A Cut Above

Cuts of Steak

I was enjoying a really good piece of steak the other day. Then I remember the time when my friend ordered a skirt steak and didn't know how to eat it properly. He asked me what generally should he order for a steak that would pretty much guarantee a steak with good flavor and tenderness. This was a bit of a loaded question, since we would have to example the merits and faults of the different cuts of steaks

There are also different grades of steak, but if you're going to a half way decent steak house, it'll most likely be prime, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

For a more comprehensive list of steaks, I suggest you check out wikipedia.

Types of Steaks

Generally rule is if the meat is part of the cow where there's a lot of movement, it tends to be more tough. Cuts from the middle section of the cow tends to have less movement and exercise, so they'll be more tender.

I'll just go over the most popular cuts that you'll see in a restaurant, which are: rib eye, T-bone, strip steak, skirt steak and Filet Mignon.

The strip steak is the most common steak you'll see in a restaurant. You'll probably know it has the New York strip. This a decent cut of steak, but most restaurants cut this strip down to a rather thin portion. Which means that the steak tends to be over done and dry out. I do not recommend ordering the strip steak well done, you'll be left of a dry out piece of beef jerky.

The T-bone is another popular cut. You'll also know it by the larger variant called the Porterhouse. These are larger cuts and tend to be the most expensive on the menus of fine steak houses. The T-bone cuts actually have different cuts of meat in them, so that you'll actually get to try out 2 cuts of steaks for the price of one. You'll find the strip steak on one side and tenderloin on the other. They are more forgiving in cooking, so even a mediocre restaurant can cook it. The bone tend to protect the meat from overcooking. I would order this if I'm really really hungry.

The Filet Mignon often gets all the press. I actually don't prefer it at all. Sure it is the most tender cut, since it comes from a muscle that the cow hardly use. But it lacks fat, which we should all know by now fat is flavor. You may have a tender cut of beef, but it certainly is not the most flavorful. That's why you'll find it wrap in bacon in most steak houses. They want to infuse artificial flavor. Price per pound is usually the most expensive. I say stay away from this cut. It's just full of hype but lacks the substance.

Skirt steak is sometimes listed. However be careful when ordering this cut. Why? Well, like my friend who didn't know how the eat it. If you cut the steak the wrong way, it can be quite tough. You have to cut across the grain, and in a diagonal pattern to be edible. This cut actually has quite a bit of flavor, but I recommend reserving this for dishes like fajitas.

The last cut is what Hypertaster recommends if you're not sure what to eat. The rib eye cut has a nice balance of fat to muscle ratio. That means you'll get nice flavor and get enough bang for the buck. It is also tend be a thicker cut, so it's also more forgiving for those inexperience chefs out there. This cut can cook anyway you want. You can order this well done, though for the foodie in me, I tend to never order a steak well done. You can not go wrong with ordering a rib eye.

For a good steak, knowing the cuts is essential. There are other factors, like seasoning, amount of aging, the chef. However, those are usually out of your hands. If you are wondering about steak sauce, well, let me say a well cooked piece of steak does not need steak sauce.

Now that you learn the basic cuts, you'll shouldn't be afraid when you're at a steak house not knowing what to order.