An entrecote is called a beef chop on the bone. It is traditionally prepared from the juiciest and softest meat located between the ribs. Initially, this dish was served exclusively in French restaurants, although the recipe for its preparation cannot be called particularly complicated. The main thing in this process is to know some secrets, without the exact observance of which the most excellent piece of meat will become dry and tasteless.
Entrecote and features of its preparation
Entrecote is a special, extremely delicate and surprisingly tasty part of the whole beef carcass. The very name "entrecote" is of French origin, literally translated it means - "between the rib". This is not accidental, because according to ancient traditions, the meat intended for this dish is taken from the part of the carcass located between the ridge and ribs. Initially, only ox meat was used for this purpose, and this was necessarily the part located between the ninth and tenth ribs.
The history of the dish began from the moment when a long time ago a French chef serving at the court of the king invented an unprecedented method of processing beef meat on the bone. Namely, he subjected the pieces to preliminary marinating, which made them surprisingly tasty.
Today the world has changed and culinary experts around the world do not hesitate to use not only beef for entrecote, but also veal, pork, and lamb. Undoubtedly, each of them turns out to be tasty, but it's still difficult for them to compete with beef. Moreover, the meat in this particular part is unusually tender, for it a quick frying is quite enough, it does not need further stewing. In some cases, the meat is slightly beaten before frying, and in order to give the piece even greater softness, it is subjected to processing with special softening solutions. You should not beat it hard - after all, the purpose of this procedure is not to make a chop, but only to soften the meat fibers. The size of an ideal steak should not exceed the length of a woman's hand.
Any, even perfect piece of meat needs to be marinated. Moreover, beef - it has a rather dense structure. To do this, it is washed and dried on a paper towel. Then they beat off a little with a special kitchen hammer. Prepared entrecote is rubbed well with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and your favorite spices. It is advisable for him to lie in a similar marinade all night, at least at least 3 hours.
If your meat is from the freezer, then wait until it is completely defrosted before marinating. Entrecotes are cut only across the fibers, and their thickness should not exceed 3 cm.
- Marinade can be either the simplest of a mixture of salt and pepper, or more complex in composition. Many people like to add onion rings, small pieces of bay leaves, nutmeg, a little wine or beer to it. In this case, the liquid should be taken in the calculation of a full glass per kilogram of meat.
- An excellent marinade is obtained from a solution consisting of a liter of water, the juice of half a lemon, half a glass of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. You need to keep the beef in it for at least two hours.
- A simple olive oil solution containing soy sauce, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, mustard, and your favorite spices. Just before dipping the beef into it, pour in the lemon juice and stir. Marinate for at least 5-6 hours.
- Steak marinated in honey marinade turns out to be very unusual. To do this, mix honey, oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Add a few drops of vinegar and marinate the meat in the refrigerator overnight.
- The fresh tomato marinade also makes the meat very original in taste. Cut the onion into rings, grind the tomatoes into gruel. Mix everything with a glass of white wine, salt and spices and soak the meat for two hours.
How to fry entrecote in a skillet
The entrecote is fried in pure vegetable oil or in its mixture with butter. In order for the meat to quickly form an appetizing crust, and all the juices remain inside, it must be fried over a fairly high heat. It takes only a few minutes to cook meat on one side, and after that it is turned over and fried for the same amount.
To cook entrecote in a frying pan, take a piece that is no more than three centimeters thick. It will take about half a kilogram of meat - that's a double portion.
Pour 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable or vegetable oil and butter into the pan. If your pan has a non-stick coating, you can simply grease it generously before cooking.
Dry a piece of beef and rub it with salt and pepper (preferably freshly ground). All spices are taken according to your taste, if you want to get a sharper dish - take more pepper.
You should not use a fork during frying - you probably have special kitchen tongs or an ordinary spatula.
Before serving, the cooked meat should rest a little, leave it for a few minutes just to lie down to "reach".
Beef entrecote baked in the oven in foil
Oven-baked entrecotes are especially tender and juicy. So that the meat is not overdried, it is tightly wrapped in foil.
You will need:
- Beef - ½ kg;
- Finished granular mustard - 1 tsp;
- Lemon juice - 20 gr;
- Soy sauce and honey - 5g each;
- Salt, coriander and other spices to taste.
How to cook:
A piece of meat, previously washed and dried, carefully rub with a mixture of mustard, honey, lemon juice and spices. It should be marinated for at least half an hour.
Then place the beef on a piece of foil and wrap it well so that the meat retains its flavor and juice. You need to wrap it up so that you can then open it from above.
Place the entrecote in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and cook for about twenty minutes. Then unfold the foil, pour the resulting meat juice over the dish and fry it a little more.
How to make entrecote in a baking sleeve
What to cook the dish you will need:
- Meat on the bone - a piece of any size;
- Ready mustard - 1 tablespoon;
- Olive oil (vegetable) - 2 tablespoons;
- Juice from half a lemon;
- Garlic, pepper, salt, spices to taste.
How to cook:
Spread the entrecote with mustard and refrigerate for an hour. This time is enough for the seasoning to soften even not young beef at all.
Rinse the prepared piece and dry it on a paper towel. Pour it with lemon juice, oil (you can use any type of oil, but olive oil is considered the ideal option). In this case, oil serves as a kind of conductor of spices into meat fibers, and it adds softness to a low-fat piece.
Sprinkle the beef with salt, pepper and spices, rub well. Cut the garlic into thin slices and sprinkle the piece with them.
Leave the meat to marinate for 15 minutes, let it sit at room temperature.
During this time, preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Place the meat in a sleeve and put it in the oven for one and a half to two hours. The baking time depends on the size of the entrecote.
The dish is served with various sauces; mashed potatoes, boiled whole potatoes or vegetable salad are perfect as a side dish.
Breton-style entrecote
This is a truly French recipe - the meat turns out to be simply extraordinary.
You will need:
- Meat - 600 gr;
- Butter - 50 gr;
- Bulb onion - 50 gr;
- Salt, pepper, parsley.
How to cook:
Lightly beat the pieces of meat and marinate in a mixture of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little oil and let sit for a while.
Then very quickly fry the entrecote over high heat so that it has an appetizing golden brown crust, but inside it remains uncooked.
Put butter, finely chopped parsley, grated onion into a deep dish. Place the fried meat on top and cover with an upside-down plate. Place the dish in a larger pot in the water bath. It will take about 8-10 minutes until the meat is fully cooked.
The Breton entrecote goes well with mashed potatoes. Put a nicely mashed potatoes on a flat dish, a piece of meat on it and pour over everything with the juice formed during stewing.
Beef entrecote with apples and onions
If you want variety, try to cook an interesting recipe for meat with apples and onions - it will turn out very tasty.
You will need:
- Meat - 1, 3 kg;
- Onion - 1 large;
- Water - 1 tbsp;
- Salt - 1 tsp;
- Garlic or garlic powder to taste
- Soy sauce - ½ tablespoon;
- Worcestershire and Browning sauces to taste;
- Corn starch - 2 tablespoons;
- For garnishing 4-5 apples.
To prepare:
Cook the steak on each side in a non-stick skillet.
Then put it in a saucepan and cover with water, put it on the stove.
Add Worcestershire sauce, season with salt to taste, add garlic powder or minced fresh garlic.
Put chopped onions and apples on top of the meat. You need to cook under the lid on the lowest heat until it becomes soft.
Remove the cooked entrecote on a plate and leave for 15 minutes, after which the beef is ready for slicing.
Strain the liquid formed during stewing and boil over low heat. By volume, about two glasses of liquid should remain.
Pour starch diluted in cold water and Browning sauce into the liquid. Simmer all together until thickened.
Pour the prepared sauce over the steaks and serve with apples and onions.
It is easy and quick to prepare such an entrecote, and to taste it may well become the main dish of a festive feast.
Airfryer beef entrecote
For this cooking method, beef must be completely defrosted, a frozen piece will negate all your efforts.
For two servings you will need:
- Beef - 400 gr;
- Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
- Butter - 50 gr;
- Soy sauce - 2 tablespoons;
- Salt, freshly ground pepper, spices for meat, hops-suneli.
Wash and dry the beef with a napkin. Make a marinade with salt, a spoonful of butter, soy sauce, and seasonings and dip the meat in it for a quarter of an hour. Turn the pieces periodically.
Preheat your home airfryer with butter. Fry the steaks in a mixture of different oils for about 5-7 minutes, following the instructions and recommendations of your appliance.
The easiest way to check the meat for readiness is with a toothpick. Just gently pierce the steak and watch the liquid come out of it. If it is pinkish, then the meat is not ready, and if it is transparent, then it can be eaten.
Beef entrecote in a slow cooker
This is a very simple and interesting recipe for homemade entrecote.
Cooking method:
Rinse and dry 2 pieces of meat 200 grams each, remove all vein films. Rub them with salt and your favorite spices. Remember to grease the beef on both sides with oil, leaving it there for 20 minutes.
Turn the multicooker to the frying mode, add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to the bowl and wait until it warms up well.
After closing the lid, fry the meat on each side for 4-7 minutes.
Next, switch the device to the extinguishing mode, turn on the timer for a quarter of an hour. Grease the entrecote with butter, close the lid and after 15 minutes turn the piece over to the other side. Simmer the meat on the other side for another 15 minutes.
How to grill entrecote outdoors
Grilling is a great way to cook any kind of meat. And the beef steak is simply excellent on it - the aroma of meat is complemented by a subtle smell of coals and smoke.
First warm up the grill grate well, brush with oil. Place a layer of onions, pickled meat on top and another onion layer. Eating this onion is not necessary at all - its purpose is to give the meat a special flavor, as well as to prevent the beef from burning.
You can start cooking immediately after the fire has gone out. The heat from the coals should still be strong at this time. During the cooking process, sprinkle the steaks regularly with mineral water and turn the wire rack over. The meat will cook quickly on the grill, it is very important not to go far away from it and constantly check for readiness. If you overexpose meat on fire, it will become dry and tough.
Experienced chefs have one secret - they pour cognac on the entrecote a few minutes before it is fully cooked. When it has completely evaporated, the beef is removed from the grill. The drink will add a special piquancy and aroma to the dish.
