Cooking Methods

A very good piece of meat can turn into a disappointing meal if it is cooked the wrong way. Different muscles do different jobs, and that affects the best cooking method.

Grilling and Broiling

Tender steaks such as rib eye, New York strip, porterhouse, filet mignon and top sirloin are well suited to high, direct heat.

Pan Cooking

Tender steaks can also be cooked in a heavy skillet or pan. Thickness still matters because a steak that is too thin can overcook quickly.

Oven Roasting

Naturally tender roasts are generally suited to dry heat in the oven. Examples include rib roast, strip roast and tenderloin roast.

Pot Roasting and Braising

Chuck roast, shoulder roast, brisket and other cuts with more connective tissue benefit from slower cooking with moisture.

Slow Cooking

A slow cooker can work very well with chuck, shoulder and similar cuts, but slow cooking does not automatically improve every cut.

Marinating

A marinade can add flavor and can help cuts such as skirt steak, flank steak, London-broil-style cuts, some round cuts and thin-sliced chuck.

Slicing matters too

Cuts with a strong grain should be sliced thinly across the grain after cooking. Sometimes the direction of the knife makes a major difference in tenderness.