Steak Tenderness List (buy, steaks, salt, better)

[mainebrokerman]

dirt is correct-
its the grade....it does go prime-choice-select, (tho there are 5 yield grade of each major grade)

you also have to consider the muscle structure- the working muscles are the chuck (front part of the critter ) and round-the hind-quarter these are leg, and shoulder muscles so they are working muscles- a bit tougher
the middle-meats- tenderloin (which is filet mignon or chateaubriand) rib-eye steak, also called delmonico(bone in rib-eye is called prime-rib or standing rib roast-comes from the bone in rib-eye)- sirloin strip (also called kansas city or new york sirloin strip) then the t-bone and porterhouse steaks-the difference between a t-bone and porterhouse is-porterhouse has a larger tenderloin on the steak

all these muscle are along the spine,,a structure muscle- so they are more tender

other cuts that seem confusing are top-butt sirloins-these are the large ones-often just named bnls sirloin steak,
also if you see "sirloin tips" or steakhouse tips" these are cut from bottom sirloin flap meat- and are very good
also, the tri-tip is pretty good (also comes from the bottom sirloin)


different cuts have different trade-offs - lean and tender do not go hand in hand, so if you buy a lean top round steak, its going to be a bit tough, but, if you are on a low fat diet, you can tenderize, and/or marinate a lean steak
the leanest steaks are- top round steak (from the inside round) eye-round steak, round tip steak, bottom round steak (sometimes called swiss steak) the chuck shoulder arm steak

all these steaks are lean,, but again may need to be tenderized or marinated


the tenderest steaks are usually- tenderloin, rib-eyes, porterhouse/t-bones and sirloin strip steaks, these are the middle meats- also the flat iron steak is tender-yet has the flavor of the chuck (comes from a chuck top blade)
cube steak is tender- but its because they run a tough piece of meat thru a tenderizing machine

tho tenderloin is the tenderest, it is fairly lean, and doesnt have the flavor of a rib-eye or porterhouse
it's hard to beat a good rib-eye
tenderloin is the most expensive- then rib eyes/strip steaks/t-bone and porterhouse

depending on the stores around you, look at sales flyers for rib-eyes on sale-"choice" rib-eyes- and dont let the "marbling" scare you-marbling are the white specs in the meat itself-for flavor and tenderness
look for sales on "choice whole bnls rib-eyes" they will sell the whole primal (around 13-14lbs) at a great price- buy the whole thing and have the meatcutters cut it the thickness you want-they will cut it for free.

remember "chuck" and "round" steaks are tougher-
they are good if you want lean- or a roast,,

if you see "certified angus beef" at a store, thats a good brand- its a high grade of choice


if you want something cheap (comparably) look for a cut called chuck shoulder tender (not chuck tender which is a different tough muscle)
also called chuck medallions or chuck fillets-the technical name is "teres majors" ask a butcher teres majors, if he has them, he will know what it is,,,,,its a beef mucle that looks like the size of a pork tenderloin, but is beef-its a very very rare muscle that is lean and tender with great flavor)



I hope this helps and didnt confuse you more..

I use to be a butcher and meat manager for years in a high volume meat store

and
bring steak to room temperature before throwing on a grill-if you throw a cold steak on a hot grill the cell tighten-alton brown said this on the food channel

also, dont use a fork when flipping a steak, use tongs, using a fork will stab the meat and juice will run out

also-when buying burger (ground beef) buy the ground chuck, or 85% lean-still lean, but with some flavor-if you buy burger too lean, it will stick to the grill and have little flavor
also-dont buy your meats at wal-mart-they have no cutters in the store, they ship in meats from 100's or thousands of miles away- also they and many chain supermarkets use "tube" burger- comes to the store pre-processed (and lean/fat ratio determined) they still grind it thru the grinder,,,,,but these "tubes" stock come from the million pound batches"

find a local butcher ,,,make sure they use "bench trimmings" for the burger-thats the terminology-bench trimmings- this is 100% fresh steak trimmings,
also- look for bnls chuck roast on sale or bnls shoulder roast on sale-ask if they will grind it-it should be cheaper than the regular burger prices in the case

if you have a neighborhood store with a butcher there-get to know him/her - they will answer any question you have and give you fresh cut quality meats

when grilling -dont go over medium,,, the steaks get tougher /dryer and loses flavor

[beth98]

Given what you described (cooked on a grill, medium) I'd say stick with a ribeye. The marbling throughout is going to keep the steak tender when cooked medium. I suggest trying a bone-in ribeye for added flavor if you have never tried one before.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by beth98

Given what you described (cooked on a grill, medium) I'd say stick with a ribeye. The marbling throughout is going to keep the steak tender when cooked medium. I suggest trying a bone-in ribeye for added flavor if you have never tried one before.

good advice-
if you go to a meat department and they have "cowboy" steaks, its a thick bone-in rib eye steak,,,,and they "french" the bone (take the meat off the last couple inches)

bone in rib-eye, just like bone in pork-chops, has more flavor than boneless,,,why? much more flavor on bone and fat than on muscle

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by beth98

Given what you described (cooked on a grill, medium) I'd say stick with a ribeye. The marbling throughout is going to keep the steak tender when cooked medium. I suggest trying a bone-in ribeye for added flavor if you have never tried one before.

I'd agree, with two additional suggestions:

Don't put on any salt until just before you throw it on the grill. And use coarse salt (kosher is my preference, but some smaller cuts of sea salt are good, too).

Take it off before it's cooked to medium, and let it rest. The interior temperature will rise and continue cooking it to medium. (sorry, but I cringe even thinking about a beautiful rib eye being cooked to medium ) And resting will allow the juices to stay in the meat instead of dripping out of the steak when you cut into it.

[Monsieur Boston]

Thank you for the advice. I like ribeye best thus far so no need to change I suppose.

My son just recently started eating steak (like as in a month ago) so from this standpoint I cook it to medium because I know he won't touch it if it's any less done. If I'm cooking for me, I go medium rare, but I'm fine with medium.

Thanks again!

[nmnita]

If you are going to cook a steak med, yes, rib eye comes to mind, followed by porterhouse or T-Bone (my personal favorite) Filet are great, but do not do will if cooked anyway except rare and even though they are very tender, they do not have the flavor of some steaks. My truly favorite steak is Top Sirloin, I think , for the price it has it all. It isn't as tender, but it is really flavorful and isn't really tough, just not the same as the top cuts. Of course it is about 1/3 less expensive. Yes, the grade makes a difference. Someone suggested not salting, I have heard that as well, but I do salt, pepper and use crushed garlic before grilling. Of course we also serve it rare to med rare. When it cooks to even med I know I have probably ruined it.

[hot pocket]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

Don't put on any salt until just before you throw it on the grill. And use coarse salt (kosher is my preference, but some smaller cuts of sea salt are good, too).

Disagree. The more time ahead you season it, the better of a crust you will get on the outside. I cook for a living, and we season our big roasts-whole ribeye, sirloin, and strip-days ahead of time. Even our steaks cooked to order get seasoned at least 10 minutes before they hit the heat. Salt draws out some of the proteins that like to get brown-a good thing. That's how we get it GBD-Golden, Brown and Delicious.

[Monsieur Boston]

I usually take the steak out the day before and let it sit on a rack in the fridge. I like it to dry out a little, I don't like going from package to grill. I salt and pepper before cooking.

Is taking it out ahead of time a good thing or a bad thing?

[Bulldogdad]

Fat, its always about the fat.

In my experience room temp meat grills better than fresh from the fridge.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Bulldogdad

Fat, its always about the fat.

In my experience room temp meat grills better than fresh from the fridge.

I always leave ours on the counter for, at least an hour, sometimes 2 hours. Now, all this talk about steak and I want one now. I don't always get what I want and know I won't this time. I will have to wait til next week.