In today’s busy households, consumers are looking for ways to put nutritious meals on the table – fast! The Idaho Beef Council answered the call by creating a new mini-series of cooking videos that take under a minute to watch and demonstrate how to make flavorful beef meals in 30 minutes or less.

Just launched this month, these quick-view cooking demonstrations showcase recipes available on Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. and will help home chefs get more comfortable cooking with beef. The recipes come with nutrition information and a convenient new feature that allows viewers to place an on-line order for the ingredients at their local supermarket. The segments are rolling out on YouTube and will be further promoted on IBC’s social media channels. Take a sneak peek at the first 2 here!

Mongolian Beef – Prepare this flavorful and satisfying Top Sirloin Steak Stir-fry in 20 minutes!
Ground Beef and Pasta Skillet Primavera – Nutrition box, checked…this is an American Heart Association Certified Heart-Healthy Recipe.

With YouTube a social media powerhouse, it is a prime channel to promote Idaho’s beef industry. During the month of July, IBC’s YouTube channel had 173,034 views. With that many eyes looking for beef information, beef checkoff dollars are delivering engaging and educational information to Idaho homes.

Visit and share IDBeef.org with your friends and family. We also encourage you to take advantage of the power of social media and follow, like and share IBC’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, All Recipes, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube!

Can you believe Memorial Day weekend came that fast? It doesn’t seem like we can be that far through the month of May, let alone 2015, but here we are! It probably doesn’t come as much surprise that Memorial Day kicked off the summer grilling season. I just love the thought of burgers and steaks flying off backyard grills all across America. But something I don’t love is the fact that a lot of people forgo grilling because they feel intimidated when buying beef. I completely understand that feeling, because even as a beef producer, I’ve been there. But, let me be the first to tell you, anyone can learn more about how to buy beef.

The town closest to where we live is lucky enough to have two of the best locally-owned grocery stores—and when it comes to meat, there’s no one I trust more than our hometown butchers. Last week I sat down with meat cutter/grocery store owner, Brock Lenz, and asked him to give his insight on all things buying beef. Here’s what he had to say:

If you’re planning on buying a steak, the first thing to do is pick out the cut you want. Muscles that don’t get used by the animal make the best steaks. Those include your Tenderloin, T-Bone, Ribeye, and New York steaks—to name a few. Any muscles that the animal uses to move, (known as motor muscles), are going to be your tougher cuts. However, there are a lot of delicious cuts hidden within those motor muscles, such as the Flat Iron, that are just as good as those that come from the top and back of the animal.

Once you’ve decided on a cut, the next thing to look for is what’s called “marbling.” Marbling refers to the white flecks of fat that is found inside a cut of red meat. The more marbling a cut has, the more flavor it’ll have and the more tender it’ll be.

A lot of people think that a steak has to be expensive to be good. You can’t really go wrong with cuts like the tenderloin, ribeye, etc., which tend to be higher priced; however, there are many other cuts that provide a great eating experience. And they are more economical. When it comes to value, I think Sirloin is your best bet. A Top Sirloin or the Sirloin Tip steak are middle of the road cuts when it comes to price, and the taste is hard to beat. (Note: Even though both cuts have sirloin in the name, they are different. Check out top sirloin vs. sirloin tip to get more info on how to prepare each.)

In my opinion, one of the most versatile cuts is the Tri-Tip. It’s great for grilling and can be used for groups, big and small. It can be tricky to cut if you’ve never done it before, but that shouldn’t keep you from putting one on the grill. Idaho ranchers work hard every day to produce beef that provides a consistent, tender and high-quality eating experience every time!

The worst mistake you can make with beef is overcooking it. Beef can be consumed at a lower internal temperature (145 degrees) than any other animal protein. And keep in mind that your steaks will continue to cook internally for up to ½ hour after they’re taken off the grill (when resting), so don’t cook them until they’re crisp; otherwise you’ll be losing a lot of taste.

Many thanks to Brock for all his tips on how to buy beef!

The Idaho Cattlewomen hope you have lots of beef on your barbeque this summer. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section if you want to know about buying or cooking beef. We are happy to answer!

~ Jessie

The other night I tried a new cut of beef for dinner. I had heard about it, but never seen or cooked one before. Even though I’ve been cooking with beef a long time, there are several new cuts that I don’t have a lot of experience with. And I love trying something new.

They tout it as the mock tender or filet, saying it’s just as juicy and tender. But like half the price. Well, this little cut of beef did not disappoint!

I knew it needed to be marinated so I put it in a Ziploc baggie with soy sauce, olive oil, rice wine vinegar and garlic. I let it hang out in the fridge overnight. I decided to try grilling it. Tip: let it sit out of fridge about 30 minutes to come to room temperature before throwing on a 400 degree grill. I grilled it to medium rare, 145 degrees, about 14-19 minutes. Then I let it rest before slicing thinly to serve.

I also made Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and Garlic. I took fresh broccoli and cut in it into pieces (you could also use frozen broccoli) then I put it on a sheet of heavy duty foil. I drizzled it with a little olive oil, and sprinkled it with shredded Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I wrapped up the edges and put it on the grill also. I cooked it until vegetables were tender, about 8 minutes.

Here are a couple other links about this cut of beef. It’s really easy to cook and makes a great presentation. I hope you try it out. If so please leave us some comments or if you have any questions about cooking with beef, feel free to ask. Beef is part of my family’s healthy diet and I hope you make it part of yours too!

Petite Tender Roast

Chef’s Secret

Nutrition information per 3-ounce cooked serving: 150 calories; 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat); 22 g protein; 0.5 mg vitamin B₆; 4.4 mcg vitamin B₁₂; 2.2 mg iron; 4.5 mg zinc.

 

~ M

With March Madness in full force and girls’ basketball finished, I reflected on Dana’s final year in high school basketball. Basketball has been Dana’s sport passion. Her senior year was a bit up and down, as the team dealt with many injuries. But, they finished in the state play-offs. The larger life lesson is not the win/loss record, but the friendships built through practices, team bonding, school bus rides, and team meals.

Each player’s mother provided a meal for the Varsity players before each home game. Of course, when my turn came up BEEF was the main ingredient. The girls had no idea the menu choice was based on science and the athlete’s need for protein in training and competition. BEEF is an excellent source of protein, iron, B vitamins and zinc. This is a great additional resource for more info on beef nutrition. http://www.beefnutrition.org/toolsresources.aspx

Plus, as this chart illustrates, beef is lower in calories compared to other protein sources.

I chose a casserole recipe I’ve used countless times for ranch crew meals. One of my favorite cookbooks was a thank you gift for purchasing a bull from a production sale.

 

 

 

Chinese Hamburger Recipe ~ Oregon Country Beef Family Ranch Cookbook

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
3 T. butter
1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 can bean sprouts

Sauté onions and celery in butter until tender, remove from pan and set aside. Brown hamburger and rice until cooked through and remove from pan. In 2-quart dish, mix cream soups, water, soy sauce and black pepper. Blend in meat, rice and vegetables. Fold in bean sprouts last. Cook in 350 degree oven covered for 30 minutes. Cook another 30 minutes uncovered. Serve noodles with individual servings.

You can be confident that when you fix BEEF, you a providing a nutritious, protein-packed fuel for your family!

~ Julie

Julie and her family own a cow-calf, yearling operation and custom feedlot in southwest Idaho. She and her husband were raised on livestock ranches and their industry roots run deep. Their children have been very active and involved in the ranch and feedlot, and are developing their own herds of quality cattle.