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Perhaps you have seen meat stalls selling lean beef shoulders and wonder how this cheap piece of meat has to be processed. Lean meat is the meat near the neck of a cow, which can be chewy if not handled properly. Lean steaks work best when cooked as long and slowly as in a oven, or in a faster way like baking or sautéing. You can choose a cooking method that suits your cooking level, and you will see why lean beef shoulder is a delicious and popular piece of meat.

Resources

Beef shoulder stew

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil or canola oil
• Salt and pepper to marinate
• 1 kg to 1.5 kg of lean beef shoulder
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) liquid
• 1 teaspoon or a tablespoon of spices

Grilled beef shoulder blades

• Lean beef shoulder
• Salt and pepper to season into dishes

Pan-fried beef shoulder

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, coconut oil or grape seed oil
• Salt and pepper to season into dishes
• Marinated meat to your liking (optional)

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Beef shoulder stew

1. 

   
   
   Preheat oven and marinate meat. Turn the oven to 162 degrees Celsius. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or canola oil in a large pot or thick cast iron pot. Heat the oil over medium heat and sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat.
   • You can use a large cast iron pan if you are preparing thin cuts of meat.

2. 

   Fry the meat. Once the oil is hot and simmering, put the meat in the pot. The meat will sizzle as soon as it hits the bottom of the pot. Fry the meat over medium heat until it turns golden brown. Use tongs to turn the meat over to yellow both sides. Remove the meat from the pan when the pan is finished. Discard any remaining cooking oil in the pan.
   • Wear heat resistant gloves when frying meat, as you could get hot oil on your hands.

3. 

   
   
   Pour the liquid into the pot. Fill a pot with 3/4 cup of liquid. The liquid will keep the meat moist while cooking and will also make it softer. You can try one of the following liquids for a tunnel:
   • Beef or vegetable broth
   • Apple juice or cider
   • Cranberry juice
   • Tomato juice
   • Wines are not sweet mixed with broth
   • Country
   • 1 tablespoon liquid seasoning such as barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, beef marinade, Worcestershire sauce (you can dilute the liquid seasonings with water).

4. 

   
   
   Mix in the dry seasoning. To add more flavor to your stew, you can mix in dry spices as you like. Mix about 1 teaspoon of dry seasoning or 1 tablespoon of fresh seasoning. Try spices like:
   • Basil
   • Herbes de Provence spices
   • Italian spices
   • Spicy marjoram
   • Thyme grass

5. 

   Stew the meat in the pot. Use a heavy lid to cover the cast iron pot and place it in the oven. With 1 - 1.5 kg lean shoulder meat you need to simmer for about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The meat will be completely soft when it's done and you can serve it up. If you check the temperature, the steak will be 62 degrees Celsius if it's cooked undercooked, and 79 degrees Celsius if it's done well.
   • To test the tenderness, you can prick a fork into the meat. If the meat is already tender, you can easily skew it.
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Method 2 of 4: Grilled beef shoulder lean

1. 

   Turn on the oven and marinate the meat. If the grill is in the upper part of the oven, you will need to move the oven rack about 10 cm away from the heat bar. If the grill is in the sliding tray below, you do not need to adjust the oven rack. Turn the oven on while seasoning the salt and pepper on both sides of the meat.
   • If you like, you can use any kind of beef marinade to flavor your dish.

2. 

   Grill one side of the meat. Place the marinated meat in a baking sheet or baking pan and place under the grill. Depending on the thickness of the meat, you need to bake for about 7-9 minutes. If you like medium or undercooked, cook for 6-7 minutes.
   • Depending on the type of grill, you may want to leave the door slightly open to keep an eye on the baking.

3. 

   Turn the meat over and cook the other side. Carefully flip the meat with a fork or tongs. Put the meat back in the oven under the grill and cook for another 5-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Check the meat's temperature.
   • If you prefer to eat undercooked, take the meat out of the oven when the temperature is 60 degrees Celsius.If you like to cook well, you need to cook until the meat temperature reaches 70 degrees Celsius.

4. 

   Let the meat "rest" and serve it up. Place the meat on a cutting board or plate. Cover the meat like a tent with aluminum foil and let the meat "rest" for about 5 minutes. This step will allow the fibers to redistribute the gravy so that it won't leak out when you cut the meat.
   • The meat will lose 5 degrees from the time it is taken off the grill and after the "rest".
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Method 3 of 4: Pan-fried beef shoulder

1. 

   Turn on the oven and marinate the meat. Preheat oven to 204 degrees C. Marinate meat with whatever spices you like. If you want to keep it simple, just salt and pepper. Don't be afraid to rub the seasonings on both sides of the meat, as this will increase the flavor of the dish and help the meat turn brown. Marinate it so you can see the seasoning on the surface of the meat. You can also use:
   • Cajun seasoning
   • Chimichurri
   • Teriyaki
   • Montreal grilled beef marinated spices

2. 

   Heat the pan. Heat a thick bottom pan (cast iron is best) over high heat. Add a few tablespoons of coconut oil, grape seed oil or vegetable oil to the pan. You need to heat the pan very hot so that the meat will sizzle as soon as you put it in the pan and it starts to brown.
   • Coconut oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil all have high boiling points, so they won't burn when the pan is heated. Avoid pan-frying meat with butter or olive oil, as they will burn.

3. 

   Fry the meat on both sides. Place the meat in the hot oil pan and fry for 1-3 minutes. Carefully turn the meat over and fry the other side for another 1-3 minutes. Both sides of the flesh will have a dark golden brown color. The inside of the meat is almost alive, but you will finish sautéing the meat in the oven so the meat cooks evenly.
   • You can turn the meat over several times during the pan so that the pan cooks even more evenly and golden faster.

4. 

   Complete the pan-fried meat in the oven. Place both the pan and the meat in the preheated oven. Bake the meat for 6-8 minutes or until the meat reaches the desired degree of maturity. If you check the temperature, the meat will be 62 degrees Celsius when eaten undercooked, and 79 degrees C when fully cooked. Transfer the meat to a plate and let it "rest" for a few minutes before serving.
   • When the meat is "rested", the broth inside will be evenly distributed.
   • Be sure to use a pan that can be safely used in the oven. Even if the pan is advertised as being serviceable in the oven, you should still check if the pan is able to withstand 204 degrees Celsius in the oven.
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Method 4 of 4: Choose meat and present the dish

1. 

   Choose meat. If you are buying meat that will serve many people, try to choose small pieces of equal size. If you can't find one, you can buy one or two large chunks of meat to cut it into smaller pieces; That way the pieces of meat will cook evenly.
   • Lean beef may not be the proper format, as it includes a lot of muscle in the beef shoulder area. Look for lean beef shoulder pads that do not have a lot of fat and are even thick.

2. 

   Meat preservation and handling. Try to prepare fresh meat as soon as you buy it. If you can't use it right away, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To preserve meat, remove the meat from the wrap and place it on a plate (not plastic plates). Cover the dish halfway so that air can enter. Place meat in the meat compartment in the refrigerator or in the bottom compartment so that the juices do not get into other foods.
   • When handling and storing raw meat, it is important not to share, touch or store raw meat with cooked meat. You should store raw and cooked meats in separate compartments and use separate cutting boards when wrapping and preparing meat.

3. 

   Serve the food. Traditionally, the lean beef is served with potatoes (mashed or grilled) and mixed vegetables. If you want a little variation, you can serve lean beef shoulder with cabbage salad, grilled vegetables, sauteed mushrooms. You can also serve lean beef with any sauce (barbecue, pesto, hollandaise, or mixed butter).
   • You can also thinly slice meat to serve with stir-fried vegetables and rice, or roll in a tortilla crust to make fajitas.
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