Beef Entrecote

Name: Beef Entrecote - Pan-Fried in Butter, Bone-In Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Beef entrecote (350-400 g) 2; Butter 50 g; Salt, black pepper to taste; Fried potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, lavash for the side

If you want meat for lunch or dinner, a big, juicy, appetizing piece, it is worth making a beef entrecote. In classic French cuisine, entrecote is a cut of beef taken between the ribs and the spine. The name holds the place on the carcass the meat comes from: entre, “between”, and côte, “rib”.

As a rule, beef entrecote is the cut that lies between the thin flank and the thick edge, next to the spine on top of the ribs. It is often confused with a round section of the back muscle called the “medallion”. Nowadays, though, few people bother hunting for the right cut for a particular dish, and any piece of beef up to 2 cm thick and the size of a palm can be used for entrecote.

If you read old cookbooks, you will notice that what cooks understood by entrecote changed often. In the century before last, beef entrecote was considered part of the loin muscle. Later the name went to the thin edge between the fillet and the thick edge, with the meat cut together with a piece of rib and regarded as not the best, with too many bones.

Depending on the region, beef can have different fat content. Americans prefer fairly fatty meat, while Europeans like balanced fat and even “marbled” meat. When butchering the carcass, the part with the ribs is cut out and then sliced between the ribs. The rib bones are cleaned, and the meat is pounded not too thin to give it the shape of a natural cutlet.

Beef entrecote is fried or baked; both methods are used separately or even combined. Pan-frying is the quicker option. But if you are cooking a large piece of meat and serving it whole, it is better to bake it in the oven.

If the meat is a large piece with several ribs, cut it between the ribs and clean the bone so that it sticks out a little. After that, pound the meat lightly to give it the shape of a “natural” cutlet. The simplest spices are salt and black pepper. I do not like to bread beef entrecote: it may burn while the middle stays raw. Then fry it in butter, a mix of oils or beef fat. Alternatively, the meat can be finished in the oven.

More with beef

Beef Languette Pan-Fried in Butter

Pan-Seared Beef Steak

Ojakhuri with Pork Neck and Veal

Beef Shoulder in Tomato and Vegetable Sauce

Beef Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 servings

Beef entrecote (350-400 g) 2
Butter 50 g
Salt, black pepper to taste
Fried potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, lavash for the side

Step-by-step recipe

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A beef entrecote should be big. What is an entrecote? A huge piece of meat, well cooked, tender and juicy. The rib bone sticking out to the side stands out in particular. Beef almost always contains some fat and connective tissue, so getting fried meat that “melts in your mouth” takes some effort.
Trim the tendons and large pieces of fat off the meat. With a knife, clean the rib bone so that it has almost no meat on it and sticks out slightly to the side. Pound the meat, not too hard, so it is roughly even in thickness. Season the entrecote with salt and ground black pepper. Heat butter in a frying pan and let it warm for a few minutes. Put the meat into the hot butter.
Fry the entrecote over high heat. It is important to get a golden crust, then turn the meat over. The crust keeps the meat from losing moisture, and the juiciness of the beef is guaranteed. Reduce the heat to medium and, turning often, fry the meat until done. If you are not sure the entrecote will cook through, you can keep the meat under a lid or in the oven at 180°C for 10-15 mins.
Beef entrecote can be served on a large plate, but it is better and more convenient to present it on a platter or board. The serving dish can be lined with thin bread such as lavash or flatbread. Put on the piece of meat, potatoes fried in wedges, lettuce leaves, a fresh tomato and herbs. Pour the juices that formed during frying over the entrecote. Serve the meat hot.
Entrecote also cooks well on a grill: the burning coals give the meat an exceptional aroma, and it cooks through nicely while staying juicy. As with any well-done meat, it is worth serving a glass of dry red wine.