They are the heavyweights among tomatoes, weighing 150 to more than 1,000 grams. Due to their long ripening period, beefsteak tomatoes have soaked up the most sun and taste particularly aromatic. Get to know the best varieties of beefsteak tomatoes here.
What types of beefsteak tomatoes are there?
The best varieties of beefsteak tomatoes are Sandul Moldovan, Nonna Antonia, Bernese Rose, Brandywine and Bulgarian Pink Giant for red varieties; Coeur de Boeuf, bull heart and white ox heart with ox heart tomatoes; Black Prince, Carbon and Black Pineapple Tomatoes in dark varieties; Azoychka, Great White and Uzbekistan II for yellow varieties; Cherokee Green, Green Moldava and Green Helarios for green varieties.
Red beef tomatoes – the elite in the tomato patch
- Sandul Moldovan: light red fruits, 300-700 grams, harvest from the beginning of August
- Nonna Antonia: red variety from Piedmont, 400-800 grams, late ripening
- Bernese Rose: highly aromatic, pink-red fruits, 100-250 grams, very productive
- Brandywine: seed-tight, bright red tomatoes, 150-500 grams, first-class taste
- Bulgarian Pink Giant: strong, pink tomatoes, 800-1200 grams, medium early ripening
Ochsenherz – classic beef tomatoes from Russia
The extra meaty ox hearts came to America from Russia in 1901 and from there conquered tomato gardeners around the globe.
- Coeur de Boeuf: the original red ox heart from France, 100-350 grams, first-class in taste and yield
- Bull Heart or Bic´je Serdze: orange-red variety from Eastern Europe, heart-shaped, tapering, 300-500 grams
- White ox heart: yellow-white fruits, very aromatic, juicy, 150-300 grams, early harvest time
Black beefsteak tomato varieties
Dark-colored beefsteak tomatoes are rare and surprise with a complex aroma. It's high time to get acquainted with the robust powerhouses:
- Black Prince: the star variety, juicy, thin-skinned, high-yielding, 150-450 grams
- Carbon: mighty, 2 meter high beefsteak tomato, best taste just before fully ripe, 100-250 grams
- Black pineapple tomato: juicy, sweet, tenderly melting flesh, few seeds, 200-650 grams
Yellow beefsteak tomato varieties
Hobby gardeners who value a mild taste in their home-grown tomatoes prefer yellow varieties.
- Azoychka: very early variety, delicate yellow peel, lemony aroma, 100-350 grams
- Great White: light yellow fruits, firm to the seeds, mild in taste, 150-350 grams
- Uzbekistan II: flat-round, yellow fruits, 150-350 grams, late ripening, high-yielding, sweet and mild
Green beefsteak tomato varieties
If you want to harvest green beefsteak tomatoes, you will be treated to a refreshingly sour taste. However, eye contact alone is not enough to determine ripeness, because unripe tomatoes are also green and contain toxic solanine. Experienced tomato gardeners press the peel and harvest green tomato varieties when it gives way.
- Cherokee Green: vigorous variety, thin peel, sour aroma, 150-350 grams
- Green Moldava: a small beefsteak tomato with a wonderful taste, 90-150 grams
- Green Helarios: one of the most popular green varieties, 80-200 grams
Tips & Tricks
Beef tomatoes are the ideal candidates for growing on a stick. Grown with one or two shoots, they deliver the highest harvest yield. Any strenuous competitive instinct at the grassroots level should therefore be broken out as early as possible.
