To select good beef. (1) Quality. “Heavy” beef, that is, taken from fat, heavy animals, is the best. It should be mottled with fat all through the lean, and the large masses of fat should be firm and of a creamy white colour. The grain of tender meat is fine. Coarse-grained meat, and meat streaked with connective tissue or gristle, is sure to be tough. (2) Freshness. Fresh beef is a good red colour, modified, when it is very cold, to a purplish shade. If black or greenish in tint the meat is stale, and its odour will be bad. Meat is flabby after it is killed, but soon grows firm. It is in suitable condition for cooking before this change takes place, or some days after it.

Uses of the different cuts. Beef is cut variously in different parts of the country, and the same cuts are not always similarly named. Merely to call the cuts by name would, therefore, make this chapter unintelligible to some readers; but by consulting the accompanying chart the pieces can be selected without reference to their names, according to the part of the animal adapted to each particular use. Those muscles which are much used and which have hard work to do will have the most juice and the best flavour, though, at the same time, they will be the toughest. For instance, all cuts, such as round, shoulder, shin, and rump, which come from the legs or parts by which the legs are connected with the body, will be tough and high-flavoured. The neck also, and upper part of the shoulder, by reason of the support they give to the weight of the head, are tough, although rich in flavour. Any cuts from these parts, by whatever name they are called, are not suitable for cooking with dry heat, such as that of baking, or broiling, but will require long, slow cooking with water to make them tender. Such pieces are the ones to buy for cooking in a hay-box. They do not command the price of the tender cuts from the back of the animal, and it is, therefore, a distinct economy to buy these cheap pieces and by skilful cooking make them digestible and palatable. The parts numbered 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, in Fig. 7 are suitable for stews; those marked 11 and 12, as well as all bones, are suitable for soups. Numbers 2, 5, 6, and 10 may be used for stews or broth, but are adapted also to pot roasts, rolled steaks, cannelon, Hamburg steak, etc., while only numbers 3 and 4 are adapted to roasting or broiling.

Other parts of beef used as food, suitable for cooking in the hay-box or cooker, are:

Brains, stewed or scalloped, or for croquettes.

Heart, stuffed and braised.

Liver, braised.

Tongue, boiled; fresh, corned, or pickled.

Kidneys, stewed.

Tail, soup.

TABLE SHOWING SOME OF THE NAMES GIVEN TO CUTS OF BEEF IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

The numbers indicate the part from which the cuts are taken, as shown on the chart (Fig. No. 7).

• 1. Neck, part of the Rattleran, and Sticking piece.
• 2. Chuck, part of Rattleran.
• 3. Chuck and Rib roasts.
• 4. Sirloin steak, Porter-house steak, Pinbone roast. The latter includes also a part of Number 7.
• 5. Rump, Aitchbone.
• 6. Round.
• 7. Flank, Top of Sirloin.
• 8. Flank, Plate.
• 9. Brisket, Navel.
• 10. Shoulder, Shoulder clod, Rattleran, Bolar, Cross ribs.
• 11. and 12. Fore and hind shin, Soup bones.
• 13. Vein, Veiny piece.

Care of meat. All meat should at once be removed from the wrapping paper when it comes from the store, otherwise the paper absorbs the juices and sticks to the meat. Never put meat into water, except it be such parts as kidney, liver, heart, etc., or the water will soak out the juice which is the part of meat that contains the flavour. Wipe it with a clean, wet cloth, and keep it in a cool place. If it must be kept longer than is safe for raw meat, it may be partially cooked, cooled quickly, and kept cold till time to complete the cooking.

Cooking meat. If meat is put into cold water and gradually heated to the boiling point, a large proportion of the juice will be extracted. The meat will thus be rendered tasteless and the water will contain the flavouring matter. Long cooking in water dissolves the gelatine of the bones and connective tissue. These effects are desirable for soups and broths, but undesirable when the meat itself is also to be used.

If meat is put into boiling water, allowed to boil a few minutes, and then cooked a long time at a lower temperature, the albumen of the juice is hardened on the surface of the meat and the remaining juice is thus kept to a considerable extent. The long cooking may then soften the tough tissue while the meat retains much of its flavour, the water becoming also flavoured. This is desirable for stews, meat pies, pot roasts, poultry, etc., in which cases meat and liquor are both to be served.

Braised Beef

Wipe the beef with a wet cloth, cut off any tough ends and bone if it will not mar the appearance of the meat, as these parts will not become palatable in the length of time required for the remainder of the roast. They will be found useful for soups, stews, cannelon of beef, Hamburg steak, and such dishes. Roast the meat in a hot oven for half an hour, transfer it quickly to a cooker utensil, add enough boiling water to nearly cover it, let the whole become very hot in the oven, and place it quickly in the cooker. The time that is required for completing the cooking will depend upon the size of the piece and the degree of cooking desired. A five-pound roast may be cooked four hours, and if not found done to taste, it can be reheated to boiling point and cooked longer. A larger roast will require more time in the cooker. If preferred, the meat may first be partially cooked in the hay-box and browned in the oven afterward. It must then be boiled for half an hour, cooked three or more hours in the cooker, and then roasted. Lay a piece of raw fat on top of the roast, or baste it with drippings to assist in the browning.

Pot Roast

• 3 lbs. beef rump
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion
• Salt and pepper
• 2 small carrots
• 2 sprigs parsley
• ¹/₂ teaspoon celery seed, or
• ¹/₄ cup celery, cut in pieces
• Flour
• ¹/₂ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Have the butcher bone and roll the meat, dredge it well with salt, pepper, and flour, and brown it on all sides in a frying-pan with a little of the fat from the meat, or one or two tablespoons of beef drippings or pork fat. Put all the ingredients together in a small cooker-pail, let it simmer thirty minutes, set it into a larger pail of boiling water and put into a cooker for nine hours or more. Reheat it to boiling point; strain and thicken the liquor for gravy. Round of beef may be used for pot roast, but it is drier than the rump, which has some fat on it. Four or five pounds of rump will make three pounds when boned. Have the bone sent from the market to use for soup stock.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Beef À la Mode

• 3 lbs. beef from the round
• 1 oz. fat, salt pork
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon pepper
• Flour
• 1 onion
• ¹/₈ teaspoon allspice
• ¹/₈ teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 cloves
• 2 tablespoons rendered beef fat
• Water to nearly cover it

Wash the meat, lard it with the pork cut into strips, or gash it deeply and insert the pork in the gashes. Dredge it with the salt, pepper, and flour, and fry it in the beef fat till well browned on all sides. Put the meat and other ingredients into a two or three quart cooker-pail or pan, and nearly cover the meat with boiling water. Let it simmer for half an hour, then stand the pail in a larger cooker-pail of boiling water and put it into a cooker for from nine to twelve hours. Unless several times this recipe is cooked at once, do not allow the meat to cook more than twelve hours, or it may ferment. Reheat it before serving. Strain and thicken the gravy.

Serves ten or twelve persons.

Corned Beef

Order eight or ten pounds of rump of beef corned for four days. Put it into a large cooker-pail and fill the pail with cold water. When it boils, allow it to simmer for thirty or forty minutes, then put it into a hay-box for ten or twelve hours. Reheat it before serving it. If ordinary corned beef is used it will be more delicate if, when it is allowed to come to a boil, the water is changed and fresh boiling water added. It may then be cooked as directed above for that specially corned.

Serves twenty or twenty-five persons.

Boiled Dinner

• 2 lbs. lean, salt pork
• 3 turnips
• 4 beets
• 2 carrots
• 1 head cabbage
• 12 potatoes
• ¹/₂ teaspoon pepper
• Water to cover

Wash the pork and gash it in slices; wash and pare the vegetables. If preferred, the beets may be cooked separately, without paring them. Put all, except the potatoes, into the cooker-pail and cover them with boiling water. When boiling let them cook ten minutes on the stove, then put the pail into the cooker for six hours or more. Add the potatoes, reheat it to boiling point, and replace it in the cooker for two hours. If more salt or pepper is required add it when the potatoes are put in. In order to save time the potatoes may be cooked separately, drained and added to the dinner before bringing it to a boil for serving. Corned beef may be used in place of pork, if preferred.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Beef Stew À la Mode

• 1¹/₂ lbs. beef brisket
• Flour
• 4 tablespoons rendered fat
• 1 onion
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 6 cloves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 slices lemon
• ¹/₈ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¹/₈ teaspoon nutmeg
• Water to cover (about 1 pt.)

Buy two and one-half or three pounds of brisket to get one and one-half pounds of clear, lean meat. Cut the meat into one inch pieces, roll them in flour, and fry them in the fat till brown. The onion may be sliced and added when the meat is nearly brown. Put the meat with the other ingredients into a small cooker-pail, cover it with hot water, boil for ten minutes, and cook it in a hay-box for five hours or more. If left for many hours the meat becomes a trifle dry, but otherwise the stew is not injured by overcooking. The gravy may be thickened, if desired, with flour and water mixed together in equal parts. The bones may be put in with the stew during the cooking and removed before serving, or they may be used to make soup stock.

Serves five or six persons.

Stuffed Rolled Steak

• 1 flank steak
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¹/₂ teaspoon thyme or summer savoury
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Wash the steak and remove the membrane that covers it, unless that has been done at the market. Make a stuffing of the crumbs, melting the butter and adding the crumbs and other ingredients to it. If the steak is large enough, use more stuffing than one cupful. Spread the stuffing over the meat to within two inches of the edge. Roll and skewer or tie it into shape. Brown it well on all sides in a dry frying-pan, or dredge it with flour and fry it in rendered beef fat. Lay it in a small cooker-pail or pan. Make two cupfuls of Brown Sauce, or enough to cover the roll. Boil the roll for two minutes and set the pail in a larger pail of boiling water. Put it for five or six hours into a cooker. When it is to be served, remove the string or skewers, lay the roll on a platter, and pour the gravy over it.

Round steak, cut about one-half inch thick, may be used. Remove the bone before rolling it.

Beef Stew with Dumplings

• 2 cups cooked or raw beef
• 2 cups raw or cooked potatoes
• ²/₃ cup tomato
• 1 onion, cut in slices
• 4 tablespoons rendered fat or butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• ¹/₃ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1¹/₂ cups water, or more

If cooked meat and potatoes are used, cut them in three-quarter-inch dice, make a brown sauce of the fat, flour, seasoning, and water, add the vegetables and meat and enough water to just cover the stew. Place the dumplings on top, boil it for five minutes, and cook in a hay-box for one and one-quarter hours. If the meat is tough it will be better to treat it like raw beef. If raw beef is used, cut it in pieces, bring it to a boil with the water, and put it into the cooker for three or four hours before adding the other ingredients.

Dumplings for Stew

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons lard or butter
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ¹/₂ teaspoon salt
• ³/₄ to 1 cup water

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together, work the fat into them with the fingers, or cut it in with a knife. Add enough water to make a stiff dough. Drop it by tablespoonfuls on the top of the stew. The dumplings should rest on the meat and vegetables, as they will not be so light if submerged in the gravy.

Serves six or seven persons.

Irish Stew

• 3 cups meat
• 2 cups potatoes
• ¹/₂ cup turnip
• ¹/₂ cup carrot
• ¹/₃ cup onion
• ¹/₂ cup celery
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon pepper
• ¹/₃ cup flour
• 4 tablespoons rendered fat
• 3 cups water

Wash and cut about two pounds of beef, from the leg, brisket or other cheap cuts, into one-inch pieces. Remove most of the fat, or all of it, if desired. Wash and pare the turnip and carrot and cut them into small pieces. Pare the potatoes and cut them into one-inch cubes. Slice the onion and cut the celery into small pieces. Roll the meat in the flour and fry it till it is brown in the fat. Put all the ingredients, except the remaining flour, into a cooker-pail and, when boiling, put them into a cooker for five hours. Mix the remaining flour with an equal quantity of cold water. Stir it into the stew, and when it has boiled it is ready to serve. It will not be harmed by being kept hot in the cooker for another hour or more.

Serves eight or ten persons.

Cannelon of Beef

• 1 lb. lean beef, chopped
• Grated rind ¹/₄ lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon scraped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter or rendered fat beef
• ¹/₈ tablespoon nutmeg
• ¹/₂ tablespoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs

Mix in the order given, add the eggs, which have been slightly beaten, put it into a well-greased one-quart brown bread mould or water-tight can. Stand the mould in a large pail of water, arranged on a rack, if necessary to raise the top of the mould to the level of the top of the pail. Fill the pail with boiling water, to within one-third of the top of the mould. Boil it for one-half hour and put it into a cooker for four hours. If several times this recipe is used, and put into larger moulds, it should be boiled a longer time. It is good served hot, with brown sauce, or cold.

Serves six or eight persons.

Meat Pie

• 2 cups cooked or raw meat
• 2 cups potatoes
• 1 cup tomatoes
• 2 sprigs parsley, chopped
• ¹/₂ teaspoon celery salt
• 2 onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon pepper
• ¹/₄ cup flour
• 1 bay leaf, broken fine
• Water (about 1 pt.)

If cooked meat is used, cut it into three-quarter-inch cubes. Cut the potatoes into similar pieces, slice the onions, put all the ingredients, but the flour, together in a cooker-pail or pan, add the boiling water, and, when boiling, add the flour mixed to a paste with an equal quantity of water. Boil five minutes and put it into a cooker for two hours or more. Raw meat will require five hours or more. If the stewed mixture is not in a pan suitable for baking, transfer it to a baking-pan or dish, cover with a crust and bake for one-half hour.

Crust for Meat Pie

• 1¹/₂ cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ¹/₃ teaspoon salt
• 1¹/₂ tablespoons butter
• ¹/₂ cup water, or more

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, work in the fat, and put in enough water to make a dough stiff enough to roll on a board. Roll it out to the dish and bake it. An inverted cup in the centre of the pie, under the crust, will prevent the gravy from boiling over during the baking.

Serves six or eight persons.

Braised Beef’s Liver

• 1 liver
• ¹/₄ lb. fat salt pork
• 1 onion
• Flour
• Fat
• 2 teaspoons sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon pepper
• Water to cover

Lard the liver with the pork. Dredge it with flour and brown it in a frying-pan, with rendered beef or pork fat or butter. Put it into a cooker-pail or pan just large enough to hold it. Cover it with boiling water, boil it for five minutes, set the pail in a larger cooker-pail of boiling water, and put it into a cooker for ten hours or more. Reheat it and serve it on a platter, cutting it through, but not separating the slices. Pour over it the gravy, which has been strained and thickened with flour and water mixed to a paste.

The number of persons that it will serve depends upon the size of the liver. Allow one pound for three or four persons.

Beef Kidney

Wash and soak two kidneys in a large amount of water, for several hours or over night, changing the water at least once. Cut them open, rinse them and put them on to boil in boiling salted water to barely cover them, in a small cooker-pail. Let them boil five minutes, set the pail in a larger pail of boiling water, and cook them ten hours or more in a cooker. When tender, remove the tubes and membranes and slice the kidneys. Thicken as much of the gravy as you wish to use, with one-fourth of a cupful of flour mixed with one-fourth of a cupful of water to each pint of gravy. Add the sliced kidneys and serve them when they are boiling hot.

Stuffed Heart

• 1 heart
• ¹/₂ cup crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¹/₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ¹/₂ teaspoon powdered thyme
• 1 thick slice bacon
• Flour

Wash the heart, remove the arteries and veins and squeeze out any clots of blood that there may be. Stuff it with the soft bread crumbs to which the seasonings and melted butter have been added. Try out the fat from the slice of bacon, dredge the heart with salt, pepper and flour and brown it on all sides in the bacon fat. Put the heart and the crisp bacon into as small a cooker-pail as will hold it, cover it with boiling water, boil it for five minutes and put the pail into a larger cooker-pail with as much boiling water as it will hold when the small pail is in place. Put it into a cooker for ten hours, or over night. Boil it again and cook it for three or four hours. Reheat it when ready to serve it, thickening each pint of the gravy with one-fourth cup of flour and an equal quantity of water mixed to a smooth paste. The heart will look more attractive if sliced and covered with gravy before serving.

Beef or calf’s heart may be cooked without a stuffing and served with caper sauce.

Corned Tongue

Wash the tongue, put it into a cooker-pail of from four to six quarts capacity. Fill the pail with cold water, bring the tongue to a boil and boil it for from twenty minutes to half an hour, depending upon its size. Put it into a cooker for ten or twelve hours. If not perfectly tender, bring it again to a boil and cook it from two to four hours longer. Plunge it into cold water, remove the skin, and serve it cold, cut in thin slices.

Fresh Tongue

• 1 tongue
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 8 cloves
• Salt

Wash the tongue, put it into as small a cooker-pail as will easily hold it, add the other ingredients and fill the pail with boiling water, using one teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water. Let it boil for twenty minutes or half an hour, depending upon the size of the tongue. Put it into a cooker for ten hours or more. If not perfectly tender, reheat it to boiling point and cook it for from two to four hours longer in the hay-box. Plunge it into cold water and remove the skin. Serve it hot with caper sauce, using the liquor in which the tongue was boiled in place of water, to make the sauce.

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