Holiday traditions are commonly built around the dinner table and culinary customs are handed from one generation to the next. While the proverbial ham and turkey is a popular fixture for many holiday tables, many Americans are still finding creative ways to include their favorite beef offerings during December. As Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation would have said, beef is “the gift that keeps on giving.”
The Progressive Cattle editorial staff, along with a few of our regular contributors and good people from the beef industry, have joined in to share some of our favorite connections to beef during the Christmas holiday. The variety of ideas includes recipes, traditions in cooking and preparation, and gifts given and received, all connected to the beef and cattle lifestyle.
No partridges, no doves, no hens, no geese – just cattle and beef.
We’ve put 12 of them together and think you’ll be more than pleased.
1. Marci Whitehurst – freelance writer
We were gifted cookie cutters as a wedding gift, one of which was a cow.
As the kids came along, they fell in love with the cow cookie cutter. Each Christmas, we make sugar cookies, and one of their favorite shapes became the cow. We have the tradition of making sugar cookies and taking them to neighbors, complete with Christmas cows. One year, our daughters gave the cows names. This Christmas cow’s name was Roast.
Christmas cow cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream these ingredients and add:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
Blend well. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Roll out dough to desired thickness (we use parchment paper and flour to keep it from sticking) and cut into shapes – cows included. Bake at 375º for seven to eight minutes. Cool and frost.
Frosting:
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon butter (softened)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk (more if needed for consistency)
Red is a standard Christmas color, so our Christmas cows are often Red Angus!
2. Cassidy Woolsey – Progressive Cattle editor
Staff photo.
Do you have someone who loves to cook with smoke? If so, I have got a gift idea for you. One Christmas, I bought my dad the book Up in Smoke, and it has been his holy grail ever since. In it, you’ll find recipes for brisket, beef chuck, prime rib, ribs, tri-tip, jerky and even rubs and sauces. It also walks beginners through different woods and how to unleash their flavor. It’s a great book for the novice, as well as the seasoned smoker.
It can be found at Amazon, Walmart or Sportsman’s Warehouse.
3. Carrie Veselka – Progressive Cattle editor
Staff photo.
Holiday carne asada
My brother served a two-year mission for our church in Brazil, and every year at Christmas, when the family gets together, he makes Brazilian-style carne asada that he learned how to make on his mission, with a Veselka-esque twist.
He uses Mexican-style carne asada that comes pre-sliced and marinates it for two days before grilling. His personal favorite is bourbon and brown sugar marinade. Grill for one to two minutes on each side, seasoning with salt and pepper. Wipe both sides of the meat with a little butter to seal in the moisture and enhance the flavor. Serve with rice and black beans.
4. Phil Bass – University of Idaho assistant professor, meat science
Photo provided by Phil Bass.
Around Christmas is the traditional time my family makes up a big batch of sausage that has its roots in my paternal grandmother’s family, who originated in the far north of Italy. This unique sausage blend is half beef and half pork, made both for cooking and drying (salami).
Although the recipe is only shared among those within the Scalvini family, I can tell you it does have a very unique spice blend that includes things like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. It truly tastes like Christmas. It’s a special time for family and food. Go beef!
5. Gary and Kim Greene – Greeneline Angus, Covington, Louisiana
Photo provided by Greene family.
Beef-wrapped jalapeño poppers
Several years ago, Tom Mitchell, one of the cowboys who helps us with our annual Christmas Eve morning A.I. project, brought us some elk prepared this way, ready to cook. We enjoyed it so much, we adapted the recipe using beef instead, and thus it has become a Greene family tradition.
Thinly slice round steak or another cut into 2-by-five-inch strips. Pound them as thin as possible. Coat with Tiger Sauce and set aside for 30 minutes.
Seed and devein fresh jalapeño peppers. Cut them in half and fill with cream cheese.
Wrap the Tiger Sauce-coated beef strips around the stuffed jalapeños and then wrap them with half a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Grill or roast in the oven until the bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes at 375º to 400º. Enjoy!
6. Tiffany Dowell Lashmet – Texas AgriLife ag law specialist
Photo provided by Tiffany Dowell Lashmet.
When I think about Christmas traditions, one immediately comes to mind: posole on Christmas Eve. Since I have been a child, my family has done chores, attended Christmas Eve candlelight church service, come home to check the lambing barn, and then sat down to a hot bowl of posole and a side of tamales.
Mom’s posole
2-pound package hominy
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat cut to bite-size pieces
½ pound cubed pork cut to bite size pieces
1/8 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
14-ounce container of medium Bueno Red Chili sauce (Find this in your freezer section.)
1/4 to 1/2 14-ounce container hot Bueno Red Chili sauce (Find this in your freezer section and adjust the amount to the desired level of heat.)
Place hominy in a large pot (12-quart) and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to medium heat and cook for one hour.
Add pork and stew meat and more water to completely cover hominy and meat. Add all other ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.
Transfer all into a large slow cooker and cook on medium for six hours. Reduce to low until serving time.
7. Sarah Hernandez – Progressive Cattle production editor
Staff photo.
Fall-apart roast beef
When my husband and I travel to Boise, we enjoy Cracker Barrel for a meal. I tend to order the same things when I visit restaurants, and at Cracker Barrel, that is the amazing roast beef. During one visit, our server overheard me asking my husband how they get their beef so tender, and she told me they let it cook overnight. I’ve always cooked my roast beef for about eight hours on low in a slow cooker, but it hadn’t occurred to me to let it go overnight, and they were right. The extra time breaks down the meat and makes it fork tender.
So the next time you make roast beef in a slow cooker, let it cook on low for about 18 hours. You won’t regret it. During the holidays, we do most of the cooking for our large family. For Christmas, we make a turkey, ham and roast beef using the above method. Needless to say, the roast beef is never included in the leftovers.
8. Davey Griffin – Texas A&M University meat scientist
Photo provided by Davey Griffin.
For many years, I have had the privilege of being the lead person cooking and serving prime rib for our Texas Beef Cattle Short Course. It has been such a popular event, I am not sure what would happen if we tried to serve anything else. For Christmas, I love to downscale from 150 ribeye rolls to one or two to serve during the holidays. Smoking prime rib on the pit gives it such a unique flavor, it adds to any special dinner. And, just like turkey, the leftovers work in so many applications.
9. Paul Marchant – Progressive Cattle “Irons in the Fire” columnist
Getty Images.
One of my favorite beef-inspired Christmas meals is cheeseburger soup, served in bread bowls. During my kids’ growing-up years, we’d get together with my folks and my sister’s family on Christmas Eve. We’d have a variety of soups, most all of which contained some form of beef because, naturally, representation by any other protein source would be heresy.
After the meal, as the kids portrayed the nativity, we’d read the story of Christ’s birth from the New Testament and sing and listen to accompanying Christmas carols and hymns from a program written by my mother a generation earlier, especially for the occasion. We’re now continuing the tradition with our own grandchildren.
Cheeseburger soup
1/2 pound ground beef
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1-3/4 pounds (about 4 cups) cubed, peeled potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 4 cups shredded Velveeta
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook and crumble beef until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, ground beef and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly, three to five minutes. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir two minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.
10. Jenny Pluhar – Texas Grazing Land Coalition executive director
Photo provided by Jenny Pluhar.
Ede’s Meats’ jerky in Amarillo, Texas, is a huge favorite of my family and everyone we give it to. When I travel to Texas Grazing Land Coalition functions, or my week at Texas Section Society for Range Management’s Youth Range Workshop, the men especially will ask, “Did you bring the jerky in the little brown bag?” We ship shrink-wrapped packages to our Marine helicopter pilot and DVM sons, and even include it as a Christmas stocking stuffer.
11. Lynn Jaynes – Progressive Forage managing editor
Staff photo.
I thought about lying about one of my favorite beef dishes – beef liver. I was afraid I might get “voted off the planet” by my fellow editors. But lying doesn’t fit with Santa’s “good list,” so there you have it. My favorite day on the farm was when the mobile butcher rolled in because I knew we’d have beef liver for supper. (In my defense, it’s the name “liver” that’s the problem, not the taste, probably because it rhymes with “shiver.”) So my recommendation for the best beef liver: Fry it in bacon grease with onions until it’s fairly crisp. Simple is better. Simple is delicious. (And it wouldn’t hurt to rename it.)
12. David Cooper – Progressive Cattle managing editor
Staff photo.
One of the best ways to enjoy beef is to cut it right. That means solid knives for carving and slicing. Over the years, I’ve tried to go the economic route and invested in good Henckels knives with solid-quality German blades, and I’ve never been disappointed. Jawohl!
On my wish list a while back was a meat carving knife with a 10-inch rounded tip, which works so smoothly on brisket and large roasts.
Did I get it? No. Did I buy it later? Yes!
The slated grooves make less friction for the meat, and it glides for great slices of any meat, especially beef.
