The whole family will love getting a meal which includes ground beef. Preparing a meal which includes beef that’s tasty yet healthy can be challenging for some people. This article outlines some fundamental facts about beef that can be used to develop your own healthy beef recipes.

Beef has a number of meat cuts. You can find nearly 29 beef cuts available which may be easily employed for a number of dishes. You could just select any meat cut of the option to make a healthy recipe. But, it really is generally advised to go for just lean beef cuts while preparing healthy recipes. Slim beef cuts are healthier than other sorts of cuts because they will usually have a lesser amount of fat. Meats with low fat will always be healthier for people of every age group.

Low fat beef cuts could be obtained from the market, grocery store or as fresh cuts from your local butcher. Listed below you will discover two common selections for beef cuts and the meals that they are used in.

1. Eye round roast – This cut is preferred as a low calorie, low fat option for making healthy meals. Use this for cooking on the grill, sautés and for braised recipes.

2. Top round steak – Sauteed, grilled and broiled recipes for top round steak are a few of the nutritional and delicious beef dishes which may be very easily cooked.

After making a decision to follow a healthy beef recipe using low fat beef, it’s usually very important that you select a few pleasant healthy herbs and spices for that dish. Some of the healthiest ingredients that needs to be utilized to make a healthy ground beef recipe are healthy veggies like onion, garlic, ginger, spinach, peas and carrot. Aside from these, you may even use legumes, lentils different dairy products like sour cream or milk. You also should avoid using salt while seasoning the beef. In its place, you could try to make use of elements such as sage, bay leaves, garlic and thyme to marinate the beef.

Anyone can write a good beef recipes, but only the professionals can create the best beef recipes. Read more of my articles to get great tips for cooking!

I have previously analysed McDonalds’ range of sandwiches, and found that the larger beef burgers tend to have higher levels of fat, cholesterol and salt. However, we all need a treat now and then, and many people (such as myself) find McDonald’s beef burgers more enjoyable to eat than its chicken burgers.

This article shall analyse the beef burger from McDonalds’ menu, and identify those with the highest and lowest amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium (salt). This will allow readers to make more nutritionally informed decisions when they make their next visit to McDonalds.

Data

The data was obtained from the official McDonalds.com website. Please note that the statistics are for McDonalds restaurants based in the USA. Regional values may vary, and I have not included any local specialities.

Results

Saturated Fat

* Quarter Pounder 7g
* Big N’ Tasty 8g
* Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 9g
* Angus Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 10g
* Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 10g
* Big Mac 10g
* Big N’ Tasty with Cheese 11g
* Double Cheeseburger 11g
* Quater Pounder with Cheese 12g
* Angus Deluxe 16g
* Angos Mushroom & Swiss 17g
* Angus Bacon & Cheese 17g
* Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 19g

Cholesterol

* Quarter Pounder 65mg
* Big N’ Tasty 70mg
* Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 75mg
* Angvs Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 75mg
* Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 75mg
* Big Mac 75mg
* Double Cheeseburger 80mg
* Big N’ Tasty with Cheese 85mg
* Quater Pounder with Cheese 90mg
* Angus Deluxe 135mg
* Angvs Mushroom& Swiss 135mg
* Angus Bacon & Cheese 145mg
* Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 155mg

Sodium

* Big N’ Tasty 720mg
* Quarter Pounder 730mg
* Angus Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 730mg
* Big N’ Tasty with Cheese 960mg
* Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 990mg
* Big Mac 1040mg
* Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 1080mg
* Double Cheeseburger 1150mg
* Angus Mushroom& Swiss 1170mg
* Quarter Pounder with Cheese 1190mg
* Double Quater Pounder with Cheese 1380mg
* Angvs Deluxe 1700mg
* Angus Bacon & Cheese 2070mg

Analysis

The Quarter Pounder is the top healthiest in terms of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. However, it is not commonly available outside of the United States. After that, the Big N’ Tasty is the healthiest burger. This is McDonald’s rival to Burger King’s Whopper burger. But unfortunately it has been discontinued in the United Kingdom, where I reside. However, the M Burger appears to be similar.

Browsing down the list, the unhealthiest burgers include the Angus Bacon & Cheese, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It appears that adding bacon and/or cheese increases the level of undesirable contents in a burger. Size also matters, as the Angus and Double Quarter Pounder burgers are larger than average.

Conclusion

This study appears to show that eating less is healthier, as it leads to a lower consumption of unhealthy ingredients. Adding bacon and cheese is also particularly unhealthy, though this study may be skewed in this regard, as cheese can be part of a healthy diet.

Health conscious readers who enjoy eating beef burgers from McDonalds’ menu would be advised to choose the smaller burgers that do not contain bacon or cheese.

2 lbs round steak (or flank or brisket)
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1/4 tsp. ea. pepper and garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. hickory smoke-flavored salt

Trim and remove fat from meat. Cut meat in 1/8 to 1/4 thick slices. In a bowl combine all but meat. Stir until seasonings dissolve. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Let stand one hour. Shake off excess liquid and put meat slices on oven racks or shallow baking pan. Dry meat at lowest possible oven temp (maybe 180 or 200) until it is brown, hard, and dry. Can take as long as 24 hours.

Beef Jerky #2

1 1/2 lb Flank steak

Select a 1/2 inch think flank or top round steak. trim away all fat then partially freeze until firm. Slice across the grain in a 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips. Place meat strips in a shallow dish or heavy plastic bag. Add soy or terriyaki sauce to cover meat. If desired onion or garlic powder or Worcestershire sauce can be added. Toss to coat each piece. Cover and refrigerate several hours or over night. Lift meat from marinade, drain will then air dry for a couple of hours. Arrange meat strips in single layer on fine wire screen or cake cooling rack. Place in low temp. oven (175 to 200
degrees) or slowly smoke-cook in smoker until meat is completely dried. Store in air-tight container. Serve as a snack or appetizer.

Beef Jerky #3

1/2 ts Pepper (MORE FOR HOT)
1/2 ts Garlic Powder
1/2 ts Onion Salt
1 lb Beef Roast
1/2 c Soy sauce
1/2 ts Garlic Salt
1/2 ts Lemon Pepper

Marinate 1 hour or overnight. Bake in oven 150 to 170, overnight for 10 – 12 hours.
Beef Jerky #4

1 Flank Steak Or London Broil
Coarse Black Pepper
1/2 c Soy Sauce
Garlic Powder

Cut flank steak or london broil into 1/4″ strips. Sprinkle with garlic powder and coarse ground black pepper. Marinate in soy sauce for 24 hours. Bake in 150 degree F oven for 10 to 12 hours. DO NOT exceed 150 degrees F.

Beef Jerky #5

2 lb London Broil
1/2 c Soy sauce
2 tb Worstershire sauce
2 ts Garlic powder
2 ts Onion powder
2 ts Fresly ground black pepper
2 ts Red pepper flakes
2 tb Liquid smoke

Freeze the London Broil or other lean roast. When ready to make jerky, remove the roast from the freezer and let partially thaw. When just able to slice, first cast out all fat and then slice against the grain in thin (1/4 inch or less) slices. Cover the meat with the marinade, turn from time to time and let marinate overnight. In the morning line a shallow cookie sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Place on lower rack. Place upper rack in oven in top position and lower rack in lower position. Hang the beef slices from the upper rack with tooth picks above the paper towels. 6 hours at 160F average temp is about right. If your oven is real tight, you might crack open the door a bit to allow the water vapor to escape.

Ingredients for the beef recipe:

500 g (1lb) rump steak, cut into thin strips
3 stems lemon grass, white part only, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup (40 g/11/4 oz.) chopped roasted peanuts

Directions for the beef recipe:

1. In your attempt to try this recipe, you should first put the steak in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Mix the lemon grass, onion, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and oil to make a marinade. Pour over the meat and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
2. Heat the wok until very hot and stir-fry the beef in two batches over high heat until it is just browned, Toss constantly to make sure the small pieces of onion and lemon grass don’t catch on the wok and burn.
3. Return all the meat to the wok. Add the roasted peanuts and toss quickly until combined. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Value for the beef recipe:

Protein 35 g;
Fat 8.5 g;
Carbohydrate 6 g;
Dietary Fibre 2 g;
Cholesterol 85 g;
Energy 980kJ (235cal).

Hints for the beef recipe:

1. Using a large sharp-knife, cut the rump steak into thin strips.
2. Finely chop the lemon grass, using only the white part of the sterns.
3. Pour the lemon grass, onion, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and oil over the meat.

Donned a “privilege” not a “right” to many is tasting and savoring some of the world’s finest smoked “open pit” beef sandwiches, or BBQ smoked much the same way.  If you’ve been to any professional BBQ festival or competition, you will see serious grillers working hard and many willing tasters begging for samples.  All of the competetors claim their beef is best.  It’s hard to say, as they are all delicious in their own right, and no two taste alike.  Sometimes I think even judges have a hard time.

Althought brisket is used for competetions, many other beef cuts will be grilled and turned into beef or barbecue at different fairs, festivals, and events.  Whether it’s rump roast or top round, no sandwich is complete without teh fixings.

Chances are, any BBQ vendor or professional smokes their beef cut for hours on end, loaded with secret spices, rubs or lathered in BBQ sauces.  Some use different flavor woods to give maximum flavor, and not to mention most have their own BBQ sauce concoction.

Serving the sandwich with “all the fixings” is as much a part of the sandwich as the marination, preparation and cooking process claims Wayne M. Schafer, owner of Big Fat Daddy’s.

This guy doesn’t play around. After a five step grilling process, his “pit beef” or “BBQ” sandwich isn’t complete without “horsey sauce”, a pinch of grilled onions and a topper of sweet red peppers. His “horsey sauce” is nothing other than a creamy horseradish sauce that adorns most of his beef offerings. Originally leaked to the NY Times by his younger brother in 2000, Schafer admits one key ingredient was missing.  He gave me his actual real recipe to share with the public:

HORSEY SAUCE:

Preparation Time: less than five minutes

1 cup mayonnaise  (full flavor, not low-fat)

1/2 cup horseradish, more or less to taste

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Dash of salt

Dash of black pepper

*Splash of Red Wine Vinegar ie: 1 1/2 teaspoons or less per batch is the key ingredient*

Combine ingredients in a bowl, and whisk to a creamy lather.  This yields you about 1 1/2 cups, and will last refrigerated up to a month, but Schafer claims to use any unused portion in two weeks, or the vinegar will “take over” the taste. The batch can be doctored up after two weeks with a “pinch” of sugar.

Schafer also admits that he’s used this sauce on steaks and burgers and had rave reviews.

Jack in the Box is one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,200 restaurants in 18 states. They also own and operate Qdoba Mexican Grill, a leader in fast-casual dining, with more than 500 restaurants in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Their burgers and steaks menu includes Steak Teriyaki Bowl, Sirloin Cheeseburger, Sirloin Swiss & Grilled Onion Burger, the Mini Sirloin Burger (made with ground sirloin, American cheese, a tangy pickle, sweet ketchup and grilled onions) and their Sourdough Steak Melt. Add their classic tacos, chicken and fish salads, grilled sandwiches and famous milkshakes, and they’ve become a popular family haunt.

>>> So if you want to prepare a delicious meal to impress family, friends or even a hot date – here are Jack in the Box’s most popular recipes of all time…

*

–Classic Jack in the Box Beef Taco–

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup refried beans

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs chili powder

1/4 cup Ortega or pico pica mild, taco sauce

12 soft corn tortillas

3 cups cooking oil, Crisco brand

6 slices American cheese

1 head lettuce, chop fine

Brown the beef over low heat, use a wooden spoon to chop and stir the meat. When the beef is brown drain the fat. Add the refried beans and use the wooden spoon to mash the whole beans into the mixture to create a smooth texture.

Add the salt, chili powder and 2 Tbs of taco sauce to the mixture. Remove from the heat.

In another skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil until hot.

Spread 1/2 of the beef mixture on the center of each corn tortilla.

Fold the tortillas over and press so that the beef filling holds the sides together.

Drop each taco into the pan of hot oil and fry on both sides until crispy.

When cooked remove the tacos from the oil and place them on a rack or some paper towels until they cool.

Slightly pry open add 1/2 slice American cheese

*

–Jack in th Box Mini Sirloin Burgers–

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 onion sliced thin

4 slices American cheese

6 to 8 pickle slices

Ketchup

1 Tbsp. peanut oil

Combine ground sirloin, seasoned salt, and ground pepper.

Mix well. Slice onion thinly and place into a skillet with peanut oil.

Grill onions slowly, do not brown onions. When the onions are almost translucent make 6 to 8 hamburger patties, make them thick (approximately 1/2 inch), and place into hot pan.

Grill hamburgers for 4 to 5 minutes before turning them. Flip hamburgers, and remove onions. When hamburger patties are done assemble them with.

Bottom bun, pickle, meat patty, cheese, grilled onions, and then ketchup. Serve quickly. We imagine you will find these tasty.

*

Jack in the Box Oreo Cookie Milkshake

3 cups vanilla ice cream

1 1/2 cups milk

8 Oreo cookies

Combine the ice cream and milk in a blender and mix on low speed until smooth.

Break Oreo cookies into pieces while adding them to the blender. Mix on low speed for 5 to 10 seconds or until the cookies are mostly pureed into the shake, but a few larger pieces remain. Use a spoon to break up any larger chunks.

Pour shake into two glasses.

Dig In and Enjoy!

A Graduate of the Holland College Culinary Course, Brian Alan Burhoe has cooked in Atlantic Coast restaurants for over 30 years. He is a member of the Canadian Culinary Federation. Brian’s articles reflect his interests in food service, dreamstudy, imaginative literature and our best friends — our dogs.

His Home Page is A CULINARY MYSTERY TOUR – A Literary Chef. His articles have been reprinted on numerous culinary websites and various Blogs, including the popular new Recipe Site TRIOND’S NOTECOOK at Click Here to See My Recipes on Notecook!.

What’s new from Jack in the Box

Proving once again that breakfast is not just for egg, sandwiches and sausage biscuits, Jack in the Box restaurants have introduced a filling and protein-packed alternative to the more common fast-food fodder, a Breakfast Pita Pocket.

Featuring scrambled eggs, strips of bacon and ham, and American cheese stuffed in pita bread made with whole grain, and served with a side of fire-roasted salsa.

- Brian

Salsa Flavored Beef Steak

Ingredients

1 + 1/4 lb boneless beef chunk bottom steak blades (cut into 1 inch strips)
1/3 cup salsa (mild, medium, hot) your choice
1 garlic clove minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

1. To make the marinade place the salsa, garlic, lime juice, dried oregano leaves and ground cumin in a large size bowl with a lid.
2. Place the steak stripes in the mixture. Put the lid on the container and shake vigorously. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Pour the steak and marinade into a 9X13 baking pan.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with roasted potatoes or rice and a fresh green vegetable. Serves 4

Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients

1 pound trimmed flank steak
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoon sodium reduced soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. In a large bowl with a lid, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, ginger, honey, soy sauce and garlic.
2. Add the flank steak and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat broiler and spray broiler rack with non stick spray.
4. Remove the flank steak from the marinating bowl and place on the broiler rack.
5. Broil the prepared flank steak for 10 minutes then flip it to the other side and broil for another 10 minutes. Serves 4

Serve with baked potatoes and mixed vegetables for a healthy delicious dinner.

Tender Eye of the Round Roast

Ingredients

2 pounds round roast
1 cup of beef broth
1 cup of water
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons crushed red peppers
1/4 cup of A-1 steak sauce

Preparation

1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a 9X13 deep baking dish, pour in the beef broth and water in the baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the onion powder, garlic powder and crushed red peppers over the top of the roast.
4. Using a rubber spatula spread the A-1 sauce over the top of the roast.
5. Bake for 2 hours. Serves 4 -6

Serve with mashed potatoes and carrots.

The salsa flavored beef steak and the marinated flank steak can also be grilled on the BBQ grill. The tender eye of the round roast can be also be cooked in the crock pot on medium heat for 8 hours.

To spice up the dishes you can add pineapple rings or apple slices. Just place them on top of the meat to cook. The fruits will add a nice touch of sweetness to the dishes.

A fresh green salad and homemade rolls will add a nice finishing touch to all three of these meals.

SKILLET BEEF STEAK

2 lb round steak, cut into serving-size pieces

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 tbsp butter

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 beef bouillon cube

1 cup water

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 cup low-fat sour cream

4 oz can mushrooms, drained

In a small bowl combine the flour, salt, paprika, black pepper and coat steak thoroughly with the mixture.  In a large heavy skillet, melt butter.  Add steak pieces to the skillet and brown on both sides.  Reduce the heat; add the bouillon cube, water, and milk.  Stir to dissolve bouillon. Add the carrot, onion, and celery. Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes.  Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving platter.  Add the sour cream to the skillet gravy.  Warm thoroughly and serve over the meat.

Enjoy!

As if that wasn’t confusing enough, even in medical research centres, there are differing opinions, but during the course of this article we will submit some worthwhile facts on beef, dispense with a few rumours and fabrications and ensure that you get the relevant facts you need to decide for yourself.

Before we give you the beef facts, here is an enticing beef recipe which you can easily cook for your children.

This is a flavorful recipe for ‘macaroni and beef chili’. It is quick and easy to prepare and is an easy and cheap meal for a crowd.

Recipe ingredients:
—————-
Macaroni – uncooked : one cup
Low fat Ground Beef : 0.5 lb
Powdered garlic : one half teaspoon
Chili Powder : 1 x teaspoon
Salt : 1 x small pinch
Freshly ground black peppercorns : one sm. pinch
Your favourite tomato soup : one Can
Hard cheddar cheese : 1 ounce (coarsely grated)

Preparation:
—————-
Bring a good sized saucepan of water to a rolling boil and cook the macaroni roughly 7 minutes.

Quickly fry the meat until browned in another good sized saucepan and very carefully remove any fat that has been rendered. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper and then mix well.

Turn the heat to low and stir fry gently for approx. five mins.

Mix in the drained macaroni and tomato soup, and bring to a rolling boil.

Cook for a few more minutes until soup and macaroni are heated through.

At the last minute add the grated cheese, and heat briskly till it melts.

Transfer into bowls and deliver to your dinner guests.

This is a wonderful beef recipe to cook in large quantities as excess servings can be kept in the fridge and served the next day. If you want to cook the recipe a long time in advance, you can leave the cheese out and freeze portions for later. Simply add the cheese just before you finally serve the recipe.

So is beef good for us?
here are a few scientific nutrition facts for you:

1/. Lean beef is a good source of Vitamin b12 and vitamin b6, which are believed by many to help in eliminating heart attacks and strokes and also aid the body to manufacture red blood cells.

2/. Even a 80 gram portion of beef may contribute over a tenth of the consumers needed daily requirement of phosphorus, vitamin b6, protein, vitamin b12 and zinc.

3/. There are people who believe that one should abstain from beef as they think it includes high levels of fat. Even though this might have been true a few years ago, quality beef sold nowadays is notably less fatty than it used to be, and it should be noted that more than fifty percent of the fatty acids present in modern beef are monounsaturated fats which are generally believed to be better for your health than other fats.

4/. The zinc that is present in quality beef is imperative for normal development, supports the body’s immune system, has been shown to help repair wounds, moderates hunger and appetitie and can improve your ability to experience flavors.

5/. Some people think that people on a diet should steer clear of beef. In fact, this is clearly untrue, in reality the 3 ounce serving of beef that many experts recommend as a healthy daily consumption, is actually just ten percent of the general 2000 calories per day diet.

6/. If you look at it clearly, beef is approximately as healthy as multi-vitamin supplements as it is an amazing provider of protein, vitamin b12, zinc, iron, niacin, phosphorus and vitamin b6.

7/. Taking the uncooked weight,, 100 grams of beef contains:
* approx. 200 kcal
* zero grams of Vitamin C.
* zero grams of carbohydrate.
* 20.71g of Protein.
* 3.8mg of Zinc.
* zero grams of sugar.
* 12.15g of fat.
* 1.84mg of Iron

I trust this has left you with a better awareness of the good and bad aspects of eating beef, and also offered you a delicious new addition to your recipe book.

In those times of course cattle were only killed at certain times of year – the autumn to save providing for winter fodder. This meant that meat had to be preserved – usually by salting it. It also meant that it wasn’t always as fresh as it might be – hence the use of spices in medieval times to cover any bad tastes.

Brisket is an economic joint that works best in recipes that specify long slow cooking – 5 or 6 hours as opposed to minute steak. I find a slow cooker is great if you have one. It is usually purchased ready boned and rolled. Because the animal uses its chest muscles all the time the muscle is firm and would be tough unless cooked slowly.

Oh So Tender

I cook this in a slow cooker, but a roasting bag in a slow oven will work just as well. If using a slow cooker have it on full power for an hour and then place the meat inside and turn it down.

3 lbs, just under 1 ½ kilos, beef brisket
1 packet dry onion soup mix
I crushed clove of garlic
Sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
1 oz, 30 g all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F ,135 degrees C, Gas 1

Place the flour inside the roasting bag and shake to cover inside surface. Place meat in bag and add other ingredients. Seal bag and then pierce in a couple of places. Place in roasting tray and cook for 6- 8 hours. This means you can leave it in the morning and take it out at the end of your working day – unless you work long hours in which case this is a weekend dish. It will give you 6-8 servings or 4 hot and then some cold for sandwiches and a picnic.

Variations

You might like to pop into the bag a couple of tablespoons of red wine or a dollop of Worcestershire sauce.

Irish Marinade

The Irish really know how to use their country’s ingredients. This marinade from Dublin uses that Irish classic – Guinness. This needs to be prepared the night before cooking meat.

4 oz, 120 mls Guinness
2 garlic cloves
3 green onions, scallions, chopped
1 oz, 30 grams soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon English mustard powder
A good pinch of dried tarragon and one of parsley. If using fresh chopped herbs use a teaspoonful of each.
Salt and pepper

Combine everything in a medium saucepan and allow to stand for at least 15 minutes,
maybe while you are enjoying the rest of the Guinness. Now heat to reduce liquid by about 1/3.

Allow to cool and then place with joint in roasting bag. Seal and turn several times to coat the joint. Leave in fridge fro at least 4 hours, possibly overnight, but turn the bag over when you can so that the flavors penetrate evenly. When ready to cook piece bag in a couple of places, place in roasting tin and cook in slow oven as for ‘Oh So Tender’ above.