Beef…It’s what was for dinner tonight.

Beef dinners can be tough because generally speaking, they are not naturally low in fat.  There are, however, cuts of beef that are leaner than most.  Keep in mind though, the leaner the cut, the tougher it can be.  So what we do is put a dry rub on the beef, let it sit for 3 – 24 hours in the refrigerator and either grill it or slow cook it.

Today there was a great sale on top round steak.  For a 3 ounce serving, this runs at about 180 calories and 7 grams of fat.  This may seem like a lot to you but considering that beef brisket runs 190 calories and 21 grams of fat for the same 3 ounces.  So you are basically getting a lot more bang for your buck by choosing the right cut.

Again, make sure that the leaner meats are marinated in either a rub or wet marinade to tenderize it.  Here is the rub we used:

1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoons paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
1 pounds top round steak

Rub on steak and allow to marinate for a minimum of 3 hours but can stay in the refrigerator overnight.  If slow cooking the beef, set oven to 250^o and cook until the internal temperature reaches 145^o for medium rare, 155^o for medium or 160^o for well done.  If grilling, set grill and cook until the beef reaches the degree of doneness to your liking (see above).

Advertisement

Turkey/Beef Burger Twist…

Tonight Dean made dinner.  He grilled hamburgers and sautéed string beans.  To keep the hamburgers light and delicious, I combine half of the burger meat with 93% lean ground beef and turkey breast meat.  I emphasize the breast in the turkey meat because it only has 1 gram of fat per serving, unlike just ground turkey meat which has about 10 grams of fat per serving.  Combining the two types of meat gives you a tasty yet lighter burger.

To make the burgers a little more interesting, I cooked onions and ketchup sauce as a topping to the burgers.  It’s a little tastier than just ketchup and doesn’t add any fat to the dish.  Try it out…

Onion and Ketchup Sauce

Prep and cook time: 45 minutes

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion – thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup ketchup

3 – 4 drops Chipotle sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a saucepot on medium low heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add onions, cover, and cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (TIP: if the onions stick to the bottom, add a little water and stir).
2. Add sugar and Worcestershire sauce and cook, uncovered, for about 2 minutes until liquid reduces to ½.
3. Add ketchup and Chipotle sauce, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve room temperature with burgers or meat.