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Beef Cookery

The satisfaction of our beef cravings ultimately depends on how beef is cooked – it’s that important. A Prime grade steak can be rendered inedible by improper cooking while a lower grade cut can be greatly improved with proper cooking techniques.

Life-Giving Protein

Outside of water, beef is mainly protein. From the Greek word proteios (primary), protein is essential to all living cells. When proteins are ingested, our digestive enzymes break them down into amino acids that are easily absorbed into our bloodstream. The three general classifications of meat proteins are:

Myofibrillar Proteins: include actin and myosin, the most abundant muscle proteins that are important for muscle fiber structure and the relaxing and contracting of muscle.
Stromal Proteins: also called connective tissues; appear in muscle as collagen, elastin, and in much smaller amounts, reticulin.
1. Collagen: white, thin and transparent, yet tough; has a major impact on muscle tenderness after cooking as it does not break down easily. Collagen needs moist heat cooking methods to convert it to tender gelatin or should be removed if using dry heat cooking methods.
2. Elastin: referred to as “yellow” connective tissue; cannot be broken down with any amount of heat and should be removed prior to cooking.
Sarcoplasmic Proteins: also known as water soluble proteins; include hemoglobin and myoglobin, which contains pigments that give beef its red color; include a wide variety of enzymes that contribute to the aging process.