Beef Cuts and Which to Type to Use
There are numerous beef cuts to choose from when shopping. How do you know which is the best for grilling? How about which type of beef cut is best utilized in a stew? The answer usually boils down to the tenderness and flavor of the particular cut of beef. Whatever beef cut you are looking for, remember to choose carefully. Make certain you are selecting a beef cut that is light red and evenly colored throughout, stay away from dark red or almost purple in color beef cuts. Now let’s check out the different beef cuts and what they are best utilized for!
Strip Loin Steaks: The name “strip” is derived from the fact that the cut of beef is literally stripped from the short loin. This particular beef cut is the quintessential beef cut of steakhouses everywhere. You’re probably more familiar with its common name, the New York strip. This beef cut is extremely tender, juicy, and plenty flavorful. This beef cut is best used for grilling; it needs no additional flavoring provided by adding it to a stew. By adding this beef cut to a stew, you would essentially be missing out on the wonderful natural flavor it contains. Just throw it on the grill and cook it to your liking.
The T-Bone Steak and the Porterhouse Steak: These two beef cuts are synonymous with steakhouses. Practically everyone has heard of one or both of these beef cuts. They are in the same category due to their incredible similarities. They are practically identical, the only exception being that the porterhouse is cut from a little further back on the beef carcass providing it with more of the tenderloin of the animal. The porterhouse is probably the most popular beef cut in the world. Due to it containing both a large amount of the strip as well as a large amount of the tenderloin, it’s the best of both world’s for steak lovers. Again, this beef cut is best thrown on the grill. DO NOT ruin your T-Bone or porterhouse by mixing it in any stew or overpowering marinade; it’s fine as it comes packaged.
The Tenderloin (AKA The Filet Mignon): If you haven’t heard of the filet mignon, you have probably been living under a rock, or in a place where beef doesn’t exist. The tenderloin, as the name would suggest, is the tenderest beef cut. The extremely fine muscle fibers that make up the filet (tenderloin) are what separate this beef cut from the rest. It’s the type of beef cut that is savory, and will just melt in your mouth. This expensive beef cut should be grilled with the utmost care. Due to its extremely fine muscling, you don’t have to cook it too long. For this cut, it’s grill only and keep a careful eye on it while doing so!
Flank Steak: Flank steak is used widely across the world in a plethora of different methods. In the U.S. it’s most commonly used in what is called “London broil”. Ironically, people in the U.K. have more than likely never heard of this! Flank steak is utilized in hundreds of Asian dishes as well as South and Central American cuisines. The beef cut is from the lower belly of the animal and is not nearly as tender as any of the beef cuts listed above. Because of this, the use of marinades, different searing and slicing methods are used to increase the tenderness.
Skirt Steak: This particular beef cut is from the interior of the animal, specifically the diaphragm area of the animal. It’s nowhere near as tender as beef cuts such as the tenderloin, or strip loin beef cuts. It does, however, pack a lot of flavor. Skirt steak is commonly grilled. The key to a good skirt steak is the grillmaster themselves; you have to grill this beef cut just right to get anything representative of the word “tender”.
Brisket: The brisket is from the chest region of the animal. This beef cut is also not as tender as any of the inner beef cuts. You’ll often see brisket being utilized in Texas style barbecuing which takes several hours to achieve a flavorful and tender result. This is one tough cut of beef. If you put this on the grill on direct high heat, you’ll regret it immediately.
Rib-Eye Steak: The rib-eye is a favorite amongst most butchers. It comprises of the loin and is without question the most marbled and tasty beef cut. While it’s not an extremely tender beef cut, it makes up for that with its wonderful marbling and flavor as a result. Grilling this steak is the way to go. With its incredible marbling, this beef cut is tailor made for grilling. Any other method of cooking this beef cut would just be a total waste; you’ll miss out on the fantastic flavor provided by all the marbling throughout the beef cut.
Standing Rib Roast: The rib roast consists of nearly the exact same meat that make up the rib-eye steak. While it’s often referred to as prime rib in restaurants, this doesn’t mean it is prime graded beef (don’t get fooled on that one). The reason it’s called a standing rib roast is that it’s usually cooked standing up. In the U.S., it’s a popular meal that is primarily oven cooked. Due to the amount of meat, this beef cut is best cooked over a long duration with consistently lower heat with no flame. Cooking this beef cut utilizing direct heat or flame will undoubtedly result in the exterior being burnt to a crisp while the center is still raw. Slow and steady in the oven is the best method for cooking this beef cut.
Sirloin Steaks: Simply put, sirloin steaks are the bottom of the barrel of the steak world. This is the type of steak you’ll predominantly see in low-end steak restaurants. Due to almost no marbling, this beef cut is neither particularly flavorful nor particularly tasty. Grilling this steak is the best method of achieving the optimal results. However, don’t be tricked by restaurants offering sirloin along with seafood as part of the surf and turf portion. This only helps them to upcharge you for a lower quality cut of beef.
There are several dozen other types of beef cuts. The Market is fully capable of providing our customers with any cut of beef they desire. Not only is our beef carefully selected from the top 10% of beef in the world, but it’s also cut to order. With an in-house butcher, we are able to take custom requests from our customers. That’s something you will not see anywhere else. If you ever want to get in contact with us to see what types of beef cuts we have to offer, or just have questions about beef cuts and how to best prepare them, call us today at +966.13.845.6798 and we will be happy to help out!