The Best Lean Beef: A Fresh, Spring Menu Staple

Winn Meat Company’s stellar offering of Sterling Silver® Premium Beef means that we can provide the best to meet your customers’ requests for leaner, lighter fare in the spring and summer months.

According to Corporate Chef Jamie Samford, here are some specific techniques to make the most of lean cuts:

Lean cuts of beef lack the internal marbling needed, without some modifications, for quick or dry cooking methods. But that’s a good thing for  your customers looking to lower calories and saturated fat while maintaining flavor and nutrition. In general, lean beef cuts, as with all lean meats, should use long and moist cooking methods like braising.

But hey! It’s spring. Summer’s just around the corner, and customers want that smoky, slightly charred, flame-kissed flavor that can only be delivered by the grill! Fear not, I have some tricks up my sleeve.

Here are some lean cuts and the best way to cook them.

Flank Steak. Great cut of meat and very versatile. The key here is to marinate it. This will add the moisture you need to git ‘er grilled!

Buy the least expensive Italian dressing you can find, low fat will be even better. Use about ½ cup per pound of meat. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours or under refrigeration for up to four. Grill it up medium rare, but never past medium because over cooking will make it tough. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes and slice it thin across the grain. Use as London broil for a main course, top a Thai salad, create a spicy stir fry or make fajitas. Flavor your marinade to match your cuisine.

Petite Shoulder Tender or Terras Major. This is a cool cut that you can treat very much like a tenderloin. It’s smaller and not quite as tender but close. How about carne asada? Cut the beef into 3 ounce medallions and pound them to about ½ inch thick. Rub with some olive oil, good chili powder, a little extra cumin and a pinch of salt. Grill over a hot flame medium rare. Add grilled heirloom  tomato slices and a slice or 2 of avocado, yum! Top Sirloin Steak or Top Butt could be substituted here.  

Greece and the Mediterranean are hot cuisines and relatively healthy. They like to braise so let’s do a light braise for spring or summer. Chuck Shoulder Pot Roast is the cut you want. Flour and sear the roast. Add aromatics, some dates and some kalamata olives. Deglaze with some flavored sparkling water, add a little stock and some oregano. Cook it down and top with crumbled feta on the plate!

I hope this sparks your imagination so you can create your own lean and mean beef dishes for your customers.

Here are some interesting facts about consumer demand for leaner beef.

	Popular Lean Beef Cuts Chosen at Restaurants1 Strip Steak (Kansas City/New York) Filet Mignon/Tenderloin Steak Top Sirloin/Sirloin Steak T-Bone Steak
	Popular Lean Beef Cuts Chosen at Retail (grocery meat case)2 Top Sirloin/Sirloin Steak Strip (Top Loin) Steak Top Round Steak T-Bone Steak

Lean: less than 0g total fat, 4.5 or less of total saturated fat, and less than 95mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100 grams. ^{3, 4}

Sources: 

1. Restaurants and Institutions’ 2003 Menu Census.
2. FreshLook Marketing, Year Ending Dec. 2004
3. Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21, Volume 2.April 1, 2002. 21CFR101.9 and 21CFR101.54.
4. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2005. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18. http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl.