Cuts Of Beef Steaks

Going to a steakhouse or choosing beef in the grocery store is more complicated than ever these days. What is a flat iron steak? How do you cook a porterhouse? It is important to understand about different cuts of beef if you want to buy the best type for whichever purpose.

If you can imagine a cow, begin at the neck and work your way down the back. First, you have the chuck followed by the rib and then the short loin. Next is the sirloin and finally the rump. The part on the side is the flank.

The Most Popular Types of Steak

Chateaubriand is a large piece of tenderloin, which is the pointy end of the short loin. This cut is roasted and serves at least two people. Delmonico is from the rib section. This boneless cut is named after the 1800s restaurant in New York, which made this cut so well known. Flank is lean and it comes from the underbelly of the steer. The flank grills quickly so marinate it and use it for fajita recipes.

Filet mignon is the tender, tapered end of the short loin. The name itself is French for "tender loin." London broil comes from the flank. It should be marinated and then broiled. Serve London broil in thin slices. Flat iron steak looks like a flat iron and is cut from the top blade. Hanger steak, or hanging tenderloin, is from the diaphragm, between the loin and ribs.

Prime rib is a bone-in rib cut. It comes from ribs six through twelve. This meat can be gristly but it is very tasty. Porterhouse is a giant cut of meat and it combines filet with New York strip. New York strip, which is also known as Kansas City strip, sirloin club or shell steak, is the bigger end of the short loin. It is marbled and flavorful. Rib-eye is a boneless steak with great taste and marbling throughout.

T-bone is similar to porterhouse but the fillet is smaller. This piece of meat has a T-shaped bone through its middle. Sirloin is between rump and short steak and it is tasty but not as tender as short loin. Tri-tip, culotte, or triangle steak, is a triangle-shaped piece of top sirloin.

Different people like different kinds of meat. If you favor marbling and you do not mind some fat, you might like a sirloin, prime rib, or T-bone. Filet mignon is ideal if you do not like the idea of any fat or gristle and you do not mind the heftier price tag.

Grades Of Beef

Beef can be divided into eight grades, which are canner, cutter, utility, commercial, standard, select, choice, and prime, in ascending order of quality. Restaurants usually serve choice or prime and less than two percent of all commercially produced beef qualifies as prime.

It is important to realize that prime rib and prime beef are different things. Prime rib refers to the location where the cut comes from on the cow, not its quality. Beef grades refer to the marbling and fat mainly. Prime beef contains more than eight percent fat between the muscles.

If you are going to cook steaks, you might like to make a delicious gravy recipe to go with them. Gravy is not just for beef. You can also make a delicious and easy biscuits and gravy recipe.

HomemadeGravyRecipes.com - Gravy The Way It Was Meant To Be - Homemade Good

Tags : cuisinart multiclad unlimited 4 quart saucepan all clad stainless steel 10 piece cookware set