Fun Family Fajitas!

November 16, 2020 Drew George

I was thinking -what would be a great midweek meal that the whole family would enjoy? How about fajitas?

While you could make fajitas from sirloin steak/sandwich steaks/flat iron steak, I like to use FarmEats grass fed beef London Broil because it makes an awesome fajita!

London Broil is a cooking method rather than the part of the beef (of course). Our London Broil is cut from across the grain of the beef shoulder arm roast. London broil can be cut from the beef top round (we use the top round for thinly sliced sandwich steaks).

London Broil is a lean cut of the shoulder and since the shoulder is a well worked part of the cow, it is rich and beefy and tough if overcooked.

The London Broil takes to a marinade very well. I actually tried 2 marinades; one London broil- just a simple salt water brine and the other London broil- I mixed olive oil, tamari, a teaspoon salt, splash red wine, and beef broth. Both marinades I mixed and poured over 2 London broils in 2 separate bowls and put in the refrigerator overnight.

We liked the marinade much better than the brine. The brine works better for poultry (the salty brine enables the meat to get nice and moist- a bit too moist for searing the beef).

I marinaded the whole London broils- it would be better to slice thin the partially frozen London broil first and then marinade (much easier than slicing after the London broil is defrosted in the marinade).

The fun thing about fajitas is that you can make it with any sort of sides that you like: Sautéed onions, garlic and peppers, tomatoes, greens, lettuce, refried beans, cheese, guacamole, or other veggies or sauces.

Best thing to do is prepare any sides and sauces first, and either keep warm or reheat.

Heat up an oiled cast iron pan on the stove top and put the sliced London broil on the pan- try not to crowd the pieces on the pan better to use more pans (or cook in batches).

Sear quick- about 1 minute and a half per side to rare- than remove the meat and put on a cutting board.

Serve out onto platters and let everyone take want they want. Soft tacos or bib lettuce wraps make a nice accompaniment.

Fun Family Fajitas!

FarmEats Grass Fed Beef Cooking Guide!

January 10, 2019 Drew George

There are different ways to break down beef into the various cuts. How the cuts of beef are cooked mainly depend on where the cuts come from the cow. If the parts are used more, the connective tissues and muscles build up, and braising or roasting slowing breaks down the tissues into soft rich beef.
Or if the parts are in an area that doesn't get worked much, then a quick sear or sauté results in a nice and juicy steak.

Steaks;

FarmEats steaks are mainly cut from the lower back of the cow- the loin;
Porterhouse (along the back bone)
NY Strip and Filet Mignon-tenderloin (basically boneless porterhouse), and right under those are Top Sirloin.
Ribeye steaks come from top of the back rib, which has a rich fatty layer, and is rib bone in.
Flat Iron Steak (boneless, a butcher's specialty cut from the shoulder) is cut thinly and needs to be seared quick to rare.
Tri Tip Steak (a butcher's specialty cut from the bottom sirloin- only 2 full tri tips per cow) needs to be seared quick to rare, or braised.
Flank Steak (cut from the flanks of the cow- only 2 flank steaks per cow) needs to be seared quick to rare.
Skirt Steak (cut from plate of the cow, before the Flank Steak- only 2 skirt steaks per cow) needs to be seared quick to rare.
Hanger Steak (cut from the diaphragm, right near the skirt from the cow's flank- only 1 hanger steak) needs to be seared quick to rare.

The steaks are tender and soft and with the right amount of grassy fat, which crisps up nicely when seared to perfection (5 minutes and then 4 minutes on a hot pan/BBQ then let rest for another 5 minutes on a cutting board).

Roasts;

FarmEats roasts are cut from the;
front Chuck Roast (boneless shoulders),
Brisket (the breasts, also boneless) under them are the,
Short Ribs and Dinosaur Plate Ribs both bone-in ribs.
Then the back hind portion -the Round, is where the;
Bottom Round (aka Pot Roast) boneless, and
Stew Beef (knuckle aka sirloin tip roast), cubed into 1 pound boneless stew meat packages.
Shank (aka Osso Buco) from the legs- bone in.

All of these cuts of beef need to be braised in liquid to break down the tight muscle tissues -in beef broth/wine for slow and low, 285 degree oven until meat is soft and tender -about 4 hours+ for rich meaty grass fed beef, and slice thin against the grain!

Top Round (aka roast beef) boneless -oven roasted to rare- an internal temperature of 120, slice thin against the grain.
London Broil (actually a cooking method- is cut from the shoulder) can be BBQ slow or braised.
Sandwich Steaks cut from the Eye Round Roast and are sliced thin by my butcher, to sear quickly for sandwiches or stir fries.