# What is the best cut of beef steak?



## Plumbata (May 24, 2010)

In my experience, aged sirloin, and ribeye are the best slabs of affordable bovine meat for the stomach, so barring tenderloin, which is most exquisite, what are your favorite cuts and how are they prepared? I love the juicy, marbled and fatty bites of medium rare prime rib, but sometimes the gristle gets annoying. The aged sirloin cooked rare is tender and juicy usually, but it can get bland and dry if one is not careful (oneself or the cook). Are there any spices which would improve the culinary experience, or any cuts which are tender and flavorful which do not command such a high price?

  I am not picky, and will eat anything as long as it tastes good (and is not made out of insects). Pork is great, as is sheep/lamb. Any longstanding tips would be appreciated. My gal is great at cooking, but she doesn't know everything. I would like to be able to add a bit to the table myself if some of you would like to offer some suggestions. It would be great to have a table set with a fine romaine salad and well-prepared cut of meat for my babe when she gets off work. She certainly deserves it for putting up with my bottle-digging crap until 4 AM at times!

  Thanks regardless,

  Stephen

  Any help would be awesome.


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## RedGinger (May 24, 2010)

First important thing: Dessert.  Preferably something chocolate.  Or, buy a Sara Lee Pound Cake (they are delicious), and cut it lengthwise in layers.  Whip up some heavy cream with a little sugar and vanilla.  Slice strawberries.  Layer these in between the cake layers.

 You can always buy the Mccormick's meal in a bag, pot roast or meat loaf.  They are inexpensive and very good.  It will smell like you've been cooking all day.  You have to buy the meat and veggies for these.

 I love Prime Rib too.  For a quick, great steak, I recommend either a t-bone, porterhouse (these have the strip and tenderloin) or strip steak.  Heat up a cast iron pan for three minutes.  Sprinkle both sides of steak with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  This will create a nice crust.  Sprinkle on some Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Seasoning Salt if you want.  Cook for 6 minute + per side, depending on how well done you like it.  The firmer it is, the more well done.  Then, let it rest for a few minutes.

 Serve with some vegetables.  Idahoan makes great mashed potatoes that you just need to add water and/or milk too.


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## RedGinger (May 24, 2010)

Tenderloin is great, just not as flavorful as strip steaks.


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## Plumbata (May 25, 2010)

Excellent tips RedGinger, I haven't thought about preparing dessert but my Jenny certainly loves her chocolate, and has showed me how to whip up some real whipped cream so I could do that as well. It would be nice to surprise her at first with a tasty dinner, then prepare one at least once a week thereafter. Never tried the McCormicks products you spoke of but the thought of it is making me hungry. Fresh ground pepper is the only pepper I use, I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion, as the flavor is about 100 times better than the pre-ground stuff and it looks better too. I like tenderloin when it is just barely cooked on the outside, as the raw meat flavor within is awesome, but you are probably right, without much fat the flavor isn't as complex or savory, and it is expensive to begin with anyway. It has been years since I've had a T-bone or porterhouse steak so I should pick a few up and try them out. Joe must be a lucky man to have a woman like you around!

 Thanks again.


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## Poison_Us (May 25, 2010)

Did someone say CHOCOLATE? RedGinger, your making me hungry and I just had breakfast.  Love a good steak.  Some say NY Strip is the most flavorful cut.  It's not the most expensive, but certainly isn't cheap.  I love tenderloin, but the best way to buy it is in full loin packs on sale and cut your own.

 Oddly enough, pork tenderloin is not good in the same fashion (but is a lot cheaper).  It tends to be very dry.  Best cooked in the crock pot for 7 hours in some stock and a rub, shredded and made into BBQ pork.

 I'm still waiting to try some Wagyu (Kobe) Beef.  Need some major ching to do so.


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## towhead (May 25, 2010)

Filet mignon - cut a lenghtwise opening, stuff with a dollup of Philly Cream cheese that is sprinkled with diced Jalapeno peppers and then wrapped in bacon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Or Filet mignon with mushroom sauce/gravy.... with Baby Red Potatoes on the side and yup, the Romaine Salad!

 -Julie


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## RedGinger (May 25, 2010)

Actually, Mccormick's makes a Meal in a Bag pork tenderloing too.  Just trim the pork of any excess fat, and then you pat on the spices in the packet.  Add the recommended amount of water and seal the bag according to directions.  After baking, you can then use the liquid to pour over the sliced pork.  It's very good.  Thanks for the kind words, Plumb.


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## RedGinger (May 25, 2010)

I have a good mushroom sauce for steaks, that you reminded me of Julie.  I came up with this after the having the one they serve with steak at "Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse" in NH.  I think that restaurant is just a New England thing, but they have very good food.

   This is perfect with steak. I prefer the Baby Bella (Crimini) mushrooms, but you can use regular ones.  I wash my mushrooms because it's too hard to get the dirt off otherwise.  Then, I pat them dry.  If there are any really large ones, cut them in half.  Trim off the stems.  Heat some butter in a pan ( the mushrooms absorb a lot, so you'll need a few pats).  Then, add some chopped garlic, salt and pepper and saute.  A little oregano is good too.  Dried is fine.  Add some freshly chopped flat leaf parsley if you like.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they start to get soft.  Then, add half a can of beef broth and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce.  Let this simmer until the mushrooms are very soft.  It won't take long.  Voila!  I have been known to eat this the next day by itself, just heated up with some good bread.


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## towhead (May 25, 2010)

That sounds like good mushroom stuff!  I cheat with the pack of brown gravy mix with a dash of garlic powder and pepper....and, yes, fresh mushrooms cooked in butter.

 -Julie


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## ktbi (May 25, 2010)

Laur - those mushrooms sound heavenly.  I've made a meal of saute'd mushrooms more than once.  I like all the cuts mentioned so far, but another favorite, and less expensive, cut is the flank steak.  BBQ'd and sliced thin it's kinda hard to beat....Ron


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## JOETHECROW (May 25, 2010)

This is Laur. trying out Joe's new computer.  Flank steaks are great for fajitas and things.  Just marinate well, to tenderize and slice them against the grain (you can just look at the directions of the lines on them).


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## Plumbata (May 25, 2010)

Great info people, keep it coming! I don't much care for mushrooms, but mushroom sauces are generally quite good. I should give that a try sometime. Bacon+Filet Mignon sounds very tasty. I will eat entire packages of bacon at a time (I always go through 20 or so packs to choose the meatiest ones, hehe) and the fats from the bacon would probably make the filets extra delicious and juicy. Damn I love meat! []

 I just got back from the store with a few packs of "Ranchers Legend premium Angus beef" Dunno what the big deal is about Angus, is it actually any better than other varieties of beef? I tend to think it is just a marketing ploy but have nothing to back it up. I didn't see any T bones or Porterhouse so I got me 2 packs or 1.43 pounds of of cheap Sirloin tri tip (nicely marbled), an 8 ounce new york strip, and a .68 pound ribeye steak. I read that you are supposed to cook the tri tip slowly to let the enzymes naturally tenderize the meat, then let it rest for 15 minutes, so i'll have to cook it with this in mind.







 Think I'm gunna try the NY strip for lunch cooked medium rare, as I haven't had one in ages. Dunno how it could beat a ribeye but I am ready to be surprised!


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## JOETHECROW (May 25, 2010)

London Broil is another good one.  It's a tough cut before you marinate, cook and slice it, and the best way to slice it is against the grain, very thinly, as ktbi mentioned, preferably with one of those electric knives.  I like to use a Bloody Mary marinade (minus the alcohol). Use all the spices and tomato juice you would use to make a Bloody Mary.  Marinate overnight and throw it on the grill or under the broiler.  
 Laur


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## JOETHECROW (May 25, 2010)

Those are all good cuts.  The tri tip can be used for lots of things.  Try deglazing the pan with some butter after the steak is cooked, scraping up the brown bits and pour this over the steak.  It's just as good without that too.  You can also take a garlic clove, smashed, or cut in half and rub it over the steak before you cook it.
 Laur


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## RED Matthews (May 25, 2010)

Hey you steak connoisseurs, I hate to throw a negative curve on steak after eating it when I had an opportunity for a good 60 years.  But now I am beginning to go through a month or two without steak.  I don't like the things I have read about, where they are giving cows a transferred progesterone plugs and hormones to over stimulate their reproducibility systems creating more embryos a year.  We can't loose sight of what the greed of people can do to our health.  It is enough to make one wonder how many of these tricks are coming on to shorten our life with the risk of hormone-dependent cancers in the future.  

 If nothing more the best bull ever represents the ultimate marbled meat - muscle laden with saturated fat that can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and a shortened life span.  So I am there, with two of those medical problems.  It is all a greed for money that messes up our life.  And the good taste leads us on!!  
 Another soap box.w/ TMI  by RED Matthews


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## glass man (May 25, 2010)

YEP RED TOO MUCH RED MEAT TOO CAN BE REAL BAD. CAN CAUSE GOUT FOR ONE THING AND DOES NOT DIGEST WELL FOR ANOTHER.

 NOW THAT BEING SAID  NINA AND I LOVE THICK RIBEYE STEAKS WHEN WE CAN AFFORD THEM.
 I LOVE MINE PAN FRIED,ALMOST BURNT ON TOP AND MEDIUM RARE INSIDE!!


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## RedGinger (May 25, 2010)

You guys are right.  When I was younger, I read a book about beef and the things that go on and I didn't eat it for ten years.  My Mom still doesn't eat it.  It's been about twenty years for her.  I was a total vegetarian for awhile.  I try to buy organic when I can.  I love all animals so much that I always feel guilty about eating them, especially considering how intelligent they are.  The hormones, the killing, etc. is very very bad and we should all think about it.  I think man has evolved past the point of needing meat.  Take, for example, the appendix and wisdom teeth.  Both are believed to have had a use at one time in our ancient history; for digesting and chewing meat.  Now, the appendix is smaller in humans and more and more people are being born without appendixes/wisdom teeth.  I do believe we need to eat fish.  Especially Maryland Blue Crabs!!  You get lots of Omega 3's from fish as well as Walnuts in particular.  As Debbie the Downer (SNL character) would say, Just watch out for the mercury!


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## old.s.bottles (May 25, 2010)

Anybody mention factory farming? I wrote a philosophy paper on it recently. I still eat meat tho[sm=rolleyes.gif]


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## cyberdigger (May 25, 2010)

I like my steak burned to a crisp and smothered in A1 or Worcestershire.. I'm more interested in the baked potato and sauteed broccoli than the meat.. you can put lipstick on protein and fat, but it's still protein and fat... [8|]


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## appliedlips (May 26, 2010)

A nicely marbled, fat ribeye with worcester sauce and fresh garlic, medium rare on the grill. Unlike other meats, cook very quickly over a hot fire, the more flames the better. Filet is good but lacks the needed fat. Prime rib is would be my second choice as well. Vegetarians don't know what they are missing.


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## Plumbata (May 26, 2010)

> ORIGINAL:  RedGinger
> Maryland Blue Crabs!!


 
 Best food to have ever graced our steaming-pots! G-damn I wish I could crack open a dozen of those delicious invertebrates right now and extract all the succulent flesh possible. It is a mix of nostalgia, and just plain love of the sweet, delicate flavor, so far superior to lobster, snow crab, king crab, crayfish, or any similar creature. Got my mouth watering like no steak ever could. Can't wait to go crabbin' again, it has been over 12 years but I remember catching about 5 dozen with my family back on Chincoteague Island over the course of 4 hours and would kill to be back there in 1997, before the crab harvests fell off. The sun was shining down, the waves were lapping at the piers, the breeze blowing from east to west, and the dip nets scraping the hapless creatures off the pilings (and chicken necks) at healthy intervals. I don't much care for fishing, but crabs? Best creature that natural selection ever invented (besides us humans, naturally []). Bushels of crabs were staples at family gatherings in MD back in the 90s, and the source of some of my fondest memories. []

 I have read and watched a great deal about the nature of factory farm meat production, and although it is disgusting in practice, the meat still tastes awesome. My father used to raise rabbits on organic feed for meat and I ate them for several years. I had a pet rabbit, one I chose after much deliberation at a county fair, which was the most affectionate, loving, calm, and generally agreeable rodent I have ever encountered, as it would actively come up to me to snuggle. It was so awesome. Best pet ever. Unfortunately a neighbor threw it in the air and broke its back. It was so sad to see the sweetest of creatures die a painful, lingering death; my first tangible encounter with the reality of the end of a life cycle. No way I could consume the flesh of its brethren thereafter. Best rabbit I have seen before or since, and this is an objective observation, not a foolish and unfounded statement. To get back to the subject at hand, I also know all about the horrors of smoking cigarettes as well, but still indulge if that puts my willing consumption of adulterated meats in perspective. An exhibition of some of the problems of rationalizing away one's valid worries I suppose, hehe. Perhaps in 10 years I will tone it down, but I plan to live it up for the time being. I'm in the process of quitting smoking though, 5 years is more than enough! [:'(]

 So after cooking up the NY strip and some tri-tip steaks, I must say that the ribeye is still the #1 cut as far as I am concerned. NY strip is better than the tri-tip, but nothing to rave about. Perhaps i need to perfect my methods though. Fat is good because it tastes great and I haven't gained any weight at all for over 4 years regardless of how much i eat, so I guess 160 is where I am supposed to be for a while. Haven't tried cooking it over flame but I bet it would create the juiciest bit of meat, with the quick searing of the outside which would likely lock in the juices, fats, and flavor. I used a McCormick Garlic Sea salt grinder with some other spices and it was good on the former cuts, but on ribeye it was exquisite. Simple fare as far as it goes, but I will be trying out the crock pot/slow cooking and other excellent suggestions shortly, and hope they will go well.


 Thanks for all the awesome opinions, I will be reviewing and trying out all your suggestions as time and facilities allow, and will continue seeking more advice so please donate some more bits of personal experience! Thankee much! []


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## bostaurus (May 26, 2010)

Since Animal Science was my major and my Masters is in Dairy Reproductive physiology I thought I might add a couple tidbits that may answer a couple questions.
 The reason that Angus is so popular has to do with the genetics.  Angus has much better marbling than most other breeds...marbling being the distribution of fat throughout the muscle.  Of course that can vary from animal to animal within the breed.  Most of the English breeds (Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn) are known for good beef though the Angus stands out.  The European breeds, Charolais, Salers, Simmental,etc, tend to be much leaner and make a much drier steak.   The Waygu breed from Japan is the leader in the amount of fat and marbling.  It is the breed that is used to make Kobi beef.  In the case of Kobi the animal is feed special diet, kept in a stall, massaged and given beer. The Waygu are being bred here in the States now so you can buy it here. Is a Waygu steak any better than Angus?  I will never know.  I checked prices.. 2 strip steaks weighting 1 lb total...$99.95, 2-36 oz ribeyes $199.99. Ouch!
 Red, as far as embryo transfer in cattle, you don't have to worry about the hormones in the meat.  The embryo transfer is used only in the very best cows..ones unlikely to be in the food chain.  The cow is given a couple shots to make her ovaries produce extra eggs, the same hormone she would already be producing. You have to give more than one shot because the hormone is naturally flushed out of the system. They are then artificially bred using bulls that the majority of farmers would never be able to own. Many of the bulls are syndicated for millions.  The embryos are harvested without any surgery and implanted, without surgery into other cows. From there on it is just like any other pregnancy with no extra hormones needed.  It is an expensive procedure but its influence,especially in the dairy industry, has been great.  One cow may have 4-6 calves over her lifetime. With embryo transfer she can produce 30, 40 or more.  With artificial insemination one bull can have many thousands of offspring.  With the advances in freezing semen and embryos  a cow or bull can still be producing offspring years after they have died.


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## coreya (May 26, 2010)

In my humble opinion the best cut is the T-Bone or Porterhouse from a hand fed sweetfeed grain stuffed steer, cooked on a very hot grill, seared on both sides and screaming red in the middle. 
 The last steer we had was named T-Bone and weighed in at 1400 lbs when he was killed by lightning in our field. He and our 100 lb boxer would run back and forth along the fence, spinning around and making noise at each other. When T-Bone died the dog would sit by the fence for two weeks looking for his bud, it was so sad. I still Love a great steak though!!!!


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## towhead (May 26, 2010)

ok then, if not steak, I'll take the Romaine Salad, with red onions, cherub tomatoes, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, etc, etc and seasoned chicken breast!  And, if only I could stop there!  But no, now I'll need all those flavorful (fatty) dressings!  Oh well, I hear you need some fat to absorb the vitamins....

 -Julie


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## towhead (May 26, 2010)

And, to go really healthy, Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon...

 -Julie


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## Poison_Us (May 26, 2010)

Shrimp...all the way.  As much as we love crab, I have to agree with my wife, blue crab is a lot of work for little reward.
 We love shrimp in all ways, from hot peel and eat to shrimp caesar salad.

 Now I'm craving the Crab Shack.  We only go maybe once a year...but now we are talking seafood...dang it!

 http://www.thecrabshack.com/


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## bostaurus (May 26, 2010)

My Louisiana hubby loves crawfish but they are even more work than crabs...unless you master the art of the "twist and pinch".  My in-laws are always sweet enough to throw some shrimp in with the crawfish so those of us that don't want to work so hard for our dinner will be happy.
 They raise a few head of Angus too.  When the boys were still at home they would feed one out each year and fill the freezer.  They used to have 14 gallons of milk delivered each week and go through a gallon of ice cream almost every day.


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## RedGinger (May 26, 2010)

I'm with you, Julie.  I like a salad with lots of stuff in it!  I forgot about the sunflower seeds.  I have to get some anyway, as I heard they release the same chemicals in your brain as chocolate, which I eat too much of lol.  Wild salmon is definitely the best and so good for you.  

 Thanks for the info, Melinda.  I didn't know that.  I won't get into veal.  That is one thing I refuse to eat, ever.  

 I was raised on MD crabs, and for us Marylanders, part of the fun is sitting around, having a beer with your crabs and talking as you pick them.  It is work to get the meat, but to me, it's worth it.  I also like to chop some tomatoes and dip them in the Old Bay from the crabs.  Then, you save the claws and pick the remaining crabs for soup.  To me, you just can't beat it.  You can also buy the meat for some awesome crabcakes.  It's been a few years since I've had crabs.  We're too far from the coast for any seafood.  It makes me a little homesick.  

 Lobster and steamers are at the top of my list too.  There was a place on the beach in NH that used to have 2 1 1/4 lb lobsters for $15!  I miss that area a lot too.


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## towhead (May 26, 2010)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Lobster, Crab Legs Yum Yum.  Cost too much here!

 Laur-A square of dark chocolate a day is good for you.  That's right, one little square off the whole chocolate bar.[] 
 -Julie


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## RedGinger (May 26, 2010)

I know.  I used to kind of like dark chocolate, but now not as much.  On the healthy side, I found Passion Fruit at the grocery store yesterday!  What a surprise!  I went to the Bahamas once and they served French Toast with Passionfruit sauce.  It was heavenly.  Passion Fruit is known for its calming properties and is used in a OTC medicine called "Calms Forte".  I tried it, but it didn't do anything for me.  It works for Joe, though.


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## glass man (May 27, 2010)

> 2 strip steaks weighting 1 lb total...$99.95, 2-36 oz ribeyes $199.99. Ouch!


  IT IS NO WONDER A JAPANESE FACTORY MOVED HERE! THEY SAID THEY WERE GONNA BE A LOT OF JOBS....WRONG!! THEY DID BUY THE LARGEST CATTLE FARM HERE AND OUR CITY COMMISIONERS EVEN HELPED THEM OUT BY GIVING THEM  A COW AND BULL  AS A GIFT!!![:-][:-][:-]

 HEY GETTING FREE BEER AND MASSAGES ALMOST MAKES ME WANT TO BE A COW IN JAPAN!!

 GREAT INFO!! JAMIE


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## glass man (May 27, 2010)

> ORIGINAL:  cyberdigger
> 
> I like my steak burned to a crisp and smothered in A1 or Worcestershire.. I'm more interested in the baked potato and sauteed broccoli than the meat.. you can put lipstick on protein and fat, but it's still protein and fat...Â [8|]


 

 GLAD YOU ARE BUSY!!!! MISS YOU THOUGH!!! JAMIE


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## DiggerBryan (May 28, 2010)

PETA
 People Eating Tasty Animals


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## madman (May 29, 2010)

new york strip is my fave, yes its hard to digest, eat steak slowly and chew chew chew..........


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## KBbottles (Jun 1, 2010)

If you haven't tried it already, you almost can't go wrong with a pork tenderloin.  Makes for an awesome lean cut of meat.  I buy these and do the following:

Preheat Oven to say  around 400 or so.  You start with a higher temperature to develop a nice crispy  crust around the loin.   Take the loin out  of the package and trim off as much of the fat as you  can. Then, pat the loin  dry with a papertowel.  Donâ€™t worry too much about this step  though. Get a spice container of Cajun seasoning and coat your loin(s).  Massage it in there and really cover it  so thereâ€™s plenty of flavor.   Place the loin(s)  in your baking dish and put in oven for about 25 minutes or so.    While the loinâ€™s  baking, make your sauce.  Take about a cup or so of fresh orange juice and place  in small bowl.  Squeeze plenty of honey in and microwave for a few seconds until  honey is fully blended with the juice.  Go ahead and taste and add more of  either until you like it.  I tend to like it sweeter with lots of honey so it  creates a nice glaze when applied. After the 25  minutes are up, open the oven and spoon some of the juice on the loin so the  entire loin is coated and moist . Reduce heat to  350-375 (your call) and cook for another 15-25 minutes or so.  You can cut  through the pork to look at the inside and see if it looks done.  A few minutes  before you take out, go ahead and add the remaining juice.    When finished, take  out of the oven, place on a serving plate and cut thin crosswise slices.    Goes well with  mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, red or white wine, etcâ€¦!   ENJOY!!!!![/ol]
 As for an easy dessert idea, you can take an angelfood pound cake and cut into small cubes.  Mix this with a thing of cool whip in a bowl.  Then dump a can of cherry pie filling on top and refrigerate.  Recipe is called cherries in the snow aka Midwestern White Person dessert.  (no offense LOL I lived in Southern Wisconsin for 4 years and picked this one up from a local hahaha).  Enjoy!!


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## rockbot (Jun 2, 2010)

I love animals, they taste good!
 With that said, Porterhouse is by far the best cut of steak. But to be honest with you the best tasting part of a steer is the shank. Very tough meat so we make  ossobucco soup with it. Brown shank meat in a frying pan then add to crock pot with drippings, water, stew tomatoes, garlic, onions, salt and pepper. Cook for 6 hours or when meat falls from bone. Add potatoes and macaroni and cook for 20 more minutes. The best tasting soup ever!

 Check out my grass fed steer last fall at 16 months. Harvested him two weeks ago. Got 500 lbs + of meat packed away and will last us till next summer.

 Aloha, Rocky


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