What can turn "Mmm, steak" into "I shouldn't partake"? The cut can be the thing that makes all the difference. From lack of fat to tough textures to ethical concerns, here's what keeps chefs away from certain parts of the cow.
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00:00What can turn, mm, steak into, I shouldn't partake?
00:04The cut can be the thing that makes all the difference.
00:07From lack of fat, to tough textures, to ethical concerns, here's what keeps chefs away from
00:12certain parts of the cow.
00:14Food Network chef Bobby Flay is a master of grilling, and with that skill comes an intimate
00:19knowledge of which steaks are the best and which you should avoid.
00:22For Flay, it's less about the cut of the meat and more about the source.
00:26As he told Food Network, it's best to purchase meat at the meat counter rather than something
00:31packaged in a store.
00:32He advised,
00:33"...buy from a good butcher shop or from the butcher at your supermarket's meat counter.
00:38Avoid pre-packaged steaks.
00:40Plastic wrap traps in moisture."
00:41You don't want it to look tired.
00:42That's what we call food that's sort of past its prime in the chef world."
00:46Flay has a point, particularly if you're about to put your meat on the grill.
00:50According to CNN, meat should go on the grill dry, not wet.
00:55Moisture is the enemy of texture.
00:57Avoiding plastic wrap isn't Flay's only tip.
00:59Flay also offers this advice.
01:01Spring for USDA Prime or certified Black Angus steaks if you can.
01:06Choice grade steak is a good, less expensive alternative.
01:09He's also particular about marbling.
01:11Thin white streaks of fat throughout a steak, called marbling, keep the meat nice and juicy.
01:16Plus, the fat adds flavor.
01:18Flay is right about marbling, too.
01:20Master Class explains that marbling allows the steak to maintain moisture, which helps
01:24retain its natural juices.
01:26It's also more tender than muscle, so you'll have a better texture, thanks to marbling.
01:31Some people regard filet mignon as one of the best cuts of steak, but quite a few chefs
01:36find it overrated and even inedible.
01:39One of the most famous chefs to hold this opinion is the late Anthony Bourdain.
01:43As the chef told Insider,
01:45"...tenderloin, which is the cut of the cow that filet mignon comes from, is the most
01:49boring and uninteresting piece of meat on the animal."
01:53There are plenty of other chefs who share Bourdain's opinion.
01:56Christopher Arturo, culinary arts chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in
02:02New York, said,
02:03"...this cut just doesn't have the marbling or structure that I like in a steak.
02:06To me, it is always too supple and lacking in beefy flavor.
02:10Not to say I haven't had my fair share of excellently marbled, amazingly tasty filet,
02:15but those to me are the exception to the rule."
02:17Steve Osbolt of Emerald City Catering & Events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, echoed those thoughts,
02:23saying,
02:24"...there is virtually no fat, therefore no flavor.
02:26If I wanted a large piece of unmarbled meat, I would buy a sirloin steak for about half
02:31the price.
02:32The best, however, is a ribeye, beautiful marbling and tender.
02:36It lends itself to be grilled or pan-seared in herb butter."
02:40Skirt steak comes from the plate of the cow, the middle region that runs along the bottom.
02:44The Spruce Eats explains that skirt steak has a thick grain and a very beefy flavor.
02:49Skirt steak is quite often used in fajitas and carne asada tacos, and you've probably
02:54seen it served in slices rather than as a full cut of steak.
02:57Lots of people are fans of skirt steak, but some chefs aren't quite so taken with it.
03:02Yester Banyuchan, chef, CEO, and founder of the Cook on Monday food blog, opined,
03:07"...I find skirt steak the most troubling cut.
03:10The meat itself is tough, but preparing it doesn't get easy either.
03:14Being difficult to cook or requiring finesse is one thing, but the skirt steak borders
03:18on being unwieldy, and it takes a fair amount of effort just to get it to cook."
03:23The chef suggests a different cut,
03:24"...I think the T-bone steak hits all the right notes on texture and cooking.
03:29There's plenty of meat, fat, and flavor in this single cut.
03:32It's also visually stunning on the plate.
03:34It's the full package.
03:36The T-bone is food for the eyes.
03:38The aroma is great.
03:39The texture feels wonderful in the mouth, and, of course, it's very filling and enjoyable
03:44to eat."
03:46If you're unfamiliar with this cut, it's because, as The Spruce Eats notes, it's not a true
03:50cut of steak.
03:51London broil actually refers to the way the meat is cooked, but the name has become conflated
03:56with the cut.
03:57Gabriel Glazier, restaurateur, founder of the blog Chef Travel Guide, and former executive
04:03chief, explained,
04:04The London broil was originally a repurposed flank steak, but now it is whatever chewy
04:09cut of beef that the butcher can't sell under its real name.
04:12Glazier added that he thinks there's nothing worse than London broil because of its chewy,
04:17tough texture and lack of marbling.
04:19He continued,
04:20"...it's common to end up with a portion of the bottom round that must be marinated, perfectly
04:24cooked and sliced properly even to be edible.
04:28This beef cut caused kids nightmares of having to stay at the table to finish their food,
04:32because the steak was nearly impossible to chew."
04:35Glazier, whose favorite cut is a hanger steak, also gave this advice for choosing steak,
04:40It's a good idea to be a little skeptical if you see a steak cut with a name that you
04:44haven't ever seen before.
04:46If you see a baseball steak, or an oyster steak on a menu, or in a meat case at the
04:50grocery store, skip it and order a cut that you know will be delicious and tender.
04:55While some chefs love hanger steak, there are butchers who would prefer customers not
05:00to buy it.
05:01Massachusetts butcher Terry Ragossa shared his thoughts with the Huffington Post, saying,
05:05Out of an 800-pound animal, there is a pound and a half of hanger steak.
05:10It's delicious because it doesn't do any work.
05:13It literally hangs next to the kidneys.
05:15The Spruce Eats points out that hanger steak was originally called butcher steak because
05:19butchers, recognizing its quality and flavor, kept it instead of selling it.
05:24Most general customers didn't know it was available.
05:27So if butchers historically have loved hanger steak, why do some, like Ragossa, now campaign
05:33against it?
05:34Ragossa argues that eating hanger steak isn't sustainable.
05:37He said,
05:38If 10 people order a hanger steak at a restaurant, that represents 10 animals slaughtered for
05:43those dinners.
05:44I think waste-conscious consumers should consider eating more cuts from the chuck, as it makes
05:49up nearly a third of the total meat available from a single head of beef.
05:52I would like the hanger steak Pittsburgh style, but instead of Bearnaise sauce, I would like
05:57crab cakes.
05:58To eat steak more sustainably, Ragossa suggests eating Denver or Ranch cuts.
06:03Ranch, in particular, is a leaner cut that's very similar to a top sirloin, and has the
06:08tenderness of a sirloin with the flavor of a work muscle.
06:12Round steak is fairly inexpensive compared to other cuts of steak.
06:15And though cheap doesn't always mean low quality, James Watts, CEO of the online resource Own
06:20the Grill, says in this case, it does.
06:24Watts argued that round steak is the worst because,
06:27It's all muscle and not fat, which means there's almost zero marbling to add flavor, and it
06:32takes far longer to cook.
06:34And judging the timing is far more complex, as there's a finite window between grilling
06:38a pretty good round steak and overcooking and burning it.
06:42Isabella Flint, chef, CEO, and founder of Fanatically Food, said she is not a fan of
06:47round steak either.
06:49She said,
06:50There's a little fat running through the steak, giving it a tough texture and taking
06:53away from the flavor.
06:55Less fat equals less flavor.
06:57Round steak does have a place, though.
06:59You can use it for ground beef, jerky, deli meat, and more, the Prairie Homestead notes.
07:04So what does Watts prefer for steak?
07:06He answered,
07:07It has to be a ribeye, as it's full of marbled fat and flavor, takes next to no time to cook
07:12well, and only needs a dash of seasoning to be cooked to perfection and become melt-in-your-mouth
07:17delicious.
07:18This is far too short for bad steak, so spend a little extra and get the best cut that you
07:22can.
07:23You're worth it.
07:25Flank steak comes from a cow's abdominal area, near the area where skirt steaks are found.
07:30It's similar in texture and taste, and is also very lean.
07:33According to Beef Checkoff, flank steak is often used in stir-fries, and it can easily
07:38be broiled thanks to its thinness.
07:40For retired cook and food blogger Kenzo Kishida, flank steak isn't worth the trouble.
07:44He said,
07:45It's a pretty lean cut, and it's got a lot of connective tissue and fat around it.
07:49It's also an easy cut to overcook, which makes it difficult to get right.
07:53Kishida offered a familiar answer when asked what steak he would prefer.
07:57The best steak, in my opinion, is ribeye.
07:59It has a lot of marbling, which means there's a lot of fat in it, and that makes for an
08:03incredibly flavorful piece of meat.
08:05I'd also recommend ribeye because it's easy to cook.
08:08You can grill it or pan-sear it really quickly and still get some great results.
08:13According to Beef to Live, top sirloin is one of the most popular steak cuts served
08:17in restaurants, along with tenderloin, strip steak, and ribeye.
08:21This lean, high-end protein cut comes from the cow's rear, and it's a thick cut that
08:25becomes more tender as it ages, proving that even some of the most popular foods are not
08:30universally loved.
08:31Chef Brad Wise, owner of The Wise Ox in San Diego, said,
08:35I mean, I love all steaks, but if I had to be picky, I don't generally love top sirloin.
08:41I feel like the texture is just a bit too tough.
08:43It feels dry no matter how perfectly it's cooked, and the flavors just don't do it for
08:47me.
08:48I know people love the cut, it's just not for me.
08:51Wise prefers a different cut, offering,
08:53One of my go-to cuts for really any occasion is a Denver.
08:57What makes a Denver so good is the location of this cut.
09:00It's in the center of a group of mussels, which means while the mussel around it gets
09:04worked, this cut stays tender and takes on this insane beefy flavor while still offering
09:09great marbling and has just the right amount of spring when you bite into it.
09:13I like to think of the Denver as a cross between the best tri-tip and the best New York strip
09:17you've ever had.
09:19Many people, not just chefs, are against eating veal, claiming that it's inhumane.
09:24According to the Humane League, veal typically comes from calves younger than 20 weeks old,
09:29with the different categories depending on the age at which the calf was slaughtered.
09:33The New York Times notes that veal was far more popular in the United States in the 1950s
09:37and 1960s, but photographs showing the living conditions of formula-fed veal calves greatly
09:43and irrevocably decreased veal consumption.
09:45I'll have the baby guts.
09:48Lady, you disgust me.
09:50Mom, that's veal.
09:54Chef Bill Telepan, former owner of Michelin star restaurant Telepan, told the New York
09:58Times of formula-fed veal,
10:00I just never liked it because it didn't have a lot of flavor.
10:03It wasn't until decades later that farmers broadly changed their feeding practices to
10:07make veal consumption more palatable to consumers.
10:10These newer practices make veal richer and more flavorful.
10:14Telepan told the New York Times that he became more interested with this newer version of
10:18veal, saying,
10:19This tastes like something very much like mild beef.
10:22If veal is on the menu, it sells, and people like it.
10:26For some chefs, every cut of steak is worth trying.
10:29David Walzog, executive chef at The Chef's Warehouse, said,
10:33When cooked properly, all cuts can work out, and you can save some money with a great outcome.
10:38Walzog warns that you can't just slap every cut directly on the grill, though.
10:42Some you have to cook using the sous vide method, others you can cook low and slow,
10:46and still others, it's better to marinate.
10:48Head chef Alan Bixby, from the website No Takeout, offered a similar opinion, saying,
10:54One thing you learn when you cook a lot is that if someone puts out the effort to cook
10:57for you, you truly appreciate it, as you want the folks to do when you are the cook.
11:02So I can't honestly say there's a cut I just won't eat, especially with cooking techniques
11:07like a sous vide.
11:08That takes a nasty cut like bottom round and makes it amazingly good.
11:12Finding the right methods for cooking steak can be tricky, but luckily there are guides
11:16available to help teach you how to cook a perfect steak.
11:19And if you're still lost, perhaps Walzog's Steak Maxim will help.
11:23Buy quality beef and give it some love and attention.
11:27See you next time.
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