Best Cuts Of Beef For Tartar
Knowing that tender, flavorful beef is a prerequisite for preparing tartar, selecting the best cuts of beef is important. While there are a wide variety of cuts of beef, some are more preferable because of their tender texture and exceptional flavor that comes from high fat content. The high fat content is seen by the white marbling on high quality cuts of beef.
Some of the best cuts of beef for tartar include:
- Tenderloin-This is by far your best cut of beef for tartar as it the most tender cut of beef and contains just the right amount of fat for flavor. This is the cut of beef that is used for filet mignon.
If you are unable to obtain tenderloin, other good options include:
- Top-round
- Eye-of-round
The cut of beef that you choose can literally make or break your homemade tartar. Make sure to choose high quality, grass-fed beef from your local butcher to ensure that you are getting the most tender, freshest beef available.
Selecting The Right Cut Of Beef
First of all, its important to shop for meat at a butcher you trust. Foodborne illnesses from beef tartare are rare because youre starting with a whole muscle rather than ground beef. Youre more likely to get sick eating contaminated romaine, but, still, its important to use the highest quality meat possible.
For a substantial first course, plan on buying 4 oz. of meat per guest. Kostow recommends choosing a flavorful cut with some, but not too much, fat. Chuck, sirloin and ribeye all work well. People do tenderloin, but its kind of boring, says Kostow. He uses the same two- to three-week aged chuck to make his tartare and The Charter Oak Burger. Beef thats aged longer tends to dry out and tighten a bit, which would alter the texture of the dish. Maybe thats something youre going for. Im not viscerally opposed to using super-aged meat, but you have to play with the ratios accordingly, he says.
Bring In The Crunch And Contrast
Tartare needs contrast. One of Kostows favorite versions comes from Ignacio Mattos at New Yorks Estella. Ignacios tartare has dried sunchokes, currants and all these seemingly incongruent things, but its super good, he says.
Chopped parsley, capers, shallots and cornichons are classic components. More modern mix-ins might include pickled chiles, fried shallots, nori, fermented radish, or pumpkin seeds. If you plan on incorporating crunch into the beef mixture, aim for a scant tablespoon or less per ounce of beef. You also can add components as a garnish, as Kostow does, which makes every bite a little different.
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The Tatars And Raw Meat
A popular caricature of Mongol warriorscalled Tatars or Tartarshas them tenderizing meat under their saddles, then eating it raw. This story was popularized by Jean de Joinville in the 13th century, although he never actually encountered Mongols himself and used the story as a way of showing that the Tartars were uncivilized. It is possible that this story was a confusion originating in the use of thin slices of meat to protect saddle sores from further rubbing.
Raw Datawhat Is The Difference Between Ceviche And Tartaresafety Concerns
Because serving raw beef is a fairly uncommon practice people often want to know if its safe to eat. The short answer is, as long as youre working with quality beef and you keep it refrigerated until serving, there is little cause for alarm when serving and eating beef or steak tartare. As with any raw food, there is a heightened possibility of foodborne illness so take a bit of extra precaution when selecting and preparing the beef for tartare.
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Steak Tartare: A Story Beyond Rare
Discover the journey of Steak Tartare. From a Mongol warrior snack, to a posh Parisian dish and it’s return to the popular menu…
Kathryn Tomasetti is an award-winning food and travel writer whose work appears in Delicious and The Guardian. Her favourite food is artichokes.
Like pufferfish or sell-by-date sushi, ordering Steak Tartare exudes a devil-may-care attitude. Buying cheap doubles the risk. Perching an Asda yolk atop a pound of mince is a lottery as to which ingredient will kill you first? Even preparing the dish at home – a five-minute prep that garners wows of excitement – smacks of a stuntmans penance.
Steak Tartares reputation canters with its cavalier history. The dish supposedly dovetails with Genghis Khans Mongol warriors, who conquered Europe by horse. Legend states that these Tatars, or mounted nomads, would secrete a piece of horsemeat under the saddle prior to a days marauding. By nightfall the tenderised piece of equine putty could be munched with a glass of mares milk. Or, in extremis, a shot of plasma from a blooded animal. There was no place of snowflakes in the Golden Horde.
Easy Homemade Beef Tartare
Heads up carnivores: You can learn How to Make Classic Steak Tartare in just a few simple steps. Its like fine dining, but at home!
This classic French recipe is easy to find in bistros, cafes, and restaurants around Europe. I played with the flavor profile in this steak tartare recipe to include traditional French ingredients while still putting my own playful spin on it. Every bite is bold, acidic, and still completely satisfying.
If youve never tried raw meat before, I urge you to start now! Spicy Salmon Sashimi is one of my favorite meals because you dont miss out on any of the natural flavors in the meat. The same is true in beef tartare, where the lean and beefy flavors are the star of the show. A few extra ingredients, like capers, shallots, cornichons, and mustard only amplify these delicious flavors!
Important note: Raw eggs and beef are not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems.
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How To Make Classic Steak Tartare
Choosing Your Cuts Of Beef
When selecting cuts of beef to make your tartar from home, you want the cuts that are the most tender and flavorful. This is especially true because you will not have the benefit of using various cooking methods such as braising to make the meat tender. Thus, selecting the most tender, flavorful cuts of beef is recommended.
Generally, you should avoid cuts of meat that contain a lot of connective tissue and sinews. You dont want to get a mouthful of the connective tissue and sinews as it can be unpleasantly chewy. If you are unsure which cuts of beef contain the least amounts of connective tissues and sinew, talk to your local butcher and let them know that you are interested in making beef tartar from home and you want the most tender cuts of beef available. They should be able to present cuts of beef that are most ideal.
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Is Steak Tartare Safe To Eat
Steak tartare which is actually finely chopped or ground beef served raw is, as Newsweek describes it, “meat in its platonic ideal.” Although the publication admits that the dish is potentially risky due to the ever-present possibility of foodborne illness, still, it is “delicious partly because it is dangerous” and not all that dangerous, either. In fact, eating rare or even raw beef may be safer, in some ways, than consuming overcooked beef, as excessive charring can be carcinogenic, they say.
McGill University‘s Office for Science and Society explains that, while food poisoning from steak tartare isn’t entirely unknown, it does tend to be unusual due to the fact that this dish is typically limited to “high-end restaurants where hygiene is the rule” and the meat used comes from reliable butchers. However, it must be noted that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that raw ground beef can never be considered safe due to the fact that potentially harmful bacteria on the meat’s surface bacteria can be spread throughout the dish. They recommend that steak tartare or other raw meat dishes such as carpaccio should never be consumed by anyone with a compromised immune system or in another high-risk category for food poisoning very young, very old, or pregnant.
Plating The Steak Tartare
You can just pile the tartare up honestly , but if you want to get fancy, use a cookie cutter as a mold!
Then pile the plate with minced shallot, capers, pickled veggies, and toasts.
Add the egg as the final touch, plus maybe an extra drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt.
Steak Tartare is a classy dish, no doubt, but one that you can definitely make at home. Buy good, fresh meat, treat it well, and enjoy.
Have questions or suggestions? Ask away in the comments!
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Drinks To Pair With Steak Tartare
Because you might save this one for a dinner party or special event, it may be helpful to learn what wines and beers pair best with beef tartare.
Chowhounds resident sommelier and general drinks nerd, Pamela Vachon, reminds that steak tartare is still steak, after all, with added richness, so classic beef pairings with a little heft and grip still hold up, like a big Cabernet Sauvignon or a meaty Syrah. Or, if you like your tartare with a little extra spice, something with some sweetness like an off-dry Riesling gives a nice counterpoint to the heat. And dont worry if wines not your thing: Theres always beer, says Vachon. An extremely rare burger sometimes just begs for a crisp, refreshing pilsner or Kolsch. Sufferfest, a newer brewery in San Francisco makes a dandy Kolsch called Repeat brewed with bee pollen that would do just the trick.
How To Garnish Steak Tartare
The finished tartare can be served with toasted bread. Rye or French baguette are popular choices for toast, just be sure its something sturdy enough to hold a heaping scoop of beef tartare without folding. Capers, anchovies, or bright and salty cornichon pickles are good to cut through the rich beef and egg. The raw beef dish can also be served over a bed of greens or with a small side of french fries .
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Classic Steak Tartare Recipe
Chowhound
This recipe is as classic as it gets. The rich beef gets a salty umami tang from the anchovies and heat from a few dashes of Tabasco. As you already know, any good beef or steak tartare starts with good beef. From there you can tinker with the flavorings and accompaniments but keep in mind a balance of salt, umami, and bright herb is ideal for this dish. Get our Classic Steak Tartar recipe.
Header image by Shutterstock.
How To Prepare And Cut Beef Tartare
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Theres A Theatre To Steak Tartare As With All The Finer Things In Life It Calls For Only The Finest Quality Ingredients If Ever You Decide To Treat Yourself To This Delicate Luxury At A Restaurant That Makes The Dish At Your Table Youll Find Its Classic Serving Method Equally As Indulgent It All Happens On A Well
More often than not, the utterance of the words raw meat results in a sharp inhalation of breath , a puckering of the mouth and a bewildered frown. It triggers an inborn phobia in most of us, like something weve inherited from our ancient ancestors. In truth, raw meat can be risky business, which is why Ive always maintained that my relationship with my butcher is one of my most valuable. Trust and you have nothing to fear. And when it comes to steak tartare, make sure you use only the highest quality beefsteak cuts, like filet mignon, tenderloin or sirloin accept no substitutes.Legend has it that steak tartare got its name from the Tatars , who enjoyed eating horse meat. All true so far, but this is where we might be venturing into the realm of fiction: because they didnt have ready access to fire, they are said to have tenderised their meat under their saddles to enjoy raw. But as with most stories behind the names of dishes, its origins are probably very simple. As simple as the fact that steak tartare is usually served with sauce tartare, which hardly classifies as a story.
Popularization Of Raw Meat In Europe And The United States
In the late 19th century, the Hamburg steak became popular on the menus of many restaurants in the port of New York. This kind of fillet was beef minced by hand, lightly salted and often smoked, and usually served raw in a dish along with onions and bread crumbs. Hamburg steak gained popularity because of its ease of preparation and decreasing cost. This is evident from its detailed description in some of the most popular cookbooks of the day. Documents show that this preparation style was used by 1887 in some U.S. restaurants and was also used for feeding patients in hospitals the Hamburg steak was served raw or lightly cooked and was accompanied by a raw egg.
It is not known when the first restaurant recipe for steak tartare appeared. While not providing a clear name, it’s possible that the dish was popularized in Paris by restaurateurs who misunderstood ‘s description of “Koulbat” in his 1875 novel Michael Strogoff.
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How To Make Steak Tartare At Home
Every Friday, Cara Nicoletti of The Meat Hook helps us get to know our favorite cuts of meat a little bit better — and introduces us to a few new ones, too. Read on, study up, then hightail it to your nearest butcher.
Today: And here you thought tartare was only something to be ordered in steakhouses. Cara shows us how to make our own, at home.
Because the raw beef is really the main event here, despite all the toppings, its best to use a cut thats super flavorful. This means choosing a muscle thats worked a little bit harder than something like filet mignon. You want the cut to be very lean and free of sinew and connective tissue, but it doesnt necessarily have to be the most tender — youre going to mince or grind it anyway. My favorite cut for tartare is top round, which comes off the leg: Its a lean and moderately tender cut that is super flavorful and easy to trim. I highly recommend using grass-fed beef, which will naturally be leaner and have a clean, delicious, minerally flavor that lends itself well to tartare. Add all the toppings you want, mince it or grind it — the one non-negotiable with steak tartare is this: You must buy good, fresh beef. I always tell you this, I know, but when youre eating steak raw it is particularly important to buy it from a source you trust to only sell the freshest meat. My go-to recipe, below, fries the capers first for texture and adds a nice dose of anchovy paste, which makes the beef really sing.
What Cut Of Meat Is Steak Tartare
4/5tenderloinfilet mignontenderloin
Keeping this in consideration, is steak tartare raw meat?
Steak tartare is a meat dish made from raw ground beef or horsemeat. It is often served with a raw egg yolk on top of the dish. The name tartare is sometimes generalized to other raw meat or fish dishes.
Similarly, where does steak tartare come from? The adaptation of the extra garnishes most likely originated in Germany, Steak Tartar was most probably introduced to them by the Russians who learned the dish from their Tatar conquerors, and then exporting it to Europe via German contacts.
People also ask, is steak tartare safe?
The dish, also known as tiger meat, or steak tartare, is dangerous because it is uncooked, meaning it can still contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, which are only killed by cooking ground beef to 160 degrees F. Don’t become a statistic this year. Raw meat is never safe to consume.
Can you make steak tartare at home?
Then pile the plate with minced shallot, capers, pickled veggies, and toasts. Add the egg as the final touch, plus maybe an extra drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt. Steak Tartare is a classy dish, no doubt, but one that you can definitely make at home. Buy good, fresh meat, treat it well, and enjoy.
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