Recipes & Cuts

How to cook every cut we raise — and what our family makes with it

No middleman, no mystery — just honest beef and honest advice. We cook every one of these cuts ourselves, most weeks, so this page is the same thing we’d tell you across the table: which cut to reach for, how to cook it, and a few tricks the family has picked up along the way. Bought something and not sure what to do with it? Find it below. Planning a meal and not sure what to buy? Start with “I want to make…” Still stuck? Call or text us — we’re glad to help.

I want to make…

BurgersGround Beef or Patty Pack
Tacos, sloppy joes, meat sauceGround Beef
Chicken-fried steakCube Steak
Beef tips & gravySirloin Tip Roast or Stew Meat
Stir-fryFajita Meat or Sirloin Tip Roast, sliced thin
Philly cheesesteakRibeye or Sirloin Steak, shaved thin
Pot roastChuck Roast or Chuck Tender
Beef stewStew Meat
ChiliGround Beef, Stew Meat or diced Tri Tip
Braised or BBQ short ribsShort Ribs
Smoked brisketBrisket
Birria or barbacoaChuck Tender or Short Ribs
Lengua tacosBeef Tongue
Bone broth & stockSoup Bones
Steakhouse dinnerRibeye, NY Strip, T-Bone or Filet Mignon
Great steak, smaller budgetSirloin Steak, Chuck Eye, Denver, Flatiron
Fajitas or carne asadaFajita Meat, Outside Skirt or Flank
Sunday roast that carves like steakTri Tip
Kebabs & skewersSirloin Tip Roast or Sirloin Steak
Churrasco on the grillPicanha
Beef StroganoffFilet Mignon, diced
Osso buccoOsso Bucco (Shank)
Roast beef sandwichesRump Roast, sliced thin
Sunday pot roastChuck Roast or Shoulder Roast
Liver & onionsBeef Liver
Rendering tallowPackaged Fat
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Hot & Fast

Grill or sear — high, dry heat, then rest

Ribeye

Premium

Our most marbled steak — rich, beefy, forgiving.

Cook it · Hot and fast; pull at medium-rare. Good at any temperature, but the rarer it is, the juicier.

Make it · A steakhouse dinner, or shaved thin for a Philly cheesesteak.

★ From the family

Try a dry brine: salt the steaks thoroughly and rest them uncovered in the fridge overnight, or at least 2 hours. Season again as you cook, and finish with a pat of compound butter — herbs whipped into softened butter, whatever flavors you like — melting over the top before serving.

NY Strip

Premium

Firm, beefy, classic.

Cook it · Sear hard; don’t push past medium. The more done it gets, the less juicy and the tougher.

Make it · A steakhouse dinner, or slice it into strips.

★ From the family

This is a great steak for any meal built on beef strips — slice it thin and it shines in pasta dishes, potato dishes, and rice dishes.

T-Bone

Premium

Two steaks on one bone — NY Strip on the big side, filet on the small.

Cook it · Sear hard, then finish with indirect heat. The filet side cooks faster, so angle it away from the hottest part of the fire.

Make it · A steakhouse dinner for one, with a bone to gnaw on.

Filet Mignon

Premium

Lean, tender, mild — very little fat.

Cook it · High heat, rare to medium-rare only.

Make it · A steakhouse dinner, or diced into other dishes.

★ From the family

Best medium-rare to medium — there’s so little fat that it can taste dry cooked any further. Beyond a steak, dice it for Beef Stroganoff, or use it in any pasta dish that calls for cubed or strip beef.

Chuck Eye Steak

Workhorse

The “poor man’s ribeye” — the same muscle, one cut up the shoulder.

Cook it · Just like a ribeye; best at medium-rare.

Make it · A great steak on a smaller budget.

Flatiron

Workhorse

From the shoulder — the second-most-tender cut on the steer.

Cook it · Hot sear; trim the line of sinew down the center.

Make it · A great everyday grilling steak, easy on the budget.

Denver Steak

Workhorse

Marbled, tender, and underrated — cut from the chuck.

Cook it · Sear hot and fast like a sirloin; slice against the grain.

Make it · A great steak on a smaller budget.

Sirloin Steak

Premium

Lean, full-flavored, and the best value on the steak list.

Cook it · Sear and rest; don’t overcook.

Make it · Kebabs and skewers, shaved thin for a Philly, or a budget steakhouse plate.

Tri Tip

Premium

A roast that grills like a giant steak — eats like a leaner sirloin.

Cook it · Reverse-sear whole, then slice thin against the grain.

Make it · A Sunday roast that carves like steak, or diced into chili and other beef-cube dishes.

★ From the family

Go Santa Maria style: coat it heavily in salt, pepper, and garlic and cook over charcoal until a good crust forms and it hits about 125–130°F (medium to medium-rare). Rest, then cut against the grain. It’s also really good diced into chili.

Picanha

Premium

The top-sirloin cap with the fat left on — the Brazilian steakhouse cut.

Cook it · Score the fat cap, grill, and slice across the grain.

Make it · Churrasco on the grill.

★ From the family

Big beef flavor and a good tender bite — but how you slice it makes the difference. Watch a quick video on cutting picanha before your first one; that’s what gets you the tender bite you’re after.

★ ★ ★

Bold & Lean

Marinate, sear fast, slice thin across the grain

Flank Steak

Workhorse

Strong, long grain; lean and bold.

Cook it · Marinate, grill hot and fast, slice thin against the grain.

Make it · Fajitas, carne asada, or sliced thin for stir-fry.

Outside Skirt Steak

Workhorse

The fajita and carne asada cut — loose grain, extra beefy.

Cook it · Very hot, very fast; slice thin across the grain.

Make it · Fajitas and carne asada.

★ From the family

This is the Argentine asado cut, the entraña — so treat it that way. Grill it hot, then spoon a bright chimichurri over it the second it comes off the heat. Put a provoleta (grilled provolone) on the side and you’ve got the real thing.

Sirloin Tip Roast

Workhorse

Lean and firm, cut from the hip.

Cook it · Roast it whole, or slice thin for stir-fry and kebabs.

Make it · Beef tips and gravy, stir-fry, kebabs and skewers.

Fajita Meat

Workhorse

Already sliced into strips — the prep is done.

Cook it · Very hot, very fast. Get the skillet screaming, work in batches so it sears instead of steams.

Make it · Fajitas, of course — but also stir-fry, steak tacos, or a rice bowl.

★ ★ ★

Low & Slow

Braise, smoke & stew — moisture and time, not a quick steak

Chuck Tender

Workhorse

Not tender, despite the name — a lean braising roast.

Cook it · Low and slow with liquid only. Don’t grill it.

Make it · Pot roast, birria, or barbacoa.

Brisket

Workhorse

Big and collagen-rich.

Cook it · Smoke or braise 10–14 hours; patience turns the collagen to silk.

Make it · Smoked brisket.

Short Ribs

Workhorse

Rich and meaty on the bone.

Cook it · Braise until fork-tender, or smoke low and slow until it falls off the bone.

Make it · Braised or BBQ short ribs, birria, or barbacoa.

Stew Meat

Workhorse

Trimmed pieces built for liquid.

Cook it · Brown first, then simmer in liquid until tender.

Make it · Beef stew, chunky chili, soups, beef tips and gravy.

Beef Tongue

Specialty

Tender and mild once it’s cooked down.

Cook it · Simmer or braise until tender, peel, then slice.

Make it · Tacos de lengua.

Chuck Roast

Workhorse

The classic Sunday pot roast.

Cook it · Sear it hard, then braise covered at 300°F for 3–4 hours until it shreds with a fork.

Make it · Pot roast with carrots and potatoes, or shredded for sandwiches.

Shoulder Roast

Workhorse

Leaner than the chuck, but it still wants time.

Cook it · Low and moist — braise or slow-cook. It will dry out if you roast it hot and dry.

Make it · Braised roast, or shredded for tacos and sandwiches.

Rump Roast

Workhorse

Lean rear-leg roast with real beef flavor.

Cook it · Roast low (275°F) to medium-rare, no further — pull at 130°F and rest. Slice thin against the grain.

Make it · Roast beef for sandwiches, or a Sunday roast that carves clean.

Osso Bucco (Shank)

Specialty

Cross-cut shank, marrow bone in the middle — the whole point.

Cook it · Brown it, then braise covered in wine and stock for 2½–3 hours until it falls off the bone.

Make it · Classic osso bucco over risotto or polenta, finished with gremolata. Dig the marrow out.

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Everyday

Pan, grind & stock

Cube Steak

Workhorse

Already tenderized and ready to go.

Cook it · Quick pan-fry, or smother and braise.

Make it · Chicken-fried steak.

Ground Beef

Ground

The everyday workhorse of the freezer.

Cook it · Cook through to 160°F.

Make it · Burgers, tacos, sloppy joes, meat sauce, chili, meatloaf.

Patty Pack

Ground

Pre-formed burgers, ready when you are.

Cook it · Straight to the grill or griddle; cook through to 160°F.

Make it · Burgers, fast.

Soup Bones

Specialty

The start of any good stock.

Cook it · Roast first, then simmer low and long.

Make it · Rich stock and bone broth.

Beef Liver

Specialty

Old-school, iron-rich, and cheap protein done right.

Cook it · Slice thin and cook FAST — 2 minutes a side, still pink inside. Overcook it and it turns to shoe leather. Soak in milk 30 minutes first to mellow it.

Make it · Liver and onions, or blitzed into a pâté.

Packaged Fat

Specialty

Trim fat, packaged for rendering.

Cook it · Render it: cube small, melt low and slow (225°F) for a few hours, strain. Store the tallow in the fridge.

Make it · Beef tallow for frying, roasting potatoes, or searing steaks.

No cuts match that search. Try a cut name like “brisket” or a dish like “chili.”
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A word on doneness

Pull tender steaks at 130–135°F for medium-rare and rest them five minutes — they keep climbing off the heat. Cook ground beef to 160°F. When in doubt, ask us; we cook these every week.

Don’t see your dish? Ask us at the market or give us a call — we’ll point you to the right cut.