The Best Way to Cook Different Cuts of Beef

Memorial Day is coming up—meaning it’s almost barbecue season. Time to stock up on charcoal and lighter fluid? Not necessarily.

While you can pretty much cook any type of beef on your trusty grill, some cuts are more suited for a skillet, a slow cooker, or even a stir-fry pan. That’s why the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board—a trade association of meat producers known colloquially as the Cattlemen's Beef Board, or CBB—created the below infographic [PDF].

Business Insider recently published the handy guide, which breaks down all the different types of beef cuts and makes recommendations on how to prep them. Note that some lean cuts, like sirloin and tri-tip, cook well on grills and stovetops alike. Working with fatty meats, like ribs and brisket? You’ll want to use a slow cooker.

Selecting your preferred beef cut and preparing it the right way is an important part of the barbecue process. However, keep in mind that other factors, like quality and cooking temperature, also affect your meat’s taste. Before you decide to sauté a shoulder steak for dinner, scope out the cut’s quality grade—a composite evaluation of factors that affect the meat's tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. And make sure to have a meat thermometer on hand, so you won’t overcook your beef. Throw in some seasonings, sauces, and marinades, and you’ll have a delicious summer feast on your hands (and, in the true nature of barbecue, all over your fingers).