GrillGrates amplify heat, eliminate hot spots, and block flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. A must add-on for all gas grills. 
|
Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef
"A blond eelstripe ran down his ample back, and he had more muscle hanging from one shoulder than could be harvested off my entire physique. The bull was walking heft. The bull was confidence wrapped in black leather. "Convinced that we represented the same threat level as the flies buzzing around his head, the bull sauntered off to join three smaller cows. Safe, I thought, but not for long, because a younger male with smaller horns—a male with something to prove—caught sight of me and set off my way. His pace was brisk, and as he approached he lowered his head and picked up speed. Horns pointed forward, he thrashed his head from side to side in the manner of a puppy destroying a slipper." He survives and goes on to discuss how the Nazi geneticists preserved the breed and how it tasted. Fascinating stuff. |
The North American Meat Processors Association Meat Buyer's Guide is the definitive reference on all the different cuts of meat, with charts, excellent photos, a glossary, and nutritional info. It is aimed at butchers, chefs, and ranchers, but a home chef can learn a lot. If you are really really into cooking, it is worth of a spot on your bookshelf.
This book is great story telling as we follow an inquisitive writer on his quest for great steak. He travels the world learning about the history of bovine culture and breeds. Here he unearths a small herd of animals in France that are the closest relatives of the ancient ancestors of todays cattle: Aurochs.Beef Cuts: Not All Are Created Equal
"Good wine, good meat, thank god, let's eat." Prayer said at many dining tables
By Meathead
NEWS FLASH - 4/4/2013
On Thursday 4/4/2013 The Beef Checkoff Program, the National Pork Board, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have agreed to new labeling standards in an attempt to "make things easier on the consumer". I will be elaborating on this in detail shortly. Until then click here to see a pdf of all the new beef names and the old ones side by side. The old names are in the right column. I have highlighted some of the more interesting changes. In the next week I will be updating all the info on this page to reflect the new label standards.
Bovines have been a part of human life for thousands of years. The ancestors of cattle, aurochs, can be seen on paintings of cave walls in Europe. We have used bovines for centuries to pull plows, for their hides, for milk and cheese, and their flesh for food.
It is a safe bet that it didn't take early humans long to determine that different muscles in the carcass had different characteristics. Some were tender, some tough, some juicy, some fatty, some rich in flavor, some bland.
Nowadays most steers and heifers live on farms eating grass and hay until they are about 15 months of age. Then they are sold to huge feed lots where they stay for about four months and are fed grain, mostly a type of high calorie corn flake, and vitamins and medicines, often including antibiotics, for about four months. The AmazingRibs.com meat consultant, According to the Amazingibs.com beef scientist, Dr. Antonio Mata, explains "Bovines are like humans. When they consume a lot of calories they accumulate fat. First belly fat, then subcutaneous fat, then fat between the muscles, and finally intramuscular fat, which is marbling. The process is very inefficient but produces huge quantities of tasty beef at relatively low cost."
On the other hand, the process has come under a great deal of criticism for a number of issues including arguments that the method is inhumane; that the antibiotics are not killing all the bacteria and the ones that survive are antibiotic resistant, and that means that humans can no longer rely on antibiotics when they get sick; that corn subsidies are making beef artificially cheap; that these large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) create a massive environmental hazard with unmanageable quantities of waste chief among them.
More and more cattle are being finished on farms on grass rather than grain, where the manure fertilizes the grass they eventually eat. The resulting meat is more expensive, often chewier, and tastes different, with a mineral character that I remember from my youth, before CAFOs.
Some disdain the taste, some love it. Mata says "grasses vary greatly. Alfalfa hay for example, can produce beef with plenty of marbling and superb flavor. Some of the best beef I've tasted has been fed primarily alfalfa. On the other hand, winter grasses produce beef with limited amount of marbling and depending on the grass, sometimes there is a fish-like flavor. Just like beef cuts, not all grasses are created equal, and most produce marginal tasting beef."
I love the taste of both grass finished and corn finished meats. For more on the subject, read my article on beef grades. I hope to discuss these political and economic issues in depth in the future. Suffice it to say that I have read extensively on the subject, and I agree that corn subsidies, CAFOs, and antibiotic overuse are serious issues and there may be viable alternatives, but the impact of these other systems will certainly mean more expensive beef. Many of us can afford pricier beef, but many, especially those who depend on cheap ground beef, would face hardship or a major lifestyle change.
Beef primals & the cuts they contain
For centuries, animals were slaughtered and broken down by the town butcher and by restaurants close to where they were grown, and there was no label consistency from one butcher to the next. In 1865, immediately after the Civil War, the Union Stockyards in Chicago became a central distribution point for shipping live animals. In 1880 Gustavus Swift, a large meat processor, introduced a rail car that was well insulated, cooled by ice, and designed so that the shifting weight of hanging sides and quarters would not derail the car. The cold meat could stay fresh for days and be distributed to remote locations, like Miami, where they would be broken down by local butchers and restaurants. But the cuts and labels were still inconsistent.
This changed in War World II when the government standardized on "primal cuts" and corresponding nomenclature. There were seven primals: Chuck, rib, loin, round, short plate, shank and brisket, and flank. Some of these primal were further segmented into sub-primals: The loin is comprised of the short loin and the sirloin sub-primals.
In the 1960s a major change was pioneered by Iowa Beef Processors, called "boxed beef". They removed many bones and a significant amount of fat at the slaughterhouse, then placed the cuts in sterile shrink wrapped plastic bags without oxygen, and packed them in boxes of the same cut. Without oxygen and chilled or frozen, the meat was safe from microbial spoilage and oxidation. Pork and other meat packers followed shortly.
Butchers long ago began excavating the carcass and named the cuts of meat, muscles, and groups of muscles they discovered. The jargon is confusing. There are more than 50 common cuts in the US, and some go by multiple names. Some have been confused for so long that nobody can say for sure what a Delmonico or London broil really are. To add to the confusion, the cuts and names are different around the world, even in English speaking countries. Today the North American Meat Processors book, The NAMP Meat Buyer's Guide
In general the cuts that come off the primals can be classified as (1) roasts, which are large thick muscle groups that can feed at least four people, (2) steaks, individual servings that are flat and perfect for grilling, (3) stew meat, chunks cut from odd shaped pieces, and (4) ground meat or hamburger, from scraps.
New cuts
Meat scientists like the AmazingRibs.com consultant According to the Amazingibs.com beef scientist, Dr. Antonio Mata, have been busy digging around in the bovine carcass for decades in search of muscles and groups of muscles that deliver pleasure and profit. In 2012 Mata created and trademarked the Las Vegas Strip Steak (TM), shown here, from a muscle buried deep in the shoulder. It has a complex steely flavor, plenty of juice, and starts thin but plumps when grilled.
In the past few years he and his peers have created these newcomers, among others: Flat Iron, Petite Tender, Rib Cap, Denver Steak, Ranch Steak, Merlot Cut, Sierra Cut, Santa Fe Cut, Tucson Cut, San Antonio Cut, Round Petite Tender, Braison, Western Griller, Western Tip, and the Flat Triangle. Restaurants are seeking a leg up on the competition by featuring these new cuts.
In the past decade bison has taken off. The cuts are similar as is the flavor, but the muscles tend to have less intramuscular marbling, making them big and bold in flavor and lower in calories. I have tasted and enjoyed a number of cuts from High Plains Bison.
In April 2013 The Beef Checkoff Program, the National Pork Board, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to new labeling standards in an attempt to "make things easier on the consumer". In many cases it has mad things more confusing. Below are the most important beef cuts in the US, from a popularity and quality standpoint, and further down is a gallery of photos. I will be updating it with the new info shortly. For highly technical interactive dissection of a bovine, visit the University of Nebraska Bovine Myology pages.
Rib (about 10% of the meat)Here's where the best meat on the steer is found. And the most expensive. Well marbled ribeye steaks are the first choice of connoisseurs, prime rib roast is the ultimate feast for friends and family, and the little known rib cap is the best muscle on the animal. These cuts have a perfect balance of muscle and intramuscular fat to produce optimal flavor and juiciness. Beef ribs come in two sections, the curved back ribs from near the spine, and the straighter, meatier short ribs, from the side, which start here and continue into the short plate and even into the chuck. The main muscle is the loin muscle, or the longissimus dorsi which runs from within the shoulder (chuck) all the way through the sirloin. There is one on either side of the spine, and you have two of them too. Roasts Steaks Other Loin (Short Loin & Sirloin 17%)Here's where the bargains are, in a section that can challenge the rib primal for primacy when cooked properly. Again, the main muscle is the loin muscle. Strip steak, cut from the loin, sometimes also called shell steak, is the he-man cut and filet mignon is the ladies' cut. Don't send me angry emails. Market research shows this is true. It was true when it was not sexist to make such statements, and, despite all our progress and the pain it causes me to type this, it remains true. Strip is marbled and mouth coating, filet, from the tenderloin, has little fat and is the most tender muscle on the steer. Delightfully, the two come together like man and woman, separated only by a bone, in T-bone and porterhouse steaks. The T-bone and porterhouse are similar looking steaks with two muscles separated by a T-shaped bone. One side of the T has a large section of loin and the other has a small section of tenderloin. The difference between the porterhouse and T-bone is the size of tenderloin. Because the tenderloin tapers like a baseball bat and the T-bone is further to the front of the animal, the tenderloin portion is smaller than on the porterhouse, a minimum of 1/2" wide at the T. The tenderloin on the porterhouse must be a minimum of 1 1/4" wide, but they can be up to 3" wide. Filets are cut from the tenderloin. Sometimes filets are left on the T-shaped bone, sometimes they are removed. Ditto for the strip (loin). Interestingly, porterhouse is getting hard to find because the animals are getting so big that a 1" steak can weigh a whopping 25 ounces. Tri-tip is the poor man's tenderloin, and strip loin roasts can be just as good as prime ribs. Roasts Steaks Other Short Plate (6%)Rife with marbling and layers of fat, this is the meat on top of the rib bones on the side, tough but rich. If cooked gently for a long time, as in a braise of wine and spices, or in air filled with smoke, it turns into the ultimate comfort food. Chefs are discovering that there are some fancy burgers in there. Steaks Other |
Chuck (30%)The sturdy shoulder shoulders a great deal of weight and is a tangled mass of muscles, sinew, and fat. Many impressive roasts and steaks come from the chuck, fine stew meat, not to mention most of the best burgers. At the rear of the chuck, where it connects to the rib primal there are about two steaks called chuck eyes that are practically the same as the vaunted ribeye, only a lot cheaper. Roasts Steaks Other Round (23%)The hind legs put in a lot of work pushing around 1000 pounds or so of beast and thus produce ornery cuts. There are some roasts that must be slow cooked and cut thin, plenty of stew meat, abundant hamburger, and a few steaks that beg for reverse searing: Start low and slow, and sear just before serving. Roasts Steaks Other Brisket (6%)This boneless mass from the chest contains two major muscles, including the pectorals, a thick fat cap, and it is tough as nails unless cooked low and slow. That's why it is braised in every Jewish household, or smoke roasted in every Texas barbecue joint. And on St. Patrick's Day cured brisket, corned beef, is simmered with cabbage. Take a slab of corned beef, give it the right rub, smoke it, and you may have the most sublime taste on the steer: pastrami. Roasts Fore Shank (4%)A gnarly and knotty knot of twisted muscles and tendons, this is meat best for long slow braises and for soups. Other Offal & Other CutsHeart Flank (4%)Rich in beefy flavor, with a quick searing char, this flap of flavor is a poor man's ribeye. But beware, it has long fibers that must be cut across the grain and thin to give up its goodness. Flank steak
|
Boneless rib roast. Click for a recipe. |
Boneless ribeye. Eye is in center, rib cap on the right and bottom. Click here for steak cooking tips. |
Bone-in ribeye. Click here for steak cooking tips. |
Eye of ribeye. |
Rib cap from American Wagyu beef. |
Chuck-eye. Click here for more about the various cuts of chuck steaks. |
Cowboy ribeye, a.k.a.tomohawk ribeye |
The main difference between the porterhouse and the T-bone is the size of the filet, which is from the tenderloin. The T-bone comes mostly from the shortloin and the filet must be a minimimum of 1/2" wide below the backbone (bottom of the T). The Porterhouse is from the sirloin, and the filet must be at least 1 1/4" wide below the backbone. It can sometimes be as wide as 3". |
Two loin primals with two porterhouses facing us. At the bottom are the filets, on the top are the strips. If they were joined, they would be called a saddle of beef. |
Bone-in strip steak. |
Round/rump. This is the top of one of the rear legs and several cuts, mostly roasts, come from the round. |
Navel is most often used for pastrami. Click here for a recipe for making pastrami. |
Tri-tip. Click for a recipe |
Whole packer brisket. Click here for my Texas Brisket recipe. |
 Flank steak. Click for a recipe. |
Skirt steak (fajita steak). |
Beef cubes for kebabs or spiedies from bottom sirloin, but they can come from many cuts. |
Flat-iron Steak. From the shoulder, the meat is flavorful and tender, but that strip of gristle is tough. |
Las Vegas Strip Steak, from the chuck. |
Tongue with its skin (top), without (bottom) |
Whole tenderloin (top), butchered into chateaubriand, two steaks, and stir fry meat (bottom). |
Chateaubriand (from the center of the tenderloin). |
Filets Mignon from the chateaubriand, in a mushroom cream sauce. |
Beef short rib. Click the link for pictures of other rib cuts and for recipes. |
This page was revised 2/1/2013Ne |
|
About this website
AmazingRibs.com is all about the science of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and tips on technique. Learn how to set up your grills and smokers properly, the thermodynamics of what happens when heat hits meat, as well as hundreds of excellent tested recipes including all the classics: Baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, steaks, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers, grills, and accessories, all edited by Meathead.
Advertising on this site
AmazingRibs.com is far the most popular barbecue website in the world and one of the 50 most popular food websites in the US according to comScore and Quantcast. Visitors and pageviews increase rapidly every year. Click here for analytics and advertising info.
| Weights, Measures, Conversions | Tips & Techniques | Recipes | Equipment Reviews | BBQ Culture & History |
| My Ingredients | BBQ Joints | About Us | Blog | Links | Newsletter | BBQ Tunes |
| Privacy Promise, Code of Ethics, Other Legal Terms | Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities |
Please please please read this before posting a comment or question:
1) Please use the table of contents or the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Please click the "Follow Conversation" button or the "Email" button below your comment so you will be alerted when we reply.
3) Please don't ask any questions that involve temperature unless you tell us that you are using a digital thermometer! Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F! If you are not using a good digital you have no idea what the temp really is so we can't help you. Please read this article about thermometers, then buy one of our recommendations, and then, if the problem persists (chances are it won't), hit us with your questions.
4) Please tell us everything we need to know to answer your question like the type of cooker you are using.
5) If you are shopping for a grill or smoker and need help, tell us your budget!