A Cut Above the Rest

Despite health warnings against eating too much red meat, there's still something irresistible about a fine cut of beef. Thankfully, our ancestors may have hunted for their meat, but the modern man's challenge is mostly limited to choosing the right cut of steak at the butchery or off a menu. It's easy to believe that the best cut of steak is always the most expensive -- that would be your filet mignons or tenderloins -- but we suggest that you try a few cuts to sample the difference in flavour, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised..

Photo credit: Wikipedia

What's Your Beef?

Tenderloin comes from the section of the beef known as beef tenderloin. Some restaurants offer a Chateaubriand steak, a cut taken from the center of the beef tenderloin and usually large enough as a meal for two. A filet mignon steak is a cut from the smallest section of the beef tenderloin and is also quite thick. It is considered the choice cut of all steaks. In general, tenderloin cuts are the most expensive, but it sacrifices subtle flavour for tenderness.

Strip steak or strip loin is an expensive cut of beef that comes from the top loin that has been stripped of its tenderloin section. It is enjoyed for its flavor and marbled texture. Marbled beef contains more intramuscular fat, but the strip steak is still quite tender as the muscles there do little work.When still attached to the bone, and with a piece of the tenderloin also included, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak.

Rib eye cut comes from the top of the rib section. It is also known as prime rib when it is cut as prime grade beef. The rib eye steak is a boneless cut of the rib section and the bone-in cut is known as the rib steak. Other common names for the rib eye steak are the filet steak, Spencer steak, Scotch fillet and Delmonico steak. A flavorful and a tender cut of beef.

Sirloin steaks are considered less tender in comparison to cuts taken from the rib and short loin sections. Sirloin contains a lot of flavour since it's cut between the round and short loin sections of the beef. The top sirloin steak is a preferable cut over the bottom sirloin cut.

Flank steak, cut from the flank section, is long, thin, and full of tough connective tissue. High in flavour, the connective tissue makes it tough, and you usually slice it thinly on a diagonal across the grain to sever the tough fibers and make the flavorful steak chewable.