When you go to a restaurant and order a steak, you’ll be offered the same slab of meat every time right? Wrong! Many people don’t realize it, but there are multiple different types of steaks to choose from.
Steaks are defined by their cuts, as different areas of beef produce different textures, tastes, and consistencies. Some parts of the beef are smaller than others, making it harder to find the cuts you might be after.
We will teach you 5 popular steak cuts, and how you can cook them.
Bavette Steak
Also known as the flap steak, the bavette steak is cut from the bottom sirloin right above the flank. Its close location to the flank is one of the reasons why flank and bavette often get confused with each other.
Although they have a very familiar taste, bavette has a tender texture. The fine grain fibers in the meat allow rubs and marinades to soak into the steak, making them the perfect choice for slow-cooked meals.
How To Cook Bavette Steak
The biggest tip we can give you with bavette steak is to consider the thin and thick ends. Due to the bavette’s cut, you will notice that one end will cook faster than the other, leading to easy burning points if left unchecked.
The best way to utilize the bavette steak is to add it to fajitas, stir-fries, salads, or Asian beef and broccoli dishes.
Ribeye Steak
Ribeye can either be boneless or bone-in, either way, you will receive a thick slice of beef cut from the prime rib. Ribeye is considered the best steak in many people’s eyes. It has a lot of flavors, can cook quickly, and has a beautiful texture.
Ribeye is also called entrecote, spencer, or Delmonico.
How To Cook Ribeye Steak
The best way to bring out the flavors in ribeye steak is to rub in a generous amount of salt and pepper. Once you’ve completed the massage, you should let them sit in the fridge for 2 days. This process is called “brining”.
Once the two days have passed, you should take them out of the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature. This should tenderize the meat and allow the rich flavors to emerge.
Lastly, cook the ribeye on a hot cast iron skillet until it has browned to your liking.
Top Loin Steak
The top loin steak is a boneless steak with a strip of fat along the edge. It is also known as the New York Strip, Strip Steak, or Kansas City Stirp in North America. You can expect a tender and deep flavor from the top loin, as the embedded fats melt through the meat.
How To Cook Top Loin Steak
A simple way to get all of the amazing flavors out of the top loin, without overcomplicating your dish, is to cut away the fat around the steak (not including the eye), and season it with black pepper.
Once the pepper is rubbed in, put it on a wire rack and refrigerate it for 8 hours (or overnight).
When you cook the top loin steak, it will be tender and have a paired flavor combination without any more intervention. You can use the removed fat in a sauce, to pair more beef flavorings in your meal.
Tenderloin Steak
A tenderloin steak is a lean option for those who like their beef off the bone. Also known as filet steak or filet mignon, the thin cut doesn’t have a lot of fat which in turn creates a mild flavor.
How To Cook Tenderloin Steak
The best and easiest way to get the most out of a tenderloin steak is to start your cooking process by searing the meat. This means cooking the edges on high so they brown off quickly.
Then turn down the heat and add in red wine and balsamic vinegar. Cover the skillet to cook the inside of the steak and after a couple of minutes, the dish is ready.
T-Bone Steak
The T-Bone is one of the largest steak cuts you can get. Typically coming in a ½ inch thick. Due to their size, it can be hard to cook a T-bone steak, so set aside some time.
How To Cook T-Bone Steak
Keeping it simple, rub-down the steak with a homemade mixture of salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and coriander. Let the steak sit in the rub for at least 30 minutes, and then grill the beast for 3 minutes on each side.
Summary
Knowing that each steak is different will help you cook the beef to perfection.
