Cuts of Meat Beef

Beef comes from steers, heifers, bulls and cows of mainly domesticated cattle. It is one of the most used meats, for a source of protein, in many countries across the world, including the United States. I want to help you become a slight beef connoisseur so I’m giving you the low down on the various cuts of meet beef. Below you will find some information about some of the various cuts.

Rib-Eye Steaks

Rib-eye steaks are from the rib roast. These come for the rib part of the cattle, hence their name. This meat cut is quite pricy, tender in texture and is marbled with fat. These can be found with the bone attached at times, but they are more often served boneless. Now if you are serving enough people you might prefer the rib roast or standing rib as it is often referred to. A three-ribbed roast will feed about six people.

There is also the Delmonico cut, which belongs to this category. It is the club version of the rib-eye steak.

Strip Steak

The strip steak is taken from the short loin, which is a muscle that does not have to work much. This makes it tender. There are different cuts that this steak comes in and they are listed below:

1. New York Strip steaks do not have the bone in unlike the porterhouse and T-bone that come from the short loin too.

2. Kansas City Strip is basically the same cut as the New York Strip, but comes from the corn-fed beef in Kansas and therefore the name.

T-Bone Steak

A T-bone steak is also from the short loin like the strip steaks are. It is a larger steak though, and has a t-shaped bone in it. It is cut from the forward part of the loin, but has less tenderloin than the Porterhouse steak does. T-bone steaks are typically considered one of the better cuts of meat beef.

Porterhouse Steak

The porterhouse steak is taken from the backend of the short loin, it contains more tenderloin than the T-bones. Because of this it is a larger steak and typically it is sliced thicker. If you take out the bone and separate the two pieces one is a tenderloin steak and the other is a New York Strip or top loin.

Filet Mignon

Filet mignon is cut from the tenderloin. The tenderloin is located on each side of the spine, and is typically harvested in two long sections which are somewhat snake shaped. Many will be sold whole. The small end of the tenderloin is typically cut into sections for cooking. Each of these sections is a filet mignon. This is a delicate, tender cut, since it comes from an area of the animal, which does not bear weight.

Sirloin Steak

The sirloin steak is taken from a part of the animal that is located between the short loin, and the round areas in the rear portion of the animal. These steaks are a bit tougher than those of the rib or middle sections of the animal. There are then two cuts within this category which are listed below:

1. Top sirloin steak is cut from the smaller section of the top-sirloin area nearest to the tenderloin. It is the better of the two types of sirloin steaks.

2. Bottom sirloin steak is taken from the larger bottom sirloin area, which is located right below the top sirloin. It is the less tender of this category of steak. It is the one that is most seen in the grocery store.

Cooking

The cooking of these steaks is very similar for most of them. Most of them can be grilled, broiled or seared in a pan on the stove. Out of all of these listed above, the filet mignon is fixed with the most care. Often times it is wrapped with bacon, seared and cooked to desired temperature in the oven.

Some people like these cuts of meat beef served rare, other times medium, and then there are those that will only eat them well done (I don’t recommend this). There are various degrees of these too. Usually though, if you stay within the rare to medium-well range the steaks are more tender than if you do them well done.

Now that you know more about these cuts of meat beef, you can buy your steaks better. This will lead to more success in the kitchen. Of course, there are other cuts of beef available, but these are the top steak choices that should serve you well.

Related posts:

1. Four Premium Cuts of Beef that Every Griller Should Know About
2. Steak Cooking Tips – Discover How to Cook Your Steaks with 5 Star Restaurant Quality