Want to know what cut of beef for stir fry? You’re not alone. There are a lot of different methods and opinions out there, but I’ve created this article to be your guide to which cut of beef is the best steak for stir fry.
If you enjoy making your own stir fry at home with fresh vegetables, then you’ll love this guide to buying the best cut of beef for stir fry. This article will help you find the best stir fry beef cuts that are tender and flavorful, but won’t break the bank.
What Cut Of Beef Is Stir Fry?
In the meat case, packages of pre-cut beef strips, beef for stir-fry, are frequently available. Most tender beef cuts can be cut into strips for stir-fry dishes, including sirloin, tri-tip, ribeye, top loin (strip), tenderloin, shoulder center (Ranch Steak), shoulder top blade (Flat Iron), and shoulder petite tender.
In Chinese Stir-Fries, What Part Of The Beef Is Used?
Chinese restaurants employ flank steak as the most popular piece of beef in all of their stir-fry meals. It’s also the most commonly recommended cut of beef in our stir-fry recipes.
Flavorful flank steak is inexpensive and easily available. To prepare a wonderful stir-fry with its powerful meaty flavor, all you have to do is make sure you slice and marinade it properly. It won’t break the bank though, at $6.99 to $8.99 a pound.
For beef stir fry, boneless beef chuck steak is a more cost-effective option. Because of the extra fat that comes with this cut of meat, we like to use it for stewing and braising, but it may also be used in stir-fries.
Chuck steak is also less expensive than flank steak, costing $4.99 to $5.99 per pound. You may buy a huge piece, slice it, and freeze it in pieces for several stir-fries!
Preparing the beef chuck steak for stir fried necessitates a bit more trimming and care. To create neat beef chunks for slicing, cut along the fat lines and remove the thick membrane. Always be cautious when working with sharp blades and use a decent chef’s knife.
What Is Meat Stir-Frying?
Stir frying is a Chinese cooking technique that involves combining multiple ingredients in a pan over high heat with very little oil. Stir frying has expanded to different cuisines around the world as a result of its success in China. There are various items you may add into a stir fry, all of which taste equally excellent, thanks to its versatility as a cooking method.
- In a stir fry, you can use any meat you like. Take, for example, my 15-Minute Pork Stir-Fry dish. This recipe uses pork tenderloin loom instead of beef and is ideal for people looking for a quick yet filling meal.
- Stir-fried vegetables are also flexible. I’m only using bell peppers in this beef stir fry. However, if you prefer baby corn and snap peas, you can try my Beef and Baby Corn Stir Fry dish. I used a sirloin cut instead of tenderloin in that dish, but both are soft and would work thinly sliced.
- Another famous stir fry meal seen in Chinese restaurants around the world is Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry. The delicate beef and umami flavor of soy and oyster sauce always mix well with the sweet, crisp broccoli. I used the flank steak portion of the beef in my recipe, as well as cooking wine in the initial marinate.
- And what if you don’t eat meat? My Chopsuey Stir Fry could suit you better. This recipe is delicious and healthful, using veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, and carrots. This includes tiny shrimp bits, but you may also use tofu instead.
Stir-fried meat and vegetables go well with a hot meal of rice or noodles. In any case, its nuanced flavor will make it a household favorite. Make it a hit in your house by following this recipe!
Is Rump Suitable For Stir-Frying?
Rump steak is a terrific choice because it’s tender enough to cook quickly without requiring any marinating or tenderizing. A skirt steak or hanger steak is the usual meat cut for a stir fried. In most supermarkets in the UK, these cuts are not widely accessible. As a result, rump is a near match for skirt or hanger.
Aldi rump steak is typically matured for 30 days, giving it more flavor than a steak that has not been aged at all.
How Should You Cut The Beef To Make Sure It’s Tender?
I’m sure you’ve heard about how to chop meat (particularly beef) to make it more soft and prevent it from toughening during cooking. Cutting “across the grain” is the key. If you look at the shot on the left, you can see that the beef’s muscle fiber runs up and down the length of the steak, despite the fact that I’ve cut the meat from side to side. That is what cutting across the grain means.
What Is The Key To A Delicious Stir-Fry?
5 Suggestions for a Perfect Stir-Fry
- It’s important that your wok is smoking hot.
- Cooking ice-cold meat is not recommended.
- Cooking the meat in batches is a good idea.
- Next, prepare the vegetables.
- Finish with the cooked meat.
How Do You Tenderize Beef Strips In A Stir-Fry?
There are a few options, but this is the most straightforward:
On 250g / 8oz sliced cheap beef pieces, sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda).
Continue with the stir-fry recipe. It can be cooked simple or marinated with wet or dry ingredients. The beef will be extremely delicate and supple, almost velvety. Just like in your favorite Chinese restaurant’s stir fry!
What Are The Ingredients In Stir-Fry?
Protein, vegetables, aromatics, and sauce are the four essential components of a successful stir-fry. One pound of protein, two pounds of vegetables, and a basic stir-fry sauce are used in a standard stir-fry (recipe below). You can vary the flavor character of your cuisine by adding aromatics or herbs.
What Cuts Of Beef Are The Most Tender For Stir-Frying?
Most tender beef cuts can be cut into strips for stir-fry dishes, including sirloin, tri-tip, ribeye, top loin (strip), tenderloin, shoulder center (Ranch Steak), shoulder top blade (Flat Iron), and shoulder petite tender.
Is A Sirloin Steak Suitable For Stir-Frying?
Because it is very economical and gives juicy results, top sirloin is our preferred beef for stir fried. The following are the best beef cuts for stir-frying: Sirloin Steak (Top Sirloin) (or go-to)
What Can I Eat Instead Of Flank Steak?
Hanger steak is a cost-effective alternative to flank steak and skirt steak. Hanger steak is also sliced from the area near the loin on the underside of a cow. In the same way that flank and skirt steaks benefit from marinating, hanger steak does as well on the grill.
What Kind Of Steak Is Best For Frying?
Rib-eye steak, t-bone steak, sirloin, fillet steaks, rump steak, and hanger steak are the best steak cuts for pan-frying. These cuts of meat are frequently used for pan-frying in restaurants. Grilling these cuts of meat is also delicious, but it takes more time.
What Is The Best Cut Of Beef For Stir Fry?
When it comes to picking a piece of meat for a stir fry, flank steak is unquestionably the most popular option. This long and thin cut is made from the cow’s abdominal muscles, and it has a strong beef flavor because to the high proportion of fat in it. It is excellent when thinly sliced and marinated for a long period of time. A fantastic all-arounder.
– The New York Strip is priced between $20 and $30 per pound. Possibly one of the most ordinary, yet delectable, cuts of beef to be found on the supermarket shelves. … – Filet Mignon – $ 30 per pound (per person). … – American Wagyu Beef is priced between $150 and $300 per pound. … – Japanese Wagyu Beef (300 dollars per pound) … – Japanese Kobe Beef is sold at a price of $300 a pound.
How to cut beef for stir-fry?
How to Prepare Beef for a Stir-Fry Recipe. If you’re using flank steak, remove any white muscle membranes from the meat before cutting it into 2 to 2 1/2 inch strips lengthwise down the grain.
Is ribeye steak good for stir fry?
Despite the fact that ribeye is tasty and full of taste, it is costly. It should only be used on exceptional occasions if you’re using it in a stir fry. This tender and flavorful cut of meat is derived from the hip of the cow and is a lean and flavorful cut of meat.
How to prepare beef chuck steak for stir fry?
In order to prepare the beef chuck steak for stir-frying, a little extra cutting and attention is necessary. Cut the meat along the fat lines and remove the thick membrane to obtain nice bits of steak for slicing and serving. Make use of an excellent chef’s knife, and remember to use caution when dealing with sharp blades!
How do Chinese restaurants get their meat so tender?
The method of ″velveting″ meat is a Chinese cooking technique that is commonly utilized in Chinese restaurants. It is possible to get a smooth, slippery, velvety texture by marinating raw meat in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white, or bicarbonate of soda for a few hours.
How do you make beef soft and tender?
How to make beef softer in eight easy steps
- Use the meat tenderizer to make the meat more tender. Meat tenderizers are a simple and convenient technique of preparing meat.
- Cover the meat with coarse salt
- marinate in an acidic solution.
- Fruit purée is used to marinate the meat.
- Cooking over a low heat in a pan
- grilling
- Halfway through the cooking process, add the coarse salt.
- Make use of baking soda.
Is sirloin good for stir fry?
Sirloin steak is one of the simplest meats to prepare for stir-frying since it has less fat and is generally devoid of a bone. However, this does not imply a lack of preparedness. Before you begin stir-frying sirloin steak, there are a few things you should do to ensure that the steak is tender and tasty, rather than rough or mushy.
How do you keep Stir fry beef from being chewy?
Make Thin Slices of Tomatoes Make very tiny slices, no more than 1/4 inch thick or thinner. Because they will cook in a short amount of time, thin strips of beef are the finest choice. The more tender the meat tastes and the less chewy it is, the thinner the cut of beef is.
What are 3 ways to tenderize meat?
If you want to chemically tenderize meat, according to our dependable ″Food Lover’s Companion,″ there are three options: long, slow cooking; the use of a commercial meat tenderizer (Ac’cent is perhaps the most well-known brand); or marinating in an acid-based marinade that contains enzymes, which break down connective tissue.
Does egg white tenderize meat?
″ entails marinating the meat in egg whites, cornstarch, water or rice wine, and salt for many hours… the meat is tenderized by altering the pH of the meat due to the alkaline egg whites, which form a gossamer-thin layer on top of it during this time period
How long should you cook beef strips?
As the name implies, these strips of beef are ideal for stir-frying in a wok or big frying pan, depending on your preference. In a heated pan, they will take 2-4 minutes to cook through.
What are tender meat cuts Examples?
Ten most tender and tough cuts of beef, measured in pounds of shear force, according to the National Beef Tenderness Survey.
| ‘Tender’ cuts | Shear force (pounds) | ‘Tough’ cuts |
|---|---|---|
| Rib roast | 7.3 | Rump roast |
| Rib steak | 7.4 | Eye of round roast |
| Ribeye steak | 7.5 | Chuck roll steak |
| Chuck roll roast | 7.6 | Chuck tender steak |
What is the best way to marinate meat?
Directions
- In a blender, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and pepper until well combined and smooth. If desired, add spicy pepper sauce and garlic to taste. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are fully combined.
- Pour the marinade over the meat of your choice. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours after covering with plastic wrap.
What is the best steak for frying?
Rib-eye steak, t-bone steak, sirloin, fillet steaks, rump steak, and hanger steak are the best steak cuts to pan-fry when it comes to steak. In restaurants, these cuts of beef are frequently used for pan-frying purposes. Grilling these pieces of beef is also a delicious option, albeit it takes more time.
Is topside beef good for stir fry?
Fillet or Tenderloin are are excellent choices. Blade or Topside work well, but can be a little difficult at times.
What noodles are best for stir fry?
- For Stir Fry Soba Noodles, you can use whatever type of noodle you choose. Noodles made with buckwheat flour, which imparts a little earthy taste to the dish
- Udon Noodles are a type of Japanese noodle. thick, chewy wheat noodles with a neutral flavor that are ideal for stir-fries and soups
- The following are examples of noodles: egg noodles
- spaghetti, Linguine, or Fettuccine
- rice noodles
What are the best beef cuts?
- Ribeye Steak (Scotch Fillet)
- Tenderloin Steak (Eye Fillet)
- Porterhouse Steak
- T-Bone Steak
- Hanger Steak
- Top Sirloin Steak
- Strip Steak
- Flat Iron Steak
- Bottom Sirloin Steak
- Flank Steak
- Porterhouse Steak
- T-Bone Steak
- Porterhouse Steak
- T-Bone Steak
- Porterhouse Steak
- T-Bone Steak
- Porterhouse Steak
What cut of beef is best for BBQ?
- Cuts such as chuck roast and blade pot roast are affordable because they originate from the neck and shoulder blade areas of the animal.
- Braised beef brisket: The brisket is another cheap, tough piece that comes out juicy and easy to shred when cooked.
- Round: The round is derived from the back leg of a cow.
How to make the best classic stir fry?
Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking, because stir-fries come together in no time.- Make sure that all of your ingredients are cut into pieces that are comparable in size to ensure uniform cooking.In order to prevent overcrowding the pan, cook food in small batches as needed.Make sure you have your rice or noodles ready before you begin to cook your stir-fry.- First, stir, and then cook.Then give it a good stir.
BLACK PEPPER BEEF STIR-FRY (黑椒牛柳)
Tender and succulent beef strips with a black pepper flavoured sauce, Chinese black pepper beef stir-fry can be made at home to a restaurant standard.
Once I was asked what is the difference between Chinese cuisine and Western cooking. I said:“Chinese cooks slice the food before serving whereas Western diners slice the food after being served.” I know it’s not true in all cases, but in general I think it’s correct.
Take beef steak for example. Instead of cooking a large piece, Chinese prefer slicing the meat to make a quick stir-fry. Today I’d like to introduce a classic dish using steak as the main ingredient: Black pepper beef stir-fry (黑椒牛柳).
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What makes a plate of black pepper beef stir-fry stand out, in my opinion, is the succulence, tenderness of the beef strips and the generous use of freshly ground black pepper. To achieve the first goal, I have a few tips for you.
- Choose a cut of beef ideal for quick stir-fry. Flank steak and skirt steak are the best candidates.
- Slice the beef against the grain. Otherwise you will get a chewy, tough texture.
- Marinate the beef with classic Chinese marinade mixture which contains cornstarch, rice wine, soy sauce, etc.
- Keep the wok hot and move fast when stir frying. Follow the cooking sequence: First, quickly sear the beef then remove it from the wok. Fry the vegetables for a while then return the beef back to the wok. Overcooking will reduce the tenderness.
Cheaper cuts of beef (braising beef for example) are not ideal but acceptable for this dish. Just make sure to tenderize it with baking soda first (Chinese restaurant chefs usually do this). Afterwards, I always rinse the beef before marinating to reduce the unpleasant taste of baking soda.
Once you have the tender, succulent beef cooked, the last step is to stir in the sauce containing oyster sauce, soy sauce, and of course, lots of black pepper.
Compare to chilli, black pepper offers a more discreet sensation of hotness. It doesn’t burn you but its aroma will linger in your mouth for quite a while. For this beef stir-fry, be generous with black pepper and use freshly ground ones. This is what makes your dish exciting.
Onion and bell pepper are classic ingredients for black pepper beef stir-fry. However, you are free to use other vegetables too. Vegetables with a bit of crunchiness, such as broccoli, asparagus, celery and sugar snap peas, work very well.
BLACK PEPPER BEEF STIR-FRY (黑椒牛柳
Tender and succulent beef strips with a black pepper flavoured sauce, Chinese black pepper beef stir-fry can be made at home to a restaurant standard.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Beef
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
For the marinade
- ▢350 g flank or skirt steak, 12oz (see note 1 & 2)
- ▢1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ▢1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ▢1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- ▢1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ▢1 teaspoon ginger, julienned
For the sauce
- ▢3 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ▢1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- ▢1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ▢¼ teaspoon sugar
- ▢1 pinch salt
- ▢1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ▢3 tablespoon water
You also need
- ▢2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ▢1 onion, julienned
- ▢½ red bell pepper, julienned
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the beef into strips (against the grain). Mix with the ingredients for the marinade. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce then set aside.
- Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the marinated beef until it turns brown (should still be pink inside). Transfer it to a separate plate.
- Add onion and pepper to the remaining oil in the wok. Cook for a minute or so.
- Put the beef back into the wok. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the beef is fully cooked.
- Pour in the sauce. Stir until it becomes thick enough to coat the beef and vegetables nicely.
- Sprinkle more ground black pepper for more intense flavour (optional). Serve hot with steamed rice.
NOTES
1. Flank steak and skirt steak are the best cut of beef for quick stir-fry. Slicing it across the grain is the key to tenderness.
2. Using a cheaper cut of beef (for braising) is not ideal but acceptable. You need to tenderize it before marinating:
- Mix ½ teaspoon of baking soda with sliced beef then leave for at least 30 mins
- Rinse the beef in 500ml / 2 cups of water with 4 teaspoons of vinegar. Then rinse again under running water
- Drain well before adding to the marinade mixture
CALORIES
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 492 kcal