'Special Trim' beef

various dates

This 'special trim' beef is available at Sam's Club in 10-20 lb. cryovac packages with 6-12 pieces of anywhere from 1.5  to 4 lbs. All pieces have been trimmed back to almost pure meat with very little fat, yet this is less than half ($3/lb. in Febr. 2020, less than that end 2019) the cost of the regular cuts. It's a bit of a guess what's in there—they put in different 'leftover' pieces—but it often looks like brisket flat.

The best thing of it is that the cryovac cold-storage makes the meat extremely tender. Even though the meat looks like brisket, it does not require long moist cooking. You can stew it, but you don't have to. I have boiled, braised, sautéed and roasted these pieces whole anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, and I have also cut them up and pan-fried them.  Each and every dish was amazingly tender without any exception.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 2 servings:

  • 1/2 to 1 lb. 'special trim' beef
Pic1: repackaging as meals for two

a larger piece, stovetop

2019-11-04

Pic2: a larger 2 1/2 lbs. piece, stovetop
Pic3: after 25 minutes
Pic4: slice and serve

 

a smaller piece, braised in orange juice

2020-03-04

Pic9: 1 lb. flat piece, braised in orange juice for 10 minutes
Pic10: carved immediately without rest = uneven
Pic11: carved after 5 minute rest = more evenly cooked

 

cubed, pan-fried

 

Pic5: cubed, pan-fried
Pic6: served

 

poached / coddled

2020-02-11

Pic7+8: coddled for 20 minutes and already overcooked, pan-frying is better