What Are the Best Tips for Cooking Silverside?

Compared to most other cuts of beef, silverside tends to be tough and dries out easily. The first tip for cooking silverside is to make sure there is always moisture, such as steam, water or stock around the meat. Some of the best results can be achieved by cooking silverside very slowly for a long time so it can become tender. Using a marinade for silverside can help to add moisture that slowly will evaporate and create steam while also tenderizing the meat. If it still is present, then it is important to remove the tough, silvery-white membrane that covers part of the meat before cooking, because it is practically inedible.

Cooking silverside in an oven like a roast can be an easy way to prepare the meat, but it also can cause problems. If cooked for a long time on low heat in an oven without any preparation, the meat will become incredibly chewy and tough. It is important to cover the roast completely with foil or a lid, leaving only a few areas open so excess steam can escape. This will help to keep moisture near the meat so it does not dry out.

Slowly boiling or braising might seem like a safe method to use for cooking silverside, but this is not always the case. If the meat is left in a slow-cooker or stock-filled pot for too long, then it will start to become dry and tough despite being submerged in liquid. Watching the cooking times carefully can help to avoid this situation. When boiling or braising silverside, it can be beneficial to use ingredients such as beer, wine, vinegar or onions that will tenderize the meat as it cooks.

If time constraints make cooking silverside slowly impossible, then some faster methods can be used, although the results might be mixed. When cut into very thin strips, silverside can be quickly grilled, especially if marinated for a short time first. Cutting the meat into small cubes makes it possible to braise silverside quickly and ten add it to a stew or soup, although not everyone likes the texture of silverside that is not well done.

Should no method of cooking whole or sliced silverside be acceptable, then the meat can be passed through a meat grinder or finely minced with a knife. Silverside is fairly lean and does not contain any bones, so it can make a very clean ground meat. Subsequently, the ground meat can be cooked into a meatloaf or hamburger, although the fine individual pieces will have a little more texture than ground sirloin and still might come out dry.