Tender Steak Cuts You Need For Your Next Meat-Loving Meal
If you’re looking to cook up a steak dinner, but don’t know how to start, it’s important to know which cuts are best. Here are some cuts of steak that will fit any occasion.
Tender Steak is a dish that brings out the best of both worlds: it’s hearty enough to stand as the main course but light enough for an easy dinner. Whether you prefer yours with a side of veggies or drenched in sauces, there’s no denying that steak is a timeless favorite. But what about all those different cuts? Should you go for rib-eye or flank? How do you know which cut of steak goes best with which recipes? With so many options, it can be hard to narrow down your choices! Here’s everything you need to know about tender steak cuts.
The most common cuts of steak include rib-eye, sirloin, Filet Mignon, flap. These cuts are typically more expensive than other beef cuts because they’re quite lean and easy to chew.
Types Of Tender Steak Cuts
- Rib-eye
This cut is from the round muscle in the upper leg. It is a bone-in steak that has a large eye of meat on one side and a layer of fat on the other. Rib-eyes are very flavourful and have a high-fat content. This makes them perfect for grilling or broiling.
- Sirloin
This cut comes from the sirloin, which is near the round and chuck sections of beef. It is leaner than other cuts and has a flavor similar to flank steak. They are also great for grilling or broiling because they have minimal marbling and can cook fast without getting tough from the fat melting away. They’re also leaner than other cuts, which means they’ll need less time on the grill before they’re done.
- Filet Mignon
Filets are extremely tender and cook quickly, but you might be wondering what they’re made of and what they taste like. Filets are typically cut from the back of a cow and can come from either beef or lamb. They’re leaner than other steaks because they don’t have any fat on them, making them perfect for quickly grilling or broiling.
- Flap Steak
Flap steak is a cut that’s typically used for fajitas or served with a sauce. Flap steak comes from the bottom, or “flap,” of the cow and is a tough cut. When cooked, it becomes tender and juicy. This steak can also be used in a stir-fry or casserole dish, but the best way to cook flap steak is with a frying pan.
Which Cut Of Steak To Choose
If you’re trying to decide which cut of steak to buy, consider its tenderness. Tender cuts are often less tough and contain more marbling than tougher cuts. This means that it’s easier for the meat to break down into flavorful, juicy bites.
There are few ways to determine if a cut is tender or not; the three main indicators are: how much connective tissue, or collagen, it has; how much fat it contains; and how much muscle exists on the exterior of the muscle (because this muscle will be what you see when cooking).
For example, flank steak is very easy to chew because it has little connective tissue and fat. It also cooks quickly because there is no exterior muscle. On the other hand, prime ribeye roast would be considered more tender because of its high amount of amino acids (from fat) and low amount of collagen (from lack of connective tissue). There’s also no exterior muscle so all of the meat is exposed during cooking.
How To Cook A Perfect Steak
First, preheat your skillet over medium-high heat until it gets very hot. Sear each side for about 5 minutes, turning only once to avoid over-cooking the inside of the cut while still getting a nice sear on the outside. Finally, place your steaks into an oven set for 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes – this will give you that perfect medium-rare steak you’ve been craving! Now that you’ve mastered how to cook a steak, try out these tender cuts next time you head to the grocery store!
Steak Cooking Time And Temperature
There are a few things you need to keep in mind when cooking steak. You should always cook your steak at the proper cooking time and temperature.
Cooking time is the length of time it takes for your steak to reach its desired level of doneness. Cooking time can vary depending on how thick or thin your steak is, what cut you are using, the type of heat source, and any optional ingredients that you are including in the cooking process.
Heat diffuses differently throughout cuts of meat, which means that different cuts will require different temperatures. If you’re using an oven, for example, a flank steak will require a higher temperature- 300 degrees Fahrenheit- than a loin chateaubriand would- 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature is important because it allows our bodies to break down proteins while retaining moisture. The different cuts of steak have varying optimum cooking temperatures because some cuts contain more fat than others and therefore require slightly higher temperatures in order to ensure that they do not dry out during cooking. For example, tenderloin requires an ideal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit whereas ribeye requires 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why knowing which cut best suits your recipe is important!
Conclusion
If you prefer your steak on the rarer side of the spectrum, choose a cut like a tenderloin, otherwise, choose a more well-done steak cut.
Once you have your cut of steak, you’ll need to know how to cook it. The perfect steak should be cooked medium-rare to medium and should be allowed to rest for 5-10 minutes before being sliced into.
If you want to prepare a more well-done steak, the cooking time and temperature will be different. For a more well-done steak, cook it for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
