xiān qiē niúròu, zài bǎ shuǐ zhǔkāi, ránhòu shuàn niúròu.

It shows the order of actions.

• 先 = first
• 再 = then / next
• 然后 = after that / then

So the sentence is organized as a sequence:

• 先切牛肉 = first cut the beef
• 再把水煮开 = then bring the water to a boil
• 然后涮牛肉 = after that, cook the beef briefly in the hot water

This kind of pattern is very common in instructions, recipes, and explanations.

Because in Chinese, the subject is often left out when it is obvious.

In a recipe or instruction, the person doing the action is understood, so Chinese usually just lists the steps:

• 先切牛肉
• 再把水煮开
• 然后涮牛肉

Adding 你 would be possible, but it would usually sound less natural in this kind of procedural sentence.

把 is used to highlight what happens to an object.

The pattern is often:

把 + object + verb + result

Here:

• 把水煮开
• object = 水
• verb = 煮
• result = 开

So the meaning is: take the water and boil it until it reaches the boiled state.

Without 把, you could also say 再煮开水, but that can feel more like a general verb-object phrase boil water.
With 把, the sentence focuses more clearly on changing the water into a boiled state.

煮开 means to boil something until it comes to a boil.

It is made of:

• 煮 = boil / cook in liquid
• 开 = open, but after a verb it often works as a result complement, showing that a new state has been reached

So 把水煮开 means boil the water so that it becomes boiling.

This is different from just 煮水, which can simply mean boil water as an action, without emphasizing the completed result.

Not here.

再 can mean again in some contexts, but in this sentence it means then / next because it is marking the next step in a sequence.

So:

• 我再说一次 = I’ll say it again
• 先切牛肉，再把水煮开 = first cut the beef, then boil the water

The meaning depends on context.

Both help show sequence, but they are used a little differently.

• 再 often comes directly before the next action
• 然后 often works as a connector between steps or clauses

In this sentence:

• 先切牛肉，再把水煮开，然后涮牛肉。

That sounds very natural. It is like:

• first...
• then...
• after that...

You do not always need both, but using both makes the order especially clear and smooth.

涮 is a specific cooking verb. It usually means to briefly cook thin slices of food by swishing them in hot liquid, especially in a hot-pot context.

So 涮牛肉 is not just general cook beef. It suggests:

• the beef is usually thinly sliced
• it is cooked quickly
• it is dipped or swished in boiling broth or water

This is a more specialized verb than 煮.

Repeating the noun is very normal in Chinese, especially in instructions.

So:

• 先切牛肉，再把水煮开，然后涮牛肉。

sounds clear and natural.

If you used 它, it would still be understandable in some contexts, but Chinese often prefers repeating the noun rather than switching to a pronoun as quickly as English does.

This is especially true when repetition helps avoid confusion.

Yes, that is possible.

先把牛肉切了 also sounds natural. It uses the 把 construction and 了 after the verb phrase to show the action is carried out as a completed step.

Compare:

• 先切牛肉 = first cut the beef
  
  • simple, recipe-like, neutral
• 先把牛肉切了 = first cut the beef
  
  • a little more explicit about completing that step

Both can work. The original sentence is a very common concise style for instructions.

The original sentence uses a plain instructional style, which is common in recipes and directions.

• 切牛肉 = cut the beef
  
  • simple and direct
• 切一下牛肉 = cut the beef a bit / just cut the beef for a moment
  
  • softer, more conversational
• 切好牛肉 = cut the beef and get it properly prepared
  
  • emphasizes the result being ready

In recipes, Chinese often prefers the short, bare-verb style:

• 切牛肉
• 煮开水
• 涮牛肉

It sounds efficient and natural.

Because 开水 is a noun meaning boiled water.

But in this sentence, the water is not boiled yet. The speaker is describing the action of making it boil:

• 把水煮开 = boil the water until it boils

If you say 开水, you are talking about water that is already boiled.

So the sentence needs 水 plus the action/result 煮开, not the noun 开水.