The Ultimate Steak Guide — Beef Cuts and How to Cook Em’
Whether you are eating out at one of the finest restaurants in town or cooking a lovely candlelight dinner for your loved one at home, you need to know your way around a steak.
Different cuts of beef have different flavour profiles and fat content, so they have to be prepared uniquely to deliver the succulent slab of goodness you find in front of you in the finest restaurants.
Chuck — Low ’n’ Slow
The most heavily worked part of the cow is the chuck. This muscular slab of meat is fairly lean and hard, which means it has to be cooked for several hours.
Where: Shoulder
Marbling: Average
Best Cooking Method: Pot Roast or as Minced Burger Patties
- Ideal for slow cooking, chuck can be prepared for a family roast or stew. Throw this economical pound of meat into the oven along with some balsamic vinegar, garlic, onion powder and some salt ’n’ pepper for a tender slice of roast for your family
- Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast Recipe
- Choosing: A decent lean cut without absurd amounts of fat
- Wine of Choice: Any thick and rich full-bodied red wine
Cost: $
Brisket—Rub n Smoke
The signature cut of Texas and main choice of meat for Korean BBQs. This rich cut of meat is delicious, versatile and inexpensive, but probably a cardiac surgeon’s nightmare.
Where: The Under Breast
Marbelling: Cholesterol Alert
Best Cooking Method: Slow-Smoke
- Rub this bad boy with a dry rub like Cajun seasoning or Texas Steakhouse rubs and smoke it well till the soft chunks of meat slowly fall about in a delicate manner
- Watch the fat drip off this bad boy and savour the slabs slowly as it dissolves in a buttery pool of goodness in your mouth
Choosing:
- This chunk o’ meat is supposed to be . So don’t bother trying to find a lean cut. You should look out for one layered with fats to ensure a soft and delicious end product
Wine of Choice: Cold Tall Boy
Cost: $
Flank —The Extremist
An interesting cut of meat, the flank is a rather tough slice of muscle that works really well either by slow broiling or fast frying.
Where: Inner Belly
Marbelling: Low
How to Cook:
- Stir fry: Slice this bad boy into small thin biteable pieces and fire up a pan to do some fast n furious cooking, then throw in some of your favourite steak sauce and boom. Eat these lean slices of protein and get a bull’s washboard and
- Braise: If you want to slow cook this cut, then go slow and steady. The flank is tough, so you have to braise it for long periods of time for it to break down into chewable pieces. Marinate it with your favourite sauces and rubs like oregano, salt and pepper then slow cook it or else you will get rubbery slices of meat that’s just unpalatable
Choosing:
- Get thin slices of flank that’s lean and even to ensure easy cooking. You don’t wanna heat up a quick fire only to have one end cooked and one end raw
Wine of Choice: Spanish Red to complement the bloodiness
Cost: $
Tenderloin —Tender-lean?
The Tenderloin is proof that beef doesn’t have to be fat to be soft. The magical tenderloin is soft and lean, great for those who want a great bite without the fat.
Where: The Middle Loin
Marbelling: Average
How to Cook:
- Roast in an oven or grill on a platter with garlic and mustard
- Chop it into small medallion sized chunks for bite sized goodness
Choosing:
- Firm and round but with a small layer of fat for flavour
Wine of Choice: An Expensive Pinot
Cost: $$$$
T-Bone —The Mob Boss
The cut of choice for 1950 Mafia bosses. The T-Bone is the most expensive and delicious cut of beef.
Where: Front end of Short Loin
Marbelling: Well-Marbled
How to Cook:
- Fire grill the bad boy mafia style. Add some dry rubs like Cajun and black pepper if you wish but this harass needs little flavouring. The meat itself is the definition of flavour.
Choosing:
- Pick a thick bright red slice with a perimeter of fat for maximum juicyness
Wine of Choice: Any Solid Red, can’t go wrong with a Porter
Cost: $$$$
Rib eye —Eye of the Hurricane
The prime cut of the rib area. The Rib eye is famous for its juicyness.
Where: Middle of the Rib
Marbelling: Well-Marbled
How to Cook:
- Standard Grill: Dry run with any herb and pour mushroom/brown sauce all over it
- Cheese steak: Slice it up into thin pieces, grill and melt some cheese slices over it whilst hot
Choosing:
- Bright red meat with streaky fat lines
Wine of Choice: Pinot Noir
Cost: $$$
Sirloin —Top Butt
Everyone has heard of the sirloin. It’s a decent mid-ranger that’s delicious and at the same time affordable.
Where: At the Small of the Back
Marbelling: Average
How to Cook
- Standard Grill: Bourbon sauce seems to do wonders with the sirloin. Unlike other cuts of beef, its recommended to slice and trim some of the fat off the sirloin. Save yourself some calories or this slice of protein might turn into an ugly piece of gluttonous glob
Choosing:
- Look for something that says “Top Sirloin”, that’s intuitively, the better part of your sirloin steak.
- Try to get a piece 1 to 2 inches thick for easy grilling
Wine of Choice: Murlot
Cost: $$
Flat-Iron — Easy Peasy
Flavourful and tender, this flat slice of beef is the perfect cut of beef for amateur chefs.
Where: Top of the shoulder blade
Marbling: Well-marbled
Best Cooking Method: Grilling
- Sear on the grill for around 4 minutes and season with some salt, pepper, and olive oil
Choosing:
- Select a cut around ¼- to ½-inch thick
- The flat-iron itself is comprises and upper and lower segment separated by an inedible tendon in the middle which you should get your butcher to remove
Wine of Choice: Sauvignon
Cost: $$
Which cuts are your favourite? Let us know the most awesome beef restaurants in town and we might just review it!
