks & pan-fry or BBQ etc.
- Steam a whole fillet in the varoma, pan-fry for colour to serve.
- Serve with freshly made Chimichurri, Béarnaise or Creamy Garlic Sauce.
- skinnymixer’s Vietnamese Pho
- skinnymixer’s Steak Tartare
- ALToF: Pork Fillet Dinner with Béarnaise sauce
- The Middle Eastern Marinade from The Healthy Mix Cookbook marries perfect with this delicate cut of beef.
Scotch fillet – Whole roast, Steak
Porterhouse/Sirloin, Whole Roast, Steak –
Another beautiful steak being just a little leaner through the meat. Pop on the ultimate steak topper of Creamy Garlic Prawns or Mushroom Gravy!
Rump – Whole roast, Steak
- Remove fat & cut into 2 cm pieces to make your own kebabs, marinade, strip the steak for stir-fry, stroganoff.
- You can also use for a long cook in the thermomix, although I wouldn’t recommend using this cut in the slow cooker as it breaks down too quick.
- I’m going to drop in a #skinnynag for a pepper sauce or rub for rump please, Nikalene?
Beef Thermomix recipes perfect for Rump:
- THMII: Speedy Beef Stir Fry
- ALToI: Beef Madras
- THMII: Beef Stroganoff
- THM: Simple Stew
- ALToI: Beef Vindaloo
- skinnymixer’s All Purpose BBQ Marinade
Topside – Whole roast, Stir-fry, Stroganoff
- skinnymixer’s Beef & Zucchini Broth Soup
- skinnymixer’s Herbed Roast Beef with Peppercorn Jus
- ALToIT: Tre Carne Ragù (three meat ragù)
Gravy Beef/ Shin Beef/ Bone in & this is now know as Osso Bucco
Lots of connective tissue runs through this cut so long cooking is needed to break it down. When cooked low & slow this is my most favourite cut of all. It is not suitable for fast cooks or pan-frying.
The current very popular Beef Bourguignon is perfect with this cut.
- skinnymixer’s Beef Bourguignon
- skinnymixer’s Massaman Beef Curry
- ALToM: Chilli Con Carne
- skinnymixer’s Hungarian Goulash
- ALToA: Beef Rendang
- skinnymixer’s Beef & Guinness Pie Filling
- skinnymixer’s Slow Cooked Mexican Beef
Chuck Beef
Identical cooking to gravy beef is needed, not quite as gelatinous in the finished product but still a really lovely tender meat. If you come to the end of your cook in the Thermomix and it isn’t tender, try cooking for another 5-10 mins and next time cube the meat a little smaller.
Oyster Blade Steak/ Texas T-bone
Making your own mince
- skinnymixer’s Stock Concentrate
- skinnymixer’s Aussie Meat Pie Filling
- skinnymixer’s American Style Beef Burger Patties
- Guest Recipe: Kerry’s Low Carb Mexican Meatballs
- skinnymixer’s All-in-one Beef Dinner
- skinnymixer’s Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Smokey BBQ Sauce
- skinnymixer’s Lunchbox Meatballs
- skinnymixer’s Meatza!
- skinnymixer’s Paleo Rissoles
- skinnymixer’s Rustic Shepherd’s Pie
- THM: Italian Meatballs
- THM: Mexican Frittata with Salsa
- THMII: Breakfast Sausage Patties
Substituting Beef
Pin this handy Beef Thermomix Tips Guide for Later…
