Beefing Up the Holiday Menu

Looking for something beyond turkey and the spiral sliced ham? Consider setting the holiday table with beef. Whether you’re serving an elegant standing prime rib or a flat-iron steak sliced and assembled into small plate appetizers, beef is a traditional yuletide favorite.

“Prime rib is a classic lots of people like to have for the holidays,” said Charles Mateker, a third generation meat cutter and owner of Mateker Meat & Catering in St. Louis, who offered his tips on picking prime rib. “Look for marbling. That’s what gives beef the best flavor. I like my prime rib cut from the big end that’s closer to the chuck, which has more marbling. Prime rib cut from the smaller end is closer to the T-bone and porterhouse that’s leaner.”

Mateker also recommended buying bone-in prime rib instead of the boneless cut. Bone-in delivers more flavor to the beef and can also serve as its own roasting rack. When deciding on how much to buy, plan on a pound per person when buying bone-in prime rib or a half-pound for boneless roast, which will allow for some leftovers. 

“To cook your prime rib, I tell people we use salt, pepper and garlic to season it and bake it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound,” said Mateker whose shop offers customers the option to have their prime rib roasted in house.  “We cook it until the internal temperature is 130, then we pull it and let it rest because it will keep cooking. That will raise the temperature 10 degrees.”

Another tip Mateker offers is to wait to slice, which is a rule for any beef cut from roast to petite tenders. If sliced too fast, beef will lose its juices — and with those juices goes the flavor.

If a large piece of beef isn’t in your budget, try smaller “steakable” cuts such as the flat-iron or petite tender, which are cut from the shoulder. And don’t forget the venerable seasonal favorites of pot roast and meatballs. All are affordable cuts that can be used to create show-stopper appetizers designed to make the holiday menu sparkle.

The following recipes are courtesy of the Beef Check-off website, where you’ll find more holiday recipes and cooking tips to make the remainder of your holiday entertaining easy.

Roasted Beef Shoulder Tender Crostini

• 2 pounds beef shoulder tender petite roasts (8 to 10 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Garlic bread:
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 (12-inch) baguette, cut into 24 (1/2-inch thick) slices
• Wasabi Cream
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste

1: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Press pepper evenly onto beef roasts.

2: Place roasts on rack in shallow roasting pan. Do not add water or cover. Roast for 20–25 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness. Remove roasts when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer when inserted into the thickest part of the beef. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

3: Meanwhile, combine butter, parsley and garlic salt in a medium bowl. Place baguette slices on two 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Brush tops with butter mixture. Toast in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

4: Combine sour cream and wasabi paste in medium bowl; mix until well blended.

5: Thinly carve roasts into medallions and evenly layer over toasted garlic bread slices. Top with 1 teaspoon Wasabi Cream.

Makes 24 appetizers.

See related Article: Beefing Up the Holiday Menu

Spicy Buffalo—Style Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 2–3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• blue cheese dressing
• celery sticks

1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

2: Shape beef mixture into 23 1-inch meatballs; place on rack in broiler pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

3: meanwhile, combine hot pepper sauce, butter and honey in large bowl; mix well. Add meatballs and stir to coat.

4: Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, as desired.

Makes 32 appetizer servings.

Mediterranean Beef & Olive Pissaladiere

• 1 package (17-ounces) refrigerated fully–cooked boneless pot roast with gravy
• 2 packages (10-ounes) puff pastry shells
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• 1/2 cup mixed pitted olives, cut in half or if large cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes cut into quarters

1: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen puff pastry shells, top sides up, on two ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown and beginning to puff. Pastry shells will not be fully baked.

2: Meanwhile heat beef pot roast with gravy in microwave according to package directions. Remove pot roast from container; reserve 1/4-cup gravy... Carefully shred pot roast in large bowl with 2 forks; sir in reserved gravy, onions, cheese, olives and  tomatoes; set aside.

3: While puff pastry is still warm, carefully divide each shell horizontally in half using tip of a pairing knife. Place, split sides up, on two baking sheets. Top each shell evenly with beef mixture. Return filled  shells to oven and bake at 400 degrees about 15 minutes or until heated through, cheese begins to brown and edges of pastry are deep brown. Cool slightly before serving.  Makes 24 appetizers