These are the naturally tender cuts of beef:
- Chateaubriand – steak or mini roast
- Filet mignon steak
- Fillet medallion steak
- Fore rib roast – bone-in
- New York Strip steak
- Pichana steak
- Porterhouse steak
- Prime rump roast
- Prime rump steak
- Ribeye cap steak
- Ribeye fillet mini roast
- Ribeye fillet steak
- Ribeye roast – boned and rolled
- Ribeye steak
- Rump minute steak
- Rump mince
- Rump pave steak (Heart of rump)
- Rump pillow steak
- Sirloin flat roast
- Sirloin mini roast
- Sirloin roast – boned and rolled
- Sirloin steak
- Steak Canadian
- T-bone steak
- Wing rib – steak or mini roast
These cuts are tender because there's very little collagen in them. And, because there's not enough collagen to make them tough, they tolerate a wide range of temperatures from rare to well done.
That's why a “well done” Fillet steak – dry, grey and firm – is still enjoyable to eat. It's because it contains so little collagen.
With dry heat – you want to let tender cuts cook for as long as it takes
If you look on the web – or in cook books – for how to roast beef, or cook a steak, you'll find all the instructions are different. “Roast for 2 hours at gas mark 6...” or “grill for 3 minutes on one side and 2 on the other...” and so on.
Forget about them.
Cooking times for dry heat are guesstimates at best. And that's before you consider that 100% grass fed beef cooks between 10-30 percent quicker than grain fed beef. Then you must allow for “carryover cooking”. And, of course, every oven's slightly different.
Cook tender cuts to a temperature – not to a time
You simply choose the “doneness” you'd like to achieve (Rare, Medium-rare, Medium...) and cook to the corresponding core temperature the meat needs to reach. The core temperature is defined as the deepest part of the cut.
| Temperature | Doneness | Colour | Percent water loss from raw |
| 45°C | Blue | Cool red | |
| 50°C | Rare | Warm red | 2% |
| 55°C | Medium-rare | Warm red | 4% |
| 60°C | Medium | Warm pink | 6% |
| 63°C | Medium-well done | Slightly pink | 12% |
| 68°C | Well done | Brown | 18% |
Remember to allow for “carryover cooking”
If you set your oven higher than the "doneness" temperature you need to need achieve it will continue to cook after it's out of the oven. If it's a big joint it might continue to cook for up to 20 minutes. And the core temperature can rise by up to 5°C. If you're cooking a steak and you want it Medium-rare 55°C, you'll need to stop cooking a degree or two lower than that. See more on carryover cooking.
Cooking with dry heat
Oven – reverse sear
The closer you set your oven to the core temperature you need to achieve, the more evenly your meat will be cooked.
So... if you cook your steak or joint in an oven set to the exact temperature – that corresponds to the “doneness” you want to achieve – it'll come out evenly cooked from edge to edge.
The oven's simply not hot enough to overcook any of it. All you need do is keep an eye on the core temperature and – when it's done – take it out of the oven and sear all the edges in a large pan.
It's called the reverse sear method and it results in a perfectly cooked steak or joint every time. It's one of the methods used in high end steak restaurants (along with Sous vide).
But it takes time.
And don't worry, there's no need for fancy – or expensive – equipment. A meat thermometer and an accurate electric oven is all you need. A slow cooker you can set to increments of 1°C works well too (and it'll double up as a Sous vide cooker as well).
Important note For safety reasons, no meat should be cooked in an oven, set to lower than 55°C, for any longer than two hours.
Note Setting a gas oven to Medium-rare (55°C) is difficult – as you'll need to set the oven to quarter of a gas mark.
Oven – traditional roasting
Of course it's quicker to cook meat in an oven set to a much higher temperature than your core temperature target.
But, if you do, then only the very centre of your joint – or steak – will be cooked to the “doneness” you want – and the closer you get to the edge the more over done it'll be.
You'll see lots of recipes that tell you to put your roast in an oven set to 150°C or higher. If you do that, it more or less guarantees that a lot of your roast will be overcooked.
So, the bottom line is, the lower you set your oven the better the results will be. But it'll take longer to cook.
And, if you want to set your oven a lot higher, to speed things up a bit – don't even think about doing it without a good meat thermometer.
Grill – griddle – BBQ
If you're using a grill, griddle or BBQ to cook a tender steak you need to use your thermometer.
It's important you sear all the surfaces – to get that umami taste, as well as get rid of pathogens – and that means you need a really hot grill or pan to get it to the 140°C where the Maillard reaction takes place.
But... steak can turn from juicy and pink to dry and grey in a matter of seconds. The difference between Medium and Medium-well done is only 3°C (and that extra 3°C means twice as much moisture will be lost).
So it's essential you constantly check the core temperature with your thermometer. And also allow for “carryover cooking”.
Alternatively, use the fail safe, reverse sear method above.
Sous vide cooks to temperature – quicker
You can “dry” cook beef to exact temperatures with Sous vide. And it takes less time than an oven because it's much more efficient. After all, water conducts heat 20 times better than air.
But Sous vide is cooked in a bag so you can't use a thermometer to check the core temperature – you have to use time instead. Look at the time charts to work out how long you need to sous vide a cut for.
Luckily, Sous vide also gives you plenty of margin for error, so an extra 30 minutes – or even an hour – won't ruin your steak. And for a good size joint you've got up to 12 hours margin for error.
You can Sous vide in any slow cooker that can be set to increments of 1°C.
How to cook Beef cuts that are neither tender or tough
How to cook naturally tough cuts of Beef – use wet heat