Salt, pepper, fire

How to cook every part of the animal, what to serve with it, and what to pour. Free for anyone who cooks beef, wherever you buy it. Every temperature and time here comes from a source we link to.

The ranch steak

We think a good steak needs three things: salt, pepper and heat. For a ribeye, strip, sirloin or T-bone about 1 to 1½ inches thick.

You need

1 steak
Coarse salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
A cast-iron skillet or a hot grill
A meat thermometer

How we do it

Thaw the steak in the refrigerator, never on the counter.
Pat it dry. A dry surface browns; a wet one steams.
Season both sides well with salt and pepper.
Get the skillet or grill very hot. Lay the steak down and leave it until it releases with a dark crust, then turn it.
Cook to the doneness you like (see the chart below), and let it rest a few minutes before cutting.

For a steak over 1½ inches, try the reverse sear.

What should I make?

Pick the occasion and we'll suggest a cut, a method, sides and something to drink.

Cut
Method
Sides
To drink

Doneness

Meat keeps cooking after it leaves the heat, often 5 to 15 degrees, more for roasts than steaks. So you pull it early and let it coast up while it rests.

The safe number: USDA's safe minimum for beef steaks and roasts is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Ground beef is 160°F. Chef temperatures below 145°F are common for whole steaks; that choice is yours. Always cook ground beef to 160°F.

Put the thermometer in from the side of a steak, into the center, not touching bone or fat. For a roast, go into the thickest part (Checkoff).

Doneness	Pull from heat	After resting
Rare	110–115°F	120°F
Medium-rare	115–120°F	125–130°F
Medium	125–130°F	135–140°F
Medium-well	135–140°F	145–150°F
Well done	145–150°F	155–160°F

Chart: America's Test Kitchen. Sources disagree: the Beef Checkoff follows USDA and calls 145°F medium-rare, 160°F medium and 170°F well done; ThermoWorks puts medium-rare at 130–135°F. Safe minimums: FoodSafety.gov.

Cooking methods

Tap a method to open it.

SmokingLow and slow over wood smoke.

Best cuts: Brisket, beef ribs and big roasts. The Checkoff also lists ribeye roll, petite ribeye roast, shoulder petite tender and flat iron.
Heat: Hold the smoker between 225 and 300°F (FSIS). Texas A&M says brisket does best lower, at 200 to 250°F.
Time: FSIS says 4 to 8 hours; the Checkoff says big, tough cuts can take 12 hours or more. Texas A&M's rule of thumb is about an hour per pound.

Thaw fully in the refrigerator. FSIS says never smoke meat that's still partly frozen.
Keep one thermometer in the smoker air and a probe in the meat.
Brisket example (Saveur): smoke at 250°F until the bark sets and the center reads 175°F, about 6 to 7½ hours. Wrap in butcher paper, raise the smoker to 290–300°F, and cook to at least 200°F, when a probe slides in with little resistance. Rest it wrapped about 2 hours.
Rib roast example (Checkoff): smoke at 225°F for 4 to 6 hours, pull at 135°F, then finish in a 350°F oven to 140°F for medium-rare.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use them within 4 days (FSIS).

Wood: hickory is hearty, mesquite is very smoky and best for short cooks, oak is subtle for big cuts, and apple, cherry, pecan and maple are milder (Checkoff).

Sources: USDA FSIS, Smoking Meat and Poultry, Texas A&M Meat Science, Cooking and Smoking, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Smoking Basics, Saveur, Texas Smoked Brisket, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Smoked Herb Rib Roast

Gas grillDirect heat, lid handy.

Best cuts: Strip, ribeye, top sirloin, tri-tip, flank, inside skirt, kabobs and burgers.
Heat: Preheat to medium; for burgers the Checkoff says medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. It gives no exact grill temperature, so trust your thermometer in the meat.
Time: Medium-rare to medium, 1-inch steaks: boneless strip 11–15 min, bone-in ribeye 9–12 min, top sirloin 13–16 min. ¾-inch burgers 13–14 min (Checkoff).

Season and grill straight from the refrigerator. The Checkoff advises against letting meat sit out on the counter.
Clean the grate and preheat.
Turn once, and check with an instant-read thermometer.
If it starts to char, move it to a cooler part of the grill.
Rest about 5 minutes and slice across the grain.

Never put cooked meat back on a plate or tongs that touched it raw (UMN Extension).

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Grilling Basics, University of Minnesota Extension, Safe Grilling Guidelines

Charcoal grillDirect for steaks, indirect for roasts.

Best cuts: Direct: the same steaks as gas. Indirect: tenderloin, chuck eye (the Checkoff calls it a low-cost alternative to ribeye), top round and shoulder steak.
Heat: For direct grilling, wait until the coals are covered in white ash. For indirect, bank the coals on one side and cook on the other over a foil drip pan, lid closed.
Time: Indirect cooking takes longer and depends on the cut; go by internal temperature.

Direct: cook as for gas. Times are close: a 1-inch strip 11–14 min, ¾-inch burgers 11–15 min (Checkoff).
Indirect: put the meat on the cool side, close the lid, and use a probe thermometer.
Rest big cuts up to 15–20 minutes before carving.
Use only commercial charcoal and approved starters, and keep the grill away from buildings (FSIS).

On a gas grill you can cook indirect too: light one side on medium and cook on the other (Checkoff).

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Grilling Basics, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Indirect Grilling Basics, USDA FSIS, Smoking Meat and Poultry, University of Minnesota Extension, Safe Grilling Guidelines

Reverse searSlow oven first, hot pan last. Our favorite for thick steaks.

Best cuts: Thick steaks, 1½ to 2 inches and at least 8 ounces: ribeye, strip, T-bone, porterhouse.
Heat: Oven at 250°F (MasterClass) or 275°F (Snake River Farms), then a very hot skillet.
Time: About 30 to 75 minutes in the oven, depending on thickness. Start checking at 30 minutes.

Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
Set the steak on a rack over a sheet pan and put it in the oven.
Pull it about 10 degrees short of where you want it. Snake River Farms pulls at 120°F for rare, 125°F for medium-rare and 130°F for medium.
Sear in a smoking-hot oiled skillet, 60 to 90 seconds a side, and sear the fat edge too.

Sources disagree on letting the steak warm up on the counter first: MasterClass says 20 minutes, the Checkoff says don't. We go straight from the fridge.

Sources: Snake River Farms, The Reverse Sear Method, MasterClass, How to Reverse Sear a Steak, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Grilling Basics

Cast iron, skillet to ovenA crust on the stove, finished in the oven.

Best cuts: Thicker steaks: strip filet, shoulder petite tender, tomahawk, bone-in tenderloin.
Heat: Skillet on medium, oven at 350°F (Checkoff). Well-seasoned cast iron works best.
Time: Depends on thickness. Use a thermometer.

Pat dry and season. Most steaks don't need oil.
Sear no more than 2 minutes a side.
Turn once more and move the skillet into the oven.
Pull a little early; the temperature keeps rising as it rests.
Tent loosely and rest at least 5–7 minutes.

For thin steaks, skip the oven and cook the whole way in the pan.

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Skillet-to-Oven Basics

Oven roastingHands-off, for a crowd.

Best cuts: Rib roast, ribeye roast, sirloin tip, eye of round, top sirloin petite roast.
Heat: Holiday rib roast example: 350°F (Checkoff).
Time: About 2¼–2½ hours for a 6–8 lb rib roast at medium-rare.

Set the roast fat side up on a rack in a shallow pan. No water, no cover.
Put an ovenproof thermometer in the thickest part.
For a 6–8 lb rib roast, roast 2¼–2½ hours and pull at 135°F for medium-rare or 145°F for medium. It rises 10–15°F as it rests.
Tent with foil and rest up to 15–20 minutes, then carve across the grain.

Serve with horseradish sauce, as the Checkoff's recipe does.

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Oven Roasting Basics, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Rib Roast with Horseradish Sauce

Braising and slow cookerTough cuts, made tender.

Best cuts: Chuck roasts (arm, blade, chuck eye), top blade, brisket, short ribs, shanks.
Heat: Covered, low heat. Pot roast example: 325°F oven for 3 hours, or slow cooker on HIGH 6–7 hours or LOW 9–10 hours (Checkoff).
Time: 3 hours in the oven, 6–10 hours in a slow cooker.

Pat dry and season.
Brown on all sides over medium heat.
Soften onions, carrots and garlic in the same pan.
Add broth, wine or water and scrape up the browned bits.
Cover tightly and cook low until fork-tender: a fork slides in and comes out easily.
Don't lift the lid; it lets out heat and moisture and lengthens the cook.

The same chuck roast that braises well can also be cut into steaks and stew meat. See "One section, many meals" below.

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Braising Basics, Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Irish-Inspired Beef Pot Roast

Sous videA water bath for exact doneness.

Best cuts: Short ribs, chuck roast, strip, brisket, center-cut top sirloin, back ribs. Steaks 1½–2 inches; the Checkoff says thicker is better.
Heat: Set the bath to your recipe's temperature. We didn't find a doneness-temperature chart from a source we trust, so we're not printing one.
Time: About an hour up to 48 hours, depending on the cut (Checkoff).

Season and seal the meat in a vacuum or food-grade bag.
Keep bags fully under water, and don't crowd the bath.
Pat dry and sear about a minute a side; finish roasts in a hot oven.
Slice without resting. ThermoWorks notes there's no carryover cooking with sous vide.

Sources: Beef. It's What's For Dinner, Sous Vide Basics, ThermoWorks, Temperature for medium-rare

Which cut, which method

A dot means the Beef Checkoff's method pages recommend that cut for that method. The reverse-sear column comes from Snake River Farms and MasterClass.

Cut	Grill	Indirect or smoke	Reverse sear	Skillet to oven	Oven roast	Braise or slow cook	Sous vide
Ribeye steak	●		●
Strip steak	●		●	●			●
Top sirloin	●			●			●
Tenderloin		●	●	●
Tri-tip	●		●
Flank, skirt	●
Chuck eye, shoulder		●		●	●	●
Brisket		●				●	●
Rib roast		●			●
Sirloin tip, eye of round					●
Chuck roasts, short ribs						●	●
Ground beef (to 160°F)	●

One section, many meals

A "roast" doesn't have to be a roast. Most sections of the animal can become steaks, roasts, stew meat or ground beef, depending on how they're cut. Here's what each one can do, so you can plan a cut sheet, or get more from what's already in your freezer. See where each section is on the animal

Chuck

The shoulder. The biggest primal, and the most versatile.

Chuck roll. Leave it whole as a roast, or cut it into chuck eye (Delmonico) steaks and boneless country-style ribs. One chuck roll can give a roast, steaks, and 1-inch pieces for stew or boneless short ribs. (Mississippi State University Extension, National Beef)
Top blade. Cut into flat iron steaks once the tough center strip is removed.
Under blade. Leave whole as a roast, or cut into Denver and Sierra steaks. (Mississippi State University Extension)
Shoulder clod. Three of its muscles become top blade, shoulder center and petite tender cuts. The other two usually go to ground beef or stew meat.
Chuck tender. Leave whole as a roast, or slice into lean steaks. (Mississippi State University Extension)

Chuck cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Rib

Where the ribeye lives.

Ribeye roll. Leave it whole for a ribeye roast (prime rib), or cut ribeye steaks. You can also do both: cut a roast from the center and steaks from the ends. (Mississippi State University Extension, National Beef)
Bone-in rib. A standing rib roast, or bone-in rib, cowboy and tomahawk steaks.
Rib cap. Peel it off the ribeye roll for rich cap steaks. (USDA AMS)
Back ribs. Sold whole or as half racks.

Rib cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Short loin

The tenderest steaks.

Strip loin. NY strip steaks, a strip roast, or strip filets.
Tenderloin. Filet mignon, or a whole tenderloin roast (Chateaubriand), with tips from the ends.
Bone-in short loin. T-bones and porterhouses. Choosing these means no separate filets or boneless strips from that side. Bone-in loin isn't allowed from cattle 30 months or older. (Mississippi State University Extension, 9 CFR 310.22)

Short loin cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Sirloin

Lean, beefy and good on the grill.

Top sirloin. Steaks, or leave it whole as a lean petite roast. (Mississippi State University Extension)
Coulotte (picanha). A roast or steaks, cut separately or as part of the sirloin steaks. (K-State Research and Extension)
Tri-tip. Roast it whole or cut steaks. Either way, slice across the grain.
Ball tip. A petite sirloin roast or steaks.

Sirloin cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Round

The hind leg. Lean, budget-friendly, and good for more than you'd think.

Top round. A thick roast or London broil, thinner steaks, and the cap or trim for cube steak or stew, all from one piece. (National Beef)
Bottom round. Roasts or steaks; the heel goes to ground beef.
Eye of round. The deli roast beef roast, or steaks.
Sirloin tip (knuckle). Roasts or steaks; the Checkoff says the steaks make good kabobs, stew meat or cube steak.

Round cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Brisket

The chest. Built for low and slow.

Whole brisket. Keep it whole for smoking, or split it into the flat and the point. (K-State Research and Extension)
Flat and point. Smoke or braise either one. Brisket is also what corned beef is made from.
Or grind it. If you don't want brisket, most people have it put into ground beef. (Mississippi State University Extension)

Brisket cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Short plate

Fajitas and short ribs.

Skirt steak. Marinate and grill hot for fajitas, or use for stir-fry.
Short ribs. Plate short ribs, including thin flanken-style, for braising or grilling. (K-State Research and Extension)
Hanger steak. A single steak per animal; grill it.
Or grind it. The plate can go into ground beef. (K-State Research and Extension)

Short plate cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Flank

One steak, two ways.

Flank steak. Marinate and grill, or slice thin for stir-fry. Always cut across the grain.

Flank cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Shank

The leg. Rich, slow-cooked flavor.

Cross-cut shank. Braise like osso buco, or simmer for soup.
Or grind it. Shanks often go to ground beef or stew meat. (Mississippi State University Extension)

Shank cuts at Beef. It's What's For Dinner

Cut names and uses: the Beef Checkoff's cut pages at Beef. It's What's For Dinner (linked on each card), plus Mississippi State Extension P3489, K-State MF3395, National Beef and USDA IMPS where marked.

Cut it yourself

When you buy a half or quarter from us, you can ask the butcher to leave some sections whole, vacuum-packed in one piece. Then you decide at home: steaks this month, a roast for the holidays, stew meat from the ends.

Good sections to leave whole: strip loin, tenderloin, ribeye roll, top sirloin, chuck roll, whole brisket and top round.
One limit: bone-in loin cuts like T-bones can't come from cattle 30 months or older, because federal rules require removing the backbone at that age. Leave-whole loins from older cattle come boneless. (9 CFR 310.22)
Ask about cost. Some lockers charge extra for special requests. We'll confirm with our plant and tell you before you order.

Choose sections on your cut sheet

Strip loin into steaks

Start from the larger end and cut 1-inch steaks down the whole piece.
Adjust your angle a little as you go so the last steak isn't a wedge.
Trim fat after cutting, not before.

National Beef cut sheet: strip loin

Whole tenderloin

Remove the excess fat and the silver skin, the shiny membrane on top.
Cut 1½-inch filets down the whole tenderloin, or keep the center as a roast and cut steaks from the rest.
Save the thin ends as tenderloin tips for stir-fry or kabobs.

National Beef cut sheet: whole tenderloin

Ribeye roll: roast, steaks, or both

Cut steaks across the whole piece, or cut a roast from the center and steaks from the ends.
For cap steaks, peel the rib cap off the outside first.

National Beef cut sheet: ribeye; USDA IMPS

Chuck roll: roast, steaks and stew

Cut a 2½-inch roast, then ½-inch steaks and chuck eye steaks.
Cut the rest into 1-inch pieces for stew or boneless short ribs.
USDA's stew-meat spec is pieces about ¾ to 1½ inches on a side.

National Beef cut sheet: chuck roll; USDA IMPS 135A

Keep it cold, wrap it right

Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Don't leave raw meat out more than 2 hours.
Wash boards, knives and counters in hot, soapy water after raw meat.
Vacuum-seal or wrap tightly in freezer paper. Label every package with the cut and the date.
Frozen at 0°F, beef stays safe indefinitely. For best quality, use steaks and roasts within 4–12 months and ground beef within 3–4 months.

FoodSafety.gov; USDA FSIS; SDSU Extension; NDSU Extension FN613

Use a sharp boning or trim knife and a long steak knife. Professional cutters wear a cut-resistant glove. Take your time.

Pairings

A general guide from wine and beer writers. Drink what you like.

With	Wine	Beer
Ribeye, strip, porterhouse, prime rib	A bold red with tannin, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Petite Sirah. The tannin cuts the richness. (Wine Folly)	An IPA with plenty of bitterness, or a porter or stout with prime rib. (Tasting Table)
Sirloin, eye of round, flank	A light or medium-bodied red, like Sangiovese. (Wine Folly)	A crisp pilsner. (Tasting Table)
Brisket and barbecue	Zinfandel or Shiraz with barbecue sauce. (Wine Folly)	A pilsner, or a smoked rauchbier with brisket. (Tasting Table)
Burgers	Zinfandel or Shiraz. (Wine Folly)	A porter or brown ale with mushroom and Swiss; a pilsner with spicy burgers. (Craft Beer & Brewing)

No alcohol? Lemonade, a citrus mocktail, alcohol-free sangria or fruit-infused iced tea all stand up to steak (Chowhound).

The challenge

Our bet: our steak with just salt and pepper beats anything with a fancy marinade, rub or sauce. That's our opinion, and we'd love to be proven wrong.

Chefs, pitmasters, food creators and home cooks: cook our beef your way, and we'll cook it ours. We'll share the results, whoever wins.

Sources

Some of our preferred sources (Serious Eats, Food & Wine) wouldn't open for us, so we used others. Where sources disagree, we say so.