Beef Guides

Proven techniques, dozens of carefully honed recipes, and your FAQs, answered: Our beef guides offer the info you need to perfect steaks, roasts, and burgers.

Sliced prime rib roast on a wooden board red dish in the background

Perfect Prime Rib: Go High Heat or Go Low? We've Tested It

Slices of cooked steak arranged on a wooden surface

Why So Many Meat Cooking “Rules” Are Wrong—and What Actually Makes Steaks Juicy and Chicken Crisp

Sliced prime rib on a wooden cutting board with carving utensils nearby

Why Most Prime Rib Is Cooked Wrong—and How to Fix It

Sliced cooked beef roast presented on a cutting board

I Tested Slow-Cooker Brisket to See If It’s Worth Making—Here’s the Verdict

Graphic of pulling meat from the freeze

I Tested 5 Ways to Thaw Ground Beef—This Method Was the Fastest and Easiest

Wagyu burgers on a bun with ketchup, tomato and lettuce.

I Cooked Burgers in Restaurants for Years. This Rule-Breaking Trick Still Shocked Me.

Explore Beef Guides

Two steaks cooking in a cast iron skillet with steam rising up

Cooking Steak at Home? Don’t Make This Rookie Mistake

Hot pan drippings are poured on seared and rested steaks to "fat flash" them.

Introducing the Fat Flash, the Best Way to Finish Your Steak | The Food Lab

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How to Cook Wagyu Beef at Home

Two dry-aged steaks cooking in a cast iron skillet.

How to Dry Age Beef

A fully loaded cheese burger with tomatoes and onions on a cutting board

10 Tips for Better Burgers | The Food Lab

A cut sous vide-cooked steak resting on a cutting board with a knife off to the side.

Sous Vide Steak Guide | The Food Lab

A large bone-in ribeye steak grilling on a charcoal grill.

7 Myths About Cooking Steak That Need to Go Away

Cooked ribeye cap, also called spinalis dorsi or calotte.

Meet the Ribeye Cap, the Tastiest Cut on the Cow

The Best Inexpensive Steak for the Grill, Part 1: Hanger Steak

Two pieces of Bohemian cut or bottom sirloin flap meat on marble surface

What Are the Best Cuts of Beef for Stew?

Salting Ground Beef | The Burger Lab

Two pieces of steak being cooked in a castiron skillet with yellow thermometers inserted

Bringing Meat to Room Temperature Before Cooking: Essential or Not? We Tested It

Overhead shot of a Jewish-style braised brisket in a sauce of carrots and onions

Stop Making Tough Brisket—Here's the Fix That Works

A bowl of beef stew with vegetables and garnished herbs

My Simple Ingredient Swap for the Richest, Meatiest Beef Stew

A steak with pepper sauce next to a serving of thincut fries on a plate

Inside the “Ancestral Fat” Trend: Does Beef Tallow Deserve Its Hype?

A display of various packaged beef jerky brands arranged on a table

We Taste-Tested 14 Brands of Beef Jerky—Here Are Our Favorites

Small bowls of hot dog slices labeled with numbers

We Taste-Tested 13 Brands of Beef Hot Dogs—Here Are Our Favorites

Hot pan drippings are poured on seared and rested steaks to "fat flash" them.

The Easy Restaurant Trick for Juicy, Crispy Steaks

A piece of medium-rare steak sliced into thin pieces on a wooden cutting board.

How to Most Effectively Tenderize Steak

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Dry-Brining Is the Best Way to Brine Meat, Poultry, and More

A sliced prime rib on a wooden carving board

13 Rules For Perfect Prime Rib | The Food Lab

Four Expensive Steak Cuts to Know

Two steaks side by side, one dry-aged and the other fresh.

Can I Dry Age Beef At Home? | The Food Lab

How to Trim a Whole Beef Tenderloin for Roasting

The Best Inexpensive Steak For The Grill Part 4: Flap Meat (Sirloin Tip)

Closeup of a package of meat with a "Certified Angus Beef" badge printed on it.

Rethinking Prime Beef: Why "Choice" May Be Your Best Bet

Slicing Meat Against the Grain | The Food Lab

Pastrami Versus Corned Beef: A Guide to the Jewish Deli

A whole cooked prime rib roast resting on a cutting board.

How to Buy and Cook Prime Rib | The Food Lab

A peanut butter sous vide steak searing in a cast iron skillet.

We Cooked Steaks Coated in Peanut Butter Sous Vide So You Don't Have To

Sliced skirt steak tacos with tomatoes and cilantro on a plate

How to Grill Skirt Steak

Food Lab Video Shoot-VMW_9859

The Food Lab Video Series: Steak Lies

Stew Science: What's the Best Way to Brown Beef?

The Right Way to Use a Meat Thermometer

A pastrami sandwich from Katz's Deli in New York.

How Katz's Deli Makes Their Perfect Pastrami

Assorted boxes of frozen hamburgers and cheeseburgers.

The Best Frozen Burgers | Taste Test

Knife Skills: How to Cut a Whole Beef Strip Loin Into Steaks

Wagyu burgers on a bun with ketchup, tomato and lettuce.

Mastering the Art of Burger Blending with Eight Cuts of Beef | The Food Lab

Stew Science: Should You Marinate the Beef First?

Unfold your steaks

How to Trim Skirt Steaks | Knife Skills

What's the Difference Between Pastrami and Montreal Smoked Meat?

What’s the Best Way to Grind Beef?

How to Cut Beef For Stir Fries | Knife Skills

Porterhouse

Decoding Your Meat: A Guide to USDA Beef Labels

The Best (and Worst) of Times for Japanese Wagyu Beef in the US

The Burger Lab: How to Shape a Burger For Grilling or Broiling

Knife Skills: How to Trim and Portion Tenderloin Steaks

Does Resting Under Foil Ruin Meat? | Ask The Food Lab

Two small beef steaks cooking in a cast iron skillet. A pair of tongs is lifting one of the steaks.

Flip Your Steaks Multiple Times for Better Results | The Food Lab

The Best Inexpensive Steak for the Grill, Part 2: Skirt Steak

The Best Inexpensive Steak For The Grill Part 5: Tri-Tip

What Defines a Gastropub Burger?

The AHT Guide to Hamburger and Cheeseburger Styles

The Burger Lab: Which Makes A Better Burger, Grass-Fed or Grain?

A plate of burnt ends of barbecued brisket, one of the prized bites among barbecue circles.

What Are Burnt Ends? And Why Are They So Delicious?

How Hot Is Too Hot? Adam Savage and The Food Lab Sear Steaks to Find Out

Slices of meatloaf arranged on a serving plate accompanied by a bowl of sauce beside it

Juicy Less-Meat Meatloaf

A sandwich made with puff pastry filled with beef greens and toppings served on a cutting board other sandwiches visible in the background

Beef Wellington Sandwich