The Wonderful World of Artisan Beef Cuts and How to Cook Them
By Provenir
Did you know that the premium steak cuts of eye fillet, scotch and porterhouse make up only 7.5% of an entire beef carcase? So what makes up the other 92.5%??? Well admittedly there is a lot of bone (think amazing Provenir’s “The Best Bone Broth”) and a lot of fat (think amazing Provenir’s “ The Good Fat”) but there is also a world of wonderful Artisan cuts that can provide the core ingredient for some of the best home cooked meals, although preparing some of these lesser known beef cuts may be daunting at first.
Everyone knows of the popular cuts of beef such as eye fillet, scotch fillet steak, porterhouse steak and topside roast. However, within a whole beef carcase there are a range of lesser-known cuts of beef that have incredible flavour and can be used to create a range of truly special home-cooked recipes. These beef cuts can be a little harder to find and are (unfortunately) often used for mince. We believe that these cuts should be celebrated (and enjoyed!) rather than being relegated to minced beef and whole heartedly believe that these alternative cuts of beef create some of the best dishes.
Different Types of Artisan Cuts
While there are a range of different ways that artisan butchers can break down a beef carcase, the Provenir method is focused on highlighting the exceptional quality of the meat while ensuring that no part of the animal is wasted and each beast is utilised from nose to tail. With a good recipe in hand, Artisan cuts can create truly exceptional dishes that are full of flavour and will surely become family favourites. Below we will talk a little about some of these lesser known cuts and provide an introductory insight into how to cook them.
Above: Provenir at Barrio Byron Bay.
Bavette
Bavette steak (or flank steak) is a lean, loosely textured and flavourful cut from the rear underside of the beast. This cut is highly valued by chefs for succulent beef dishes and can be found in many high-end restaurants. Although bavette may be a cut that is often only found at traditional artisan butcher shops in Australia, it is a truly special steak when cooked with care (like any beef steak, really).
How to cook Bavette Steak
It’s recommended to cook Bavette steak on a high heat for a short period of time – season and drizzle some olive oil on the meat before taking it to the pan, then cook to rare or medium rare (approximately 2-3 minutes on each side). They key is to avoid turning the steak more than once to ensure that the moisture is retained in the meat – this cut is quite lean and may quickly become dry if overcooked. The final stage is to rest the meat in a warm place (such as an oven on a keep-warm temperature) for around 20 minutes. Slice the meat into thin strips and serve with your favourite sides.
Rump Fillet or Pachanya
This cut is often considered to have more flavour than other cuts of beef and is extremely versatile. The Pachanya as it is known in South America is often referred to as the Rump Fillet or Rump D-Cap steak is a tender selection of beef, full of flavour and can be cooked in a variety of ways including frying or grilling. Alternatively, cut the steak into smaller pieces of diced beef or beef strips for use in curries and stir fries.
How to Cook Rump Fillet
Rump fillet steak can be cooked in much the same way as bavette, however this cut may be cooked beyond medium-rare if that is to your liking – we always love our steaks cooked rare here at Provenir, but appreciate that everyone has their own taste. Rump fillet typically requires a little less resting time – although as a general rule of thumb, the longer the meat is rested the better (think 10-12 minutes under foil). Alternatively, rump steak is ideal to dice and use in a rich curry such as beef massaman.
Flat Iron
Cut from the shoulder of the beef carcase, flat iron steak comes from the oyster blade … which has nothing to do with seafood! The flat iron commonly has more marbling than some of the leaner cuts and consequently has a delicious, rich flavour. The flavour of this cut is often complemented by marinades – rosemary, garlic and red wine is one of our favourites however the options are endless!
How to Cook Flat Iron Steak
In contrast to the previously discussed cuts of beef, flat iron steak is best cooked by quickly searing in a medium–hot pan and then grilling over medium heat until cooked to your liking. Best results can be achieved by bringing the meat out of the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking. When preparing any cut of beef it is recommended to bring the meat to room temperature before taking it to the pan to ensure even cooking of the meat and optimum results. Flavourful (and delicious) flat iron steak is also ideal for braising and is delightful served with classic mashed potato and pan gravy.
Girello
Also known as eye round or white roast, the Girello is a very lean cut of beef with no marbling or fat content that is sourced from the rear leg of the carcase. Roasted rare to medium rare and sliced thinly this meat is beautifully tender and also makes great steak tartare or a pastrami with some care and skill.
How to Cook a Girello Roast
Due to its limited fat content, this cut of meat is well suited to reasonably fast, higher heat preparation rather than low and slow cooking. A beautiful roast meat, Girello can be cooked in a medium oven (160 degrees celsius) for around 60 minutes for rare beef, depending on the size of the piece. Cook for an extra ten minutes for medium. Importantly, take care not to overcook the meat in order to avoid it becoming dry, which can happen easily with very lean cuts like this. If you like your meat well done, look toward a bolar blade roast instead.
Bolar Blade Roast
Sourced from the shoulder blade, Bolar is a cut of beef that includes layers of fat and lends itself to low and slow cooking for ultimate flavour and tenderness.
How to Cook a Bolar Blade Roast
This meat is perfect for slow roasting or braising in a slow cooker. To create a succulent roast, this meat can be quickly seared in a frying pan over high heat until the outside is browned. Then transfer the meat to a medium oven (160 degrees celsius) together with onions, stock, red wine and thyme. Cook for approximately 50 minutes (or until cooked to your liking) before resting in foil for approximately 20 minutes.
Above: Flat Iron Steak by Tom Spinks at Brisket & Pickle.
How we put together our online order meat packs
Provenir beef packs are designed to deliver a range of different grass-fed beef cuts proportional to the volume of each cut that we break down in our on-farm butchery. Therefore, Provenir packs will include some cuts that you may not have may never have tried before and these are some of the tastiest cuts of beef. On each of our labels you will find a QR code which will connect you with the farmer who produced that very cut of beef, plus information on that particular cut of meat.
Provenir packs include;
Artisan Grass-Fed Beef Cuts
Bavette, rump fillet and flat iron – exceptional steaks ideally cooked rare to medium rare and served in thinly cut slices.
Premium Grass Fed Steak
Eye fillet, rump steak, porterhouse steak and scotch fillet – classic beef steaks all with their own characteristics of tenderness and flavour profiles.
BBQ & Diced Beef
Quick-cooking cuts of beef ideal for mid-week meals on the go and are perfect for creating kebabs, hamburgers and stir-fries. Alternatively, you can use diced beef for slow cooking in a range of stews and casseroles.
Beef Roasts
Bolar blade, topside roast, chuck steak and silverside – these cuts are perfect for the slow cooker or can be thick cut and diced for a hearty beef curry or braised beef dishes.
Natural Beef Sausages
Provenir sausages are made with grass-fed beef, pepper, salt as well as some herbs and veggies from the garden. A small amount of preservative (223) is used to extend to life of our sausages and burgers, except our Spicy Beef & Beetroot sausage which is preservative free. We also use natural hog casings to create traditional recipe sausages and they are free from wheat flour, rice flour or fillers. Consequently, these are sausages are gluten free.
Provenir grass-fed mince beef is juicy, has great texture and is full of flavour. We love how versatile mince can be, whether you’re cooking a rich pasta sauce, a homemade beef pie or quick and easy tacos, good quality mince will take your cooking to a new level in texture and taste.
How to Purchase Provenir
If you do care about animal welfare, and of course great tasting, high quality meat, visit the Provenir online butcher shop now and find out for yourself why people are trusting Provenir. Provenir enables a connection between you and the farmer, via a unique QR code on each meat pack, that tells you the entire paddock to plate story behind each cut of meat.
You can also keep up to date with Provenir news by signing up to the Provenir newsletter.
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Where to buy
You can have Provenir home delivered, purchase in-store, or experience it first hand at select restaurants.
Home delivered
Order online and receive Provenir beef delivered to your door.
Retail outlets
Find Provenir beef in grocery stores and butchers.
Restaurants
Experience Provenir beef cooked to perfection.