I love eating steaks. The sight of a well-marbled cut of beef, chargrilled on the outside and bloodied in the middle, can bring me to my knees. But step into a steakhouse and one can be overwhelmed by the different cuts of beef. This is especially so if you have to pay by weight and cut. So here's a beginner's guide to knowing your steak.
There are 3 things to consider when choosing your steak:
Breed of Cattle,
Grade,
Marbling and
Cut.
Breed of Cattle
Different breeds can command vastly different prices.
Black Angus
These cows have extemely marbled meat, which makes the steaks extremely favourful and juicy. Beef which is labelled 'Certified Angus Beef' has passed extremely stringent criteria. Less than 10% of steaks achieve this title
Wagyu Beef
Wagyu Beef is famous for its melt-in-your mouth succulent juciness and tenderness. Famed for its intense marbling and high unsaturated fat, the prices of Wagyu beef tend to fly off the charts. Examples of Wagyu beef include Kobe, Mishima and Matsuzaka. Wagyu beef is rated on a 12 point scale, with a grade 12 steak containing 90% fat and 10% meat.
Grade
The age of the animal and the amount of marbling determines the grade of the animal. In the USA, grades are Prime, Choice or Select, with Prime being the best.
Marbling
Marbling is the thin streaks of fat running across the meat. Thick lines of fat means that the meat contains a lot of connective tissue, making it tough and chewy. Small streaks of fat will result in a more flavourful meat, but it also means that the meat is less tender.
Cuts
Cuts of steak refer to which part of the cow the steak comes from. To understand cuts of meat, let us first get to know our best friend, the COW.
Most steaks are cut from the rib, short loin, sirloin, tenderloin, top loin and bottom sirloin. These are the tender and more succulent parts of the cow. Areas like the chuck and brisket are full of connective tissues. They are great for stews and braising, but too chewy for steaks. Okay, let's sort out the various terminology:
Rib Steaks
Steaks cut from the rib are less tender due to the higher proportion of marbling. However, due to the very same reason, they are also the more flavourful part of the beef.
Prime Rib
This is a steak cut from the ribs with a bone in it. Flavourful but contains rather tough, stringy meat.
Rib-Eye
Well-marbled and rich in flavour, this is a favourite among steak lovers
Short Loin and Tenderloin
The best and most tenderest cuts of steak come from these parts of the beef . Though succulent and meaty, such cuts contain less flavour than the rib cuts.
Tenderloin
This is the tenderest cut of beef and usually the most expensive.
Filet Mignon
This is a small, choice cut from the tenderloin. It's also the most tender and most expensive cut by weight.
Chateaubriand
This is a large cut from the tenderloin, usually meant to feed 2 people
T-Bone
The T-Bone is a great value for money steak for the undecided. As it's name implies, it has a t-shaped bone that separates a small section of tenderloin from a larger section of strip loin. The T-Bone, like the Porterhouse, is also one of the more expensive steaks on the menu because of its size.
Porterhouse
A larger T-bone steak, and comes with a larger section of tenderloin
Strip Loin
This is the part of the short loin without the strip of tenderloin.
Sirloin Steaks
These are the relatively cheaper cuts of steak, but still favourful and a good value for money.
Sirloin Steak
Size-wise, this is one of the larger steaks. It's located just behind the short loin. It's a cheaper and leaner cut and less tender, but still flavourful.
Bon Appetit!
