Here at The Woks of Life, we have a lot of beef recipes, so we wanted to show everyone how to make beef for stir-fry, including how to velvet beef for Chinese cooking.
We’ll tell you about our favorite beef cuts and show you how to cut and marinate beef the right way, just like they do it in Chinese restaurants.
We always include important information about how to prepare and cook our recipes, but I thought it was time for a post all about how to properly prepare beef for the wok!
Chinese beef stir-fry dishes like Mongolian beef, beef with broccoli, and kung pao beef are beloved takeout classics But what cut of beef turns an ordinary stir-fry into a restaurant-quality meal? For authentic Chinese flavor and texture, flank steak is the traditional go-to beef cut
Why Flank Steak Shines in Chinese Cuisine
With its deep beefy flavor and moderate marbling, flank steak hits the sweet spot for Chinese beef recipes Here’s why it’s perfectly suited for stir-frying
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Thin slicing – Flank steak is easy to slice paper-thin against the grain. This allows for quick, even cooking.
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Marinade absorption – The thin slices offer maximum surface area to absorb aromatic marinades.
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Flavorful – Flank steak has a pleasantly beefy taste without being overly fatty or sinewy.
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Affordable – Compared to premium cuts like tenderloin, flank steak costs a fraction of the price.
When marinated, stir-fried on high heat, and sliced thinly, flank steak offers the ideal beefiness, texture and tenderness for Chinese cuisine.
Alternatives to Flank Steak
While flank steak may be the first choice, other cuts can work well too. Here are some alternates to consider:
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Sirloin steak – Also slices thin beautifully. Provides tenderness.
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Top round steak – Budget-friendly like flank steak. Slice very thinly.
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Beef chuck shoulder steak – Decent marbling. Trim thoroughly and cut across the grain.
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Bavette steak – Similar to flank. Slice against prominent grain.
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Skirt steak – Intense beef flavor. Requires extra slicing care.
The key is slicing any cut as thinly as possible across the grain to maximize tenderness. Opt for affordable cuts with enough marbling to stay juicy but not so much that they make the stir-fry greasy.
Prepping Flank Steak for Stir-Fries
To maximize flank steak’s potential in stir-fries, proper prep is key:
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Slice thin – Cut across the prominent grain into strips 1/8 inch thick.
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Marinate – Marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to overnight. Use soy sauce, sherry, garlic, ginger, sesame oil.
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Partial freeze – For extra thin slices, partially freeze flank for 1 hour before cutting.
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Cut last – After cooking other ingredients, slice steak and stir-fry briefly to avoid overcooking.
Correct slicing and marinating transforms flank steak into the perfect quick-cooking, flavorful beef for wok dishes.
Handling Other Cuts for Chinese Cuisine
When using alternate cuts, adjust preparation accordingly:
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Top round – Cut across very visible grain into extra thin slices.
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Chuck shoulder – Trim thoroughly and cut along the fat lines for tenderness.
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Sirloin – Remove any membranes then slice thin against the subtle grain.
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Bavette – Cut perpendicular to the bold longitudinal grain.
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Skirt – Cut against intense grain. Consider velveting in cornstarch slurry.
While requiring more work, these cuts can absolutely substitute for flank steak with proper preparation.
Cooking Methods for Chinese Beef Perfection
To turn thinly sliced beef into restaurant-worthy stir-fries:
Marinate – Let beef marinate 20 minutes to 2 hours for optimal flavor and tenderizing.
High heat – Use a wok or large skillet over very high heat to quickly sear and brown.
Don’t overcrowd – Cook beef in batches if needed to allow caramelization.
Re-add beef – Cook beef first in batches. Re-add it later to finish cooking without overdoing.
Remove immediately – As soon as beef browns, remove it from the wok to avoid toughening.
With the right cut, preparation, and cooking technique, you can create restaurant-caliber beef stir-fries at home easily.
Take Your Beef Stir-Fries to the Next Level
For next-level Chinese beef stir-fries, remember these tips:
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Flank steak provides the ideal cut, flavor, texture and cost.
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When using other cuts, slice thinly against the grain.
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Marinate the beef adequately to impart flavor and tenderness.
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Use very high heat and avoid overcrowding for proper sear and caramelization.
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Let beef finish cooking by re-adding it after cooking other ingredients.
With practice, you’ll be able to craft restaurant-quality Chinese beef stir-fries tailored to your taste – all from your own kitchen. So grab a good cut of beef and your wok, then prepare for flavorful beefy perfection.
Cutting Boneless Beef Chuck for Stir-fry
Cutting meat against the grain is very important to yield nice tender pieces in your stir-fry dishes.
Again, the “grain” refers to the long strands of muscle running through the beef parallel to each other. When you cut against the grain, you cut across those strands. This shortens the long muscle fibers to make small, tender pieces.
It’s much harder to identify how the grain runs in beef chuck than for flank steak. In this photo, you can see the pattern of meat and fat where the grain runs vertically.
First, we need to cut the long strip into 2-inch wide pieces. This is because we need to cut across the grain.
And then position each piece to cut them so the long fibers are cut short.
See how the knife is positioned where it will cut the beef against the grain?
Now, cut your beef into 1/4″ thick slices…
This picture makes the grain and slice a little easier to see, but you can still picture how hard it would be to handle and slice soft beef.
One way for chefs to quickly cut beef is to freeze it for 30 to 60 minutes until it gets firm.
The firm beef doesn’t slide under the knife or around the cutting board, which makes cutting smoother and faster. Partially frozen meat also allows you to be more precise in cutting to your desired thickness.
How to Cut Beef for Lo Mein & Other Noodle Dishes
If you want to use beef in noodle dishes or Beef and Pepper Stir Fry, you need to take an extra step and slice it into thin strips, which is called julienne.
In Chinese stir-fry cooking, the way ingredients are cut should be consistent with each other. Rectangular slices of beef are used for stir-fries with vegetables like beef and broccoli or beef and tofu. To make long strings of noodles like in Beef Lo Mein, the beef needs to be cut into long, thin strips.
Beef fried rice requires small chunks of meat to go with the small grains of rice. Make sense?
How do Chinese restaurants tenderize their meat?
FAQ
Why is beef in Chinese food so tender?
What is the best meat for Chinese beef?
What cut of beef is used for stir-fry?
What cut of beef do Chinese restaurants use?
Flank steak is by far the most popular cut of meat used by Chinese restaurants in all of their stir-fry dishes. It also happens to be the most recommended cut of beef we use in our stir-fry recipes. Flank steak is flavorful, relatively reasonably priced, and readily available.
What type of meat is good for bones?
However, the type of meat that is best for the bones depends on the cooking method and cut of the meat. Lean meats such as chicken and fish are good options for bone health. Additionally, lean red meats such as beef and pork can also be beneficial for bones if cooked using healthy methods such as grilling or roasting.
What is a good cut of Hunan beef?
Other suitable beef cuts include flank, sirloin, tri-tip, round steak, etc. If you’d like to learn more, check out the Simple Guide of Cuts of Beef on FoodBeast. The second important ingredient is chilli peppers. They provide a kick of heat that’s essential to authentic Hunan beef. Two different types are used in my recipe. Fresh chilli peppers.
Which cut of beef is best for stir frying?
Flank steak is by far the most popular cut of beef used in Chinese cuisine, particularly in stir-fry dishes. This cut of meat is flavorful, affordable, and widely available. Its intense beefy flavor makes it perfect for stir-frying, but it’s important to slice and marinate it properly to achieve the best results.