25 Beef Dishes Around The World You Need To Try

From humble stews to showstopping steak dishes, beef has proved time and time again to be one of the most versatile meats out there. Just about any cut of beef can yield delicious and impressive results in a wide range of recipes, whether fried, grilled, or braised for hours until it's on the verge of falling apart. It pairs just as well with rich tomato sauces as it does with spicy citrus dressings which makes it a versatile ingredient, no matter what you're in the mood for. 

Although many Americans are familiar with iconic beef dishes like barbeque ribs or meatballs with bolognese, there is an array of beef recipes from across the globe that showcase the protein's utility. These meals allow the culinary identity of the recipe creator or cook to shine through and convey feelings of nostalgia, comfort, and decadence. Although the exact preparation may vary, all the dishes we selected showcase how versatile beef can be.

Beef Wellington is a luxurious and comforting dish popular in England, but it should also be credited, in part, to the French. The dish combines rich, succulent beef with crisp, crumbly pastry for a showstopping main course. A fillet steak, held in high regard for its tenderness and leanness, is first is coated with pâté and duxelles (a mixture of mushrooms, onions, and various herbs) before it is wrapped in puff pastry and baked until crisp and golden brown. 

As the dish bakes, the fillet steak sears slightly on the outside while the inside remains perfectly tender. The finished pastry is typically served with a generous helping of rich, meaty gravy for a hearty and flavorful meal. 

This rich, robust stew, which derives its name from the Burgundy region of France, is full of satisfying flavors from bay leaves, thyme, and, of course, red wine. Many different cuts of meat can be used, including chuck, but some cuts of meat will work better for braising than others. The beef is sometimes marinated in red wine overnight for extra flavor before being cooked slowly and gently to help the fat dissolve into the sauce and create a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Common additions to this French dish include bacon lardons, which add extra salty unctuousness to the meal. You'll also find an array of vegetables, including onions, carrots, and button mushrooms. Caramelized onions can provide a tantalizing sweetness that perfectly contrasts the stew's savory flavors, but fall-apart chunks of beef and red wine are the heart and soul of this dish. 

Birria is a Mexican stew made with indulgently moist beef. This stew was initially created to balance the intense flavor of goat meat, but the most common protein used today is beef. 

Although birrira can be eaten as a stew, it's also a popular taco filling. Bone-in beef is a popular choice for this dish since it gets super soft after simmering on the stove for several hours. To assemble the taco, the meat is shredded and piled into a tortilla alongside a handful of shredded cheese before it's dipped back into the broth and cooked until crispy. This spicy broth is often made with guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, alongside a variety of bold herbs and spices like oregano and cinnamon. 

Rouladen, a famous and delicious German comfort dish, consists of long strips of beef steak brushed with mustard and filled with onions, pickles, and bacon. The strips are then seasoned and rolled up, sealing in the delicious filling, before they are browned and simmered in a broth until tender.

As the meat cooks, its juices help to flavor the broth further, which is then used to make a rich and meaty gravy for serving. Conventional accompaniments include red cabbage and traditional German sides like spätzle.

Bulgogi, which translates to "fire meat," is a popular Korean barbeque dish made from very thin strips of beef from cuts like ribeye, tenderloin, or sirloin. The protein is marinated in a tantalizingly sweet and savory sauce before being flash-fried, resulting in crispy seared edges and a slightly caramelized coating. The combination of smoky sweetness from the high-heat cooking technique and a flavorful marinade gives bulgogi its iconic, moreish flavor. 

While many Korean restaurants feature tabletop grills specially designed for cooking bulgogi, you don't need a charcoal grill to recreate this famous beef dish. Bulgogi can be cooked in a cast-iron pan for a quick and easy meal at home. 

Beef and Guinness stew is a comfort food dish from Ireland. The Guinness beer's malty sweetness and notes of chocolate perfectly complement tender, chunky cuts of beef for a hearty and complex bowl of goodness. 

Slow-cooked carrots and onions are cooked alongside the beef in a thyme-infused sauce, which allows the components to soak up the stout's malty, hoppy finish. The end result is a truly tasty supper, often served with a generous hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce. 

Bò kho is a satisfying and fragrant Vietnamese stew commonly served with flat rice noodles or a Vietnamese baguette to soak up the broth. While the ingredients in bò kho, like beef, carrots, and onion, are similar to those in European beef stews, the former contains seasonings like lemongrass, ginger, garlic, star anise, and cloves, which give it a fiery kick. Meanwhile, coconut water lends an earthy sweetness to the broth as it cooks and rounds out bò kho's bold yet nuanced flavors.

This Peruvian classic combines the bold flavors of Asia and Latin America. Lomo saltado is made by stir-frying tender strips of steak with onions, tomatoes, and fries in a Chinese-inspired sauce. The fusion of flavors can be credited to the culinary influence of Chinese immigrants, who put their own take on local South American ingredients after relocating. 

Lomo saltado gets its kick and unmistakable Peruvian taste from aji amarillo peppers. It's a great recipe for using up leftovers, particularly if you're looking to give cold french fries a new lease on life.

Gyudon is a Japanese rice bowl topped with onions and thinly sliced beef. It's one of the most popular and accessible meals in Japan. You can find it easily outside train stations, city centers, and restaurants.

This dish gets its flavor from a sweet and salty sauce seasoned with mirin. After it's assembled, the bowl is typically garnished with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds, and sometimes a poached egg.

Suya is grilled beef skewers that are often sold as street food across Nigeria and West Africa. The beef takes on a delicious, nutty, smoky, and slightly sweet taste thanks to the marinade made with ground peanuts and spices like paprika, cayenne, and ground ginger. The skewers are served with the seasoning, called yajin kuli, along with onions, tomatoes, and limes for drizzling. Its flavors are unique and complement the succulent meat quite well.

Kitfo is an Ethiopian raw beef dish seasoned with a variety of punchy spices. It's reminiscent of steak tartare, but is different from other raw beef dishes because it uses a unique ingredient called niter kibbeh.

Niter kibbeh is a flavorful clarified butter essential to Ethiopian cooking. It's infused with spices like black cardamom, caraway, and turmeric. The seasoned fat is worked into the beef to impart its signature flavor. Kifto is typically served with injera, a type of flatbread, greens, and a tangy cheese known as ayib.

Cottage pie is a comforting English classic. It starts with juicy ground beef and vegetables cooked in a thick gravy and covered with creamy mashed potatoes. The entire dish is then baked until the potato layer is slightly crisp. The gravy features ingredients like red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato purée, which instill deeply savory notes undercut by fluffy potato topping. 

The humble pie is easy to make but can be elevated by incorporating extra ingredients. Adding cheese makes for an even more indulgent topping, or you can swap out the potatoes for a unique, low-carb cauliflower cottage pie. 

Lasagna is one of Italy's most famous and celebrated beef pasta dishes, and it's easy to understand why. It features layers of flavourful and hearty beef ragu, silky pasta, and creamy béchamel sauce. You also may find recipe variations with additions like sausage, mushrooms, or gooey cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta. 

After the dish is assembled, it's baked in the oven until it bubbles and crisps up on top. Making lasagna from scratch can take a lot of time and dedication, but the heartiness of this iconic dish makes it undoubtedly worth the effort.

Chebureki, a type of fried turnover, is a classic Russian street food. Though, it may also be found in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

These crispy, hand-held snacks are filled with juicy ground beef and onions seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley. Its dough is rather basic and sometimes features a splash of vodka to help keep it crunchy. The crescent moon-shaped pies are best served hot and are often enjoyed with a side of sour cream.

Goulash is a hearty beef stew beloved in Hungary. It is believed to have been developed by Magyar shepherds over 1,000 years ago, though it still remains popular today.

Chuck beef works best for a robust goulash because the hearty chunks become tender and juicy without completely falling apart. Paprika is another common ingredient in this stew because it imparts a smoky taste and vibrant red color. Nowadays, most goulash recipes will include additional seasonings like caraway seeds and bay leaves. 

This delicious, warming noodle soup is full of aromatic herbs and spices, including black cardamom, star anise, peppercorns, and fennel. These herbs and spices create a tantalizing broth that is easily absorbed by tender cuts of beef shank. Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, and soy sauce are also added to the broth, which is served with noodles and fresh greens like baby bok choi. 

Niu rou mian is an incredibly popular comfort food dish across Taiwan. The dish is so beloved in the country that its capital, Taipei City, hosts a yearly competition to find the best beef noodle soup.

Sloppy Joes is a favorite among Americans. This messy sandwich is made with a generous helping of ground beef flavored with tomato sauce, ketchup, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and other ingredients. It's served on a pillowy hamburger bun and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner. It's a truly moreish sandwich that many have fond childhood memories of. 

Though the key to great Sloppy Joes is a sauce that adds a ton of moisture and flavor, you can also ensure sandwich success by using a ground meat blend of sirloin and chuck.

Steak au poivre, or "pepper steak," is a classic French dish. The steaks are rubbed in freshly ground peppercorns to create a crust. After the steak has been cooked to perfection, it's served with a thick and creamy sauce made with shallots, heavy cream, and cognac.

Filet mignon is a popular cut for this dish because of its tenderness. However, any cut of beef will arguably work well because it's ultimately smothered in a rich, complex sauce that imparts creamy and garlicky flavors with every bite.

Svíčková na smetaně is a traditional Czech dish. It starts with a thick slice of beef, traditionally tenderloin, cooked for several hours before it's left to rest. It's served smothered in a creamy and rich vegetable sauce made with root vegetables and sweetened with apples. The traditional sauce preparation includes a roux, which makes it perfectly thick and glossy. Svíčková na smetaně is traditionally served with bread dumplings and cranberries. 

Bao buns are an incredibly popular street food dish and regular household meal in China, as well as in other Asian countries like Japan and Korea. They're pillowy, soft, and crammed full of succulent meat and shredded vegetables. While fillings can vary, one popular preparation in China is made with ground beef, peppers, and mushrooms and seasoned with ginger, black bean paste, and soy sauce. 

Bao buns are incredibly easy to find at street food vendors and in restaurants in China, but you can also make them at home — as long as you have a steamer basket handy.

"Callos" is the Spanish word for beef tripe — the lining of a cow's stomach. It's the key ingredient in this classic dish, which is often eaten during the cold winter months. Like many stews of its kind, this dish can be adapted to suit the ingredients available. So, it's common to find additions such as spicy chorizo and pig foot, which help develop the meaty flavors of the stew. 

The fairly divisive aroma and overwhelming flavor of the tripe can be subdued by adjusting the ratio of spices. For others, however, this taste is regarded as a delicacy. As a result, callos a la madrileña can be found at many high-end restaurants in Madrid.

Beef rendang is a classic Indonesian dish that showcases slow-cooked beef infused with a range of delicious spices and creamy coconut milk. The long cooking time means that the sauce is reduced almost completely, leaving a much drier dish than that which one might more commonly associate with other curries and stews found in the region. 

This lack of sauce, however, is more than compensated for by incredibly moist meat and the complexity of flavors, including lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and galangal. Beef rendang is best served with plain rice, which absorbs all the flavors of the beef and sauce.

There are arguably few better combinations than juicy steak, crispy golden breadcrumbs, and gooey mozzarella. The popularity of Argentina's milanesa napolitana is a testament to this. This breaded and fried steak is given a distinctive Latin American flair with layers of prosciutto and thick tomato sauce, which are then topped with cheese. 

This recipe can be made with a variety of different beef cuts, including skirt and sirloin steak. However, the most popular cuts used in Argentina are flank and rump steak. The breadcrumb seasoning also varies. In Argentina, the traditional preparation often utilizes mustard and parsley to impart a spicy yet herbal bite. 

Lok lak, or "shaken beef," is a traditional Cambodian dish that combines the sharp zestiness of citrus with the smoky and salty flavors of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Kampot peppercorns. The beef is finely sliced before it's cooked in a pan with a flavorful sauce. This cooking technique gives the beef strips a slightly charred taste and texture, which works perfectly with contrasting sweet and fruity flavors of the sauce.

The cooked beef is commonly served with sliced tomatoes and lettuce, which can be used to scoop up the meat, and a serving of punchy, peppery lime sauce for dipping or drizzling. 

Bibimbap is a colorful Korean dish consisting of fluffy rice, colorful vegetables, and tender marinated beef. It's all brought together by a sweet and spicy sauce made with gochujang, mirin, and rice vinegar, and is commonly topped with a sunny-side up egg for an extra pop of color and savory flavor. 

The bibimbap recipe allows for substitutions and swapping out ingredients, but some common vegetable selections include shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, and spinach. Traditional recipes may call for raw beef, but using cooked ground beef or thinly sliced tenderloin makes for an equally delicious dish.