If you love meat, you might as well eat the best there is. But picking steak is not as straightforward as we all assume. In fact, going through the steak aisle can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you have little experience doing it. For one, some cuts are better than others, depending on what’s cooking. This means not everything on the steaks aisle at your local supermarket will work for your meal even if they all look the same. Therefore, before you make your way to our Butcher shop in Creve Coeur, MO, it helps to know what you are looking for. That said, let’s beef up your meat selection skills for the next time you visit your butcher.
Choosing the best cuts of steak.
One aspect you should consider when picking steak is its thickness. While you may opt for thinner steak cuts, remember they cook extra fast. Just a thirty-second delay in flipping it, and you will either be serving dried or charred steak. Hence, you better make sure you are a grill master if you want to buy thin steak cuts. Comparatively, thicker steak cuts allow some leeway for error. They also afford you time to get the perfect grill marks which undoubtedly enhance your eating experience.
The next thing that should be on your list of priorities is marbling. Marbling refers to the thin lines of fats running through the steak, much like thin veins. Most of us are guilty of instructing our butcher to limit the presence of fat on our meat. It’s worth noting that it is the marbling that gives your steak all of its tenderness and flavor once you render it down. However, it’s also important to ensure that you get the right balance between fat and meat for a truly explosive flavor.
Now that you know what to look out for when buying steak, one question remains – which part should you buy? Here are some top cuts you can go for.
Flank Steak
The Flank steak is a classic cut of steak carved off a strip of muscles located on the lower chest or upper abdominal area of the animal. It is a relatively lean part of the cow because this muscle group doesn’t do much work. While It may have a bit more connective tissue than most high-end cuts but can be very tender and flavorful when cooked well. It works well with marinades that tenderize meat. The flank steak is a slender cut and can be sliced very well against the grain, which makes it a great brisket, sandwich, fajitas or stir fry steak
Ribeye (also Scotch Fillet)
The ribeye is aptly named because it’s cut off the rib section of the animal. It is rich in flavors because of the abundance of marbling, making it one of the juiciest and flavorful steak cuts you can get at our Butcher shop in Creve Couer, MO. It is certainly not at the same level of tenderness as the tenderloin but offers superior fat and flavor. That said, Ribeye and Scotch Fillet refer to different things. Although they are cut from the same area, a scotch fillet is deboned before cooking while the ribeye is cooked with the bone in place.
Beef Chuck Primal Cut
The chuck primal kosher cut is usually sliced off from the animals’ shoulder, arm, and chest regions. The best cuts are juicy, tender, flavorsome, and lean. Plus, they can produce other popular steaks like the blade steak and Denver steak. It strikes the right balance of tenderness and juiciness, making it a lump of great meat for roasting or slow cooking. It is a slice of great all-purpose meat as it’s just the right type of chewy, marbling, and being a less expensive cut, it is a favorite for many. For the best experience, ordering stakes from the same animal makes the flavors consistent across the various cuts.
There are plenty of other kosher steak cuts you can consider. However, the meat experts at our butcher shop in Creve Coeur, MO consider these their top picks. Technically, you can make any kosher cuts of steak work. However, you will definitely need a bit of cooking practice to make it work.
