Charolais beef

To bring out the best qualities of Charolais beef, care and attention is needed in its preparation.  

Different cuts of meat require different cooking methods – grill, roast, potboil or braise .

To find out more about the different cooking methods click on the image on the left  (only in french)

BLEU (rare) : for a slice 1cm thick, cook for about 20 seconds on each side.

SAIGNANT(medium rare) : For a slice about 1 cm thick, cook for about 45-60 seconds on each side.

À POINT (medium)  : about 1 min 30 on each side – turn several times while cooking.  

For more information click on the image above.. (only in french)

Contrary to the view that « a steak is a steak », there are in fact different types of beef steaks – steaks with short fibres, e.g. topside or entrecote, and those with long fibres, e.g. sirloin.  

Several simple rules will enable you to enjoy Charolais beef to the full:  
- When buying steak, it is best to have the slices about 1cm. thick.   If it is thinner, snip the edges of the steak to avoid it curling during cooking.
- Take the steak out of the fridge 20mins before cooking,otherwise the centre of a rare or medium rare steak can be cold even after cooking. 
-  Before cooking, the pan or grill must be very hot, so as to seal the steak –test the temperature by sprinkling a few drops of water in the pan; if they break into small drops, the pan is hot enough. 
-  Adding a few drops of oil to the butter will avoid burning.  Salt each side of the steak during cooking,after it has been sealed.  Turn the steak from time to time during cooking, but never prick it with a fork.
- Before eating, let the steak rest between two plates for a few minutes to keep it warm.  This helps concentrate the meat juices and gives it an aroma without equal !