Beef Recipes

Velvety carrot puree, tender pan-seared steaks, and braised cabbage come together in a beautifully composed dish topped with a fresh, punchy cilantro gremolata from 2019 Food & Wine Best New Chef Paxx Caraballo Moll of Jungle BaoBao in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A well-prepared mise en place is the key here: Cut and measure ahead of time to cook and plate with ease. "I love the flavor explosions and textures you get from this dish," says Moll. "Transforming a humble cut of meat, making it delicious, and seeing people's faces and all the great feedback make me proud of this dish. The sweetness of the carrots makes a great contrast with our gremolata, and every bite feels refreshing."

The filling for these bao may be unexpected, but Claudette Zepeda's recipe for Birria, a chile-rich savory shredded beef, is a delicious match for the chewy and slightly-sweet dough. If you are lucky enough to come across some cilantro blossoms at the farmer's market, pick some up. They make a wonderful garnish for the bao. Be sure to line the bottom of your steamer with parchment paper so the bao dough sticks to the paper, and not the steamer.

League of Kitchens cooking instructor Mirta Rinaldi shared this recipe for Tira de Asado, Argentinean-style grilled beef short ribs. The meaty short ribs are a favorite asado recipe, and to go with them, Rinaldi makes a Balsamic Chimichurri. You can make a meal out of the ribs or cut them into thirds for sharing. While three-bone ribs are traditional, four-bone short ribs work, too. Find three-bone ribs at wildforkfoods.com or four-bone ribs at Asian markets. Note that sal parrillera has larger crystals than kosher salt, so it dissolves more slowly into the meat and imparts a pleasantly salty, mineral taste.

2020 F&W Best New Chef Donny Sirisavath of Khao Noodle Shop in Dallas shared this recipe, a nod to his Laotian heritage and Texas upbringing, when his parents grilled brisket over hardwood coals for family gatherings. Here, thick and meaty tri-tip steaks get seared on the hot zone of the grill and then slowly smoke-grilled until medium-rare. Let them rest, and then thinly slice them against the grain and serve with Sirisavath's jeow som, a fiery, fish sauce–flavored dipping sauce. A quick soak in beer tenderizes thick tri-tip steaks, and a marinade of garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, and fish sauce builds big flavor. Sirisavath loves using oak or mesquite wood here, placed at the center of the grill, alongside the lit coals, where they smolder and add a rich aroma.

Wrapped in golden, buttery puff pastry and filled with deeply savory mushroom duxelles, beef Wellington is an unforgettable centerpiece to any feast. Dried porcini deliver extra umami to the beef, while a touch of Dijon and chopped herbs adds a layer of freshness as well. Skipping the foie gras makes the dish more approachable, and swapping out the traditional crepe lining for phyllo (thanks to a trick from Kenji Lopez-Alt) streamlines the process, but beef Wellington still demands several hours of searing, stuffing, rolling, and chilling to ensure its magical result.

This rich, long-simmered beef bone broth is terrific when used as stock in recipes, but is just as satisfying and delicious enough when enjoyed straight from a mug, gently warmed and topped with a bit of freshly ground pepper. You’ll want to make a trip to the butcher to find your soup bones, since they’ll need to be halved by the butcher with a bandsaw for maximum flavor in the broth.