How to Cook Meat on a Carnivore Diet

It’s important to know exactly how to cook meat on a carnivore diet because you’ll be eating a lot of it! Today I’m outlining the top 8 ways to cook meat for beginners, recovering vegetarians, and ex-vegans. Each method includes basic directions and recipes to try.

If you ever think you’re “bored” with animal foods, review this list for inspiring new cooking styles to try!

A Beginner’s Guide to an All-Meat Diet

The key to getting started with a carnivore diet is having lots of meat around! For all the best strategies on transitioning, read our guide What is the Carnivore Diet? with complete details.

If you wonder what to eat on a carnivore diet, don’t worry, there are various options. However, most people find they do best with fatty red meat as the main staple. I’ll focus on beef in this post since that will likely help you out the most long-term. Many of these cooking styles are also applied to pork, chicken, and game meats.

There are many ways to cook meat on a carnivore diet! If needed, brush up on your knowledge by reviewing these important cooking terms for preparing meat then, we’ll dive into the eight main methods you can employ in your kitchen right now.

No matter which recipe you follow, keep your seasonings simple or avoid them altogether.

Always salt liberally. Then, if you want more, choose culinary herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano. Some people tolerate freshly ground black pepper, garlic, onion, and hot sauce without problems, while others do not. Horseradish and cayenne are also popular seasonings; however, they don’t work for everyone.

If you think you may have a sensitivity, remove these ingredients for at least a week, then test one at a time while leaving a few days between each reintroduction and gauge adverse or neutral reactions.

4 Ways to Prepare Ground Beef

There’s no doubt that ground beef is the kind of meat I use the most. After a quick skim over all my carnivore diet recipes, you’ll see a large portion of those dedicated to ground beef.

No other ingredient compares to ground beef in its simplicity, affordability, and versatility.

The four ways I cook ground beef are:

• Saute or stir-fry
• Pan-fry
• Bake
• Slow cook

See all these techniques featured in my carnivore ground beef recipes. 

Need a grocery shopping shortcut? Check out ButcherBox and see if it’s the solution you’re looking for.

How to Cook Meat on a Carnivore Diet

In addition to the ways above, there are more approaches you can take. Here I will describe the most common cooking methods, plus share recipes and examples that walk you through each step.

If you need help with your plan, take a look at my carnivore diet meal plan.

I also have a page of 70+ carnivore diet resources you can use!

Sear

Searing might be the most important technique you need to know for cooking meat. It’s a quick way to cook steaks, burgers, pork chops, fish, and seafood on the stovetop. This approach is also used for liver and other organ meats, although, there are many ways to cook liver without flour. 

By using high heat, a stainless steel, cast iron cookware, or pure ceramic skillet, and usually a little bit of fat, you arrange the meat in the pan in a single layer and let it cook until the first side gets a nice golden brown crust. Then, flip and repeat on the second side. Wait until the pan is very hot before adding the fat and meat.

You can also reverse sear steak. This process starts with slow oven cooking and finishes with a hot sear in the pan. 

A steak usually cooks for 2-4 minutes per side, depending on how thick it is and how rare or cooked you like it. Some people like to finish the steak by broiling, but it is not necessary.

Pan-fry

Bacon and thinner cuts are best for frying. The basic rules include cooking fat and a skillet over medium heat for whole pieces of meat like steak, sirloins, chicken thighs, or lamb chops.

Here’s a video tutorial for pan-frying beef strips. Keep watching her next video on steak too.

You can also cook the perfect egg by pan-frying in a skillet, just watch my husband in the video!

Braise

Braising is ideal for tough, collagen-rich meat and cuts with a lot of connective tissue. You will use a dutch oven, broth, low heat, and time to transform the meat into soft, fall-off-the-fork tender meals.

Cheaper cuts like shoulder, rump, chuck roast, and brisket work well and have great flavor. There are many ways to eat a carnivore diet on a budget. Stick with these tips, and your wallet will thank you.

In my opinion, there is no better way to prepare beef shanks than this easy braised beef shank recipe. 

Slow cook

While braising is a type of slow cooking, usually, when you see the term “slow cook” in a recipe, it refers to using an electric crockpot or slow cooker. This kind of recipe typically cooks for 4-6 hours on the high setting or 6-8 hours on low.

I find them to be ideal to prep overnight and eat hot in the morning. Starting the pot in the morning and eating in the evening is also nice.

Try Slow Cooker Beef Stew or Slow Cooked Organ Meat Stew to start. Read through each of the posts for carnivore-friendly recipe modifications.

Bake

Muffins, cakes, and sweet baked goods might come to mind when you first think of baking, but baking is also suitable for cooking meat too!

I highly recommend Hidden Liver Meat Muffins and Organ Meat Pie for your meal prep. I make these at least every other week since they are great for meal prep. Mixing organ meats with ground beef helps normalize these foods in your diet by presenting them in a familiar form. Read How to Eat Liver on a Carnivore Diet for more tips.

Add leftover shredded or diced meat to carnivore breakfast muffins and start your day with a quick prep carnivore meal!

Roast

Although roasting meat is simple – cover the meat with fat and a generous seasoning of salt – this approach is not for beginners. Due to the differences in oven temperatures, altitude, the thickness of cut, and other variables, these recipes can be more difficult to follow than other ones discussed here.

I recommend using a meat thermometer when you get started to help you correctly identify the internal temperature.

My favorite roast beef is in The Carnivore Cookbook. I dedicated the beginning of this book to meal prep and sourcing strategies so you can expedite your efforts in the kitchen. Roast beef is just one of over 100 recipes you can use to thrive on a zero-fiber diet. Get your copy now, if you don’t have one already!

Boil

Boiled meat isn’t a significant culinary feat, but it is relatively easy, very frugal, and simple enough to make a regular practice in your weekly carnivore diet meal prep routine. Consider boiled meat as a humble kitchen dish. Boiling can also be modified by poaching, simmering, and stewing.

My personal favorite is boiled kidney. You can watch the recipe in action in the video linked to The EASIEST Beef Kidney Recipe.

Grill

I’m all for cooking outside, so grilling meat is a nice reason to get extra time in the fresh air. All the better when you source cheap cuts of meat for grilling.

The biggest limiting factor here is equipment and weather. You’ll need a grill and related tools, including fuel (charcoal, wood or gas) and proper cooking utensils. Plus, it’s useful to keep assorted cleaning tools nearby too.

The Spruce Eats has a handy guide on how to grill beef, chicken, and fish perfectly every time.

Unfortunately, grilling isn’t an inviting activity when it’s cold outside, so take advantage of the situation while conditions are right. After that, use a grill pan and bring grilling inside once the sun goes away and the weather drops.

You can also air-fry pork chops and other meats. I’m still learning about this process and will update more on the blog once I find new favorite recipes to share.

More Carnivore Diet Guides for Beginners

I hope this cooking guide is helpful. If you need more carnivore diet tips, continue reading the posts below:

• 30 Easy Carnivore Diet Meal Ideas
• Carnivore Diet Food List
• How to Find Quality Foods
• Carnivore Diet Challenge