Budget Beef from Simmer to Sizzle
This summer, the home economists at Beef Information Centre challenge you to leave your comfort zone behind and try grilling some less familiar beef cuts. To get you started, they've just released a new free recipe booklet, Great Grilling, which features economical cuts.
"Value-priced marinating and simmering steaks, pot roasts and stewing beef all have barbecue potential," says Joyce Parslow, Consumer Promotions Manager at the Beef Information Centre. "All it takes is a little forethought, a flavourful marinade and slower cooking for delicious results."
Who'd-a-thought delicious Korean Kabobs could start out as beef stewing cubes tenderizing in an hour or less! To create the mouth-watering recipe featured in the booklet, the Centre borrowed a trick from Asian cooking - using cornstarch in the marinade.
"When it was first suggested that we try cornstarch for increased tenderizing, we were skeptical," says Parslow. "But after considerable testing, we discovered that cornstarch in the marinade improved mouth feel and was particularly effective in reducing marinating times of smaller pieces of beef such as kabob cubes and stir-fry strips."
In the barbecue season, demand for grilling steaks reaches its annual peak. On the flip side, pot roasts, marinating and simmering steaks are often featured at extremely good prices. To help you take advantage of these buys, and to increase your barbecue repertoire, the Centre also tested pot roasting on the barbecue. "Barbecue pot roasting is a great way to take the heat out of the kitchen and simplify clean-up," explains Parslow. "While relaxing outdoors, you can cook a fork-tender pot roast on the grill wrapped in a double layer of foil."
According to Parslow, this technique also works well with simmering steaks. Just remember the motto for cooking less-tender cuts: "Low and slow is the way to go." The best way to barbecue a roast is to use indirect heat. Preheat barbecue by turning all burners to medium-high initially and closing the lid. Once the temperature has reached 350ºF, turn off one burner and placed the roast on the grill above the turned-off burner. With the lid closed, your barbeque works like an oven while your kitchen stays cool.
FOOD SAFETY WHEN GRILLING
Remember food safety when cooking outside this summer.
- ALWAYS marinate in the fridge, NEVER at room temperature.
- Discard marinade that has been in contact with uncooked meat. If you plan to use it as a basting or dipping sauce either reserve a portion before adding to meat, or bring the marinade that has been in contact with the uncooked meat, to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.
- Check doneness with a thermometer. For optimum tenderness, grill oven roasts, and marinating steaks only to medium (160ºF/71ºC). A barbecue braised pot roast can be cooked to fork tender as the foil seals in all the juices.
