From giant bone-in steaks to melt-in-your-mouth ribbons,
these cuts require some serious dough to enjoy… but which one is worth a plane ticket?
Juicy and tender is always the name of the game when it comes to steak. There are few things more
off-putting than cooking a piece of meat until the flavor completely leaves and it becomes the
texture of a hockey puck. You need that rich juice from the fat to smack your palate hard, and that's
one of the reasons why hanger steaks, although tasty if prepared correctly, deserve a pass.
One of the reasons that hanger steaks are so tender is because the cut comes from the plate,
which is the cow's diaphragm. Since this part doesn't have to support the cow's weight,
the cut doesn't toughen up due to muscular tension. But just because the meat is tender
doesn't mean it has a lot of the marbling you see in other cuts. So it's easy to accidentally
cook the meat for too long and dry it out, since there's no melted fat to give moisture.
Tenderloin is a thick-cut meaty medallion that sits nicely in the center of a garnish
with all the delicious accouterments. It comes from the loin section of the cow,
which means the texture is super soft. This makes for a pleasant mouthfeel, but if it's
serious marbling and run-down-your-chin juices that you crave, you should look elsewhere.
That's not to say that ordering a tenderloin is necessarily a mistake. As you chew it, the bite
falls apart nicely in your mouth without straining your jaw muscles. So this isn't a bad option,
but it may not tickle that fatty-flavored itch so many of us are trying to scratch.
If you're perusing a restaurant menu or your local supermarket shelves for a cut of steak that's
going to have some great marbling throughout, then the ribeye is a great go-to option. Obviously, the
striations of fat vary in each piece, but you'll always find a higher fat content than many other
selections. And a high fat content means a lot of rich flavors that infuse the meat. But even though
the marbling may be excellent, that doesn't mean every ribeye's texture is astoundingly delicate.
For the most part, as long as you don't leave a ribeye on the grill for too long,
the texture is soft and cuts easily. However, sometimes even the marbling just isn't enough,
and each bite is overly chewy, which is definitely not how a ribeye experience
should unfold. This problem is much more likely to happen if you cook it medium-well
or well-done. So if you're in the market for this cut, make sure to cook it properly.
One look at this cut of steak and you know exactly where the name comes from. The shape
of the letter "T" stands out in the form of the bone that runs through the middle
of the meat. Interestingly enough, the bone actually splits the steak into two
different cuts, a New York strip and a tenderloin. This makes T-bone steaks a
great option for anyone looking for some variety in one piece of meat.
Keep in mind that the level of marbling in T-bones isn't as much as in ribeyes,
which might be a turnoff to those looking for those rich fatty flavors. However, you do get the
meaty flavor of the short loin paired with a super tender texture of the tenderloin, which works as a
nice textural contrast. The bone that runs down the middle also lends the meat some of the rich
marrow juices that give the surrounding meat a rich burst of additional flavor.
"Hey, is that T-Bone?!"
"No, there's no T-Bone!"
"Well, why no T-Bone?!"
"Why no T-Bone?!"
Let's be honest: ordering a cut of filet mignon makes you feel bougie in the best way possible.
Even the name alone just has such a fancy ring to it. This cut comes from an extremely tender
area of the cow's back, and because of that, some people confuse filet mignon
with tenderloin. While the filet mignon is part of a full cut of beef tenderloin,
the filet is a smaller medallion cut from the whole tenderloin. The name "filet mignon"
literally translates to "cute filet," and who doesn't love things that are cute?
What makes filet mignon interesting is that it's incredibly tender, but it doesn't have
the striations of marbling that you associate with that melt-in-your-mouth experience.
The muscle it's cut from doesn't experience much stress. So even though this cut is incredibly
tender and gives an amazing mouthfeel, it doesn't pack a huge amount of savory beef flavor. So if
you're planning on treating yourself to some filet mignon, make sure you get some seasoning ready.
If you're on a date and both of you want to dive into a filling and delicious cut of steak,
one porterhouse will likely be enough to more than satisfy both of you. It actually
offers two different cuts of steak in one: a New York Strip and a tenderloin filet.
It's similar to a T-bone in that way, but the porterhouse is bigger and comes
with a larger piece of the tenderloin, which makes it a more luxurious cut.
If you've been to your fair share of steakhouses, then you're probably aware that the porterhouse
is sometimes the most premium cut on the menu, and for good reason. There's usually
an impressive amount of fat that runs around the circumference of the steak and that melts down
and floods the meat with rich coat-your-mouth juices. The two steaks you get don't have a ton
of marbling running through them, but they're super tender and they have a soft mouthfeel.
If you're in an Empire State of mind when you're hungry for beef, then obviously you
should opt for the New York strip steak. The name comes from its origin in Big Apple steakhouses,
though it's also known as strip loin steak, Omaha strip, and Kansas City strip. You can order this
cut boneless or with the bone still running through it, but either option is plenty tasty.
Although the New York Strip isn't as tender as some others, people
love it for its intensely beefy flavor. This cut has a really nice chew to it,
so you really feel like your mouth is diving into a bold and meaty meal. And there's definitely
still enough marbling for all the amazing juices to add a great punch of rich flavor to each bite.
"New York!"
If you're on a mission to order a cut of meat that will have the entire dining room staring at
you when the server plops it on the table, look no further than the almighty tomahawk. This behemoth
just screams "indulgence," as it packs one heck of an in-your-face flavor punch. It's served with
the long bone protruding out like an ax handle, which just makes it that much more hardcore.
You better have a squadron of friends with you if you order a tomahawk. Either that
or get ready to eat leftovers for the next week. The meat on this cut is super tender
and riddled with fatty marbling, and the sheer size means that each bite has tons of
juice erupting out. If you're feeling bold and astoundingly hungry, then go for the tomahawk!
Any time you eat any type of food, not just steak, you want it to taste prime. Settling for anything
less runs the risk of a subpar experience, and nobody should ever have to waste their
time and money on that. This type of craving is what makes Prime rib such a desirable cut. And
if you're a big fan of ribeye, you might already know that they're cut from this huge hunk of beef.
"'Cause you're a dang hunk."
The sheer size of a slab of prime rib makes it ideal for roasting. Popping it in the oven for
a slow-roasting process ensures that the meat is super tender all the way through. Plus,
there's plenty of marbling all over the slab that melts down and soaks into it
to create a beautifully juicy bite. Also, the bones that are embedded in the prime
rib deepen the juicy flavors, so you get a one-two punch of tender, rich tastes.
When you start dealing with Wagyu beef, you know you're experiencing some of the most flavor-packed
and well-marbled cuts of meat in the world. One of the most luxurious cuts is the Wagyu
tenderloin. It has super soft meat, as well as really amazing striations of juicy fat spread
out evenly. This elevates Wagyu tenderloin over the lean tenderloin from conventional cattle.
If you have the money to shell out for this cut, it's more than worth your appetite's attention.
The first thing you might notice when looking at the tenderloin is that the marbling isn't quite
as extreme as other cuts of Wagyu, but don't let that fool you. Sure, it may have slightly less,
but you really can't tell because it's distributed so well that every bite contains
the rich melty juices that are associated with these high-quality cuts. And the fat content
ensures that the meat packs enough flavor so you don't need any extra sauces to enhance it.
Kobe is a premium type of Wagyu beef from Japan. It comes from a specific breed of cattle,
and it's raised in an immaculate environment with plenty of meticulous care to ensure that
the meat is second to none. That also means Kobe beef is wildly expensive,
so it's one of those cuts you buy on rare occasions to knock the socks off of everyone
you're serving it to. Kobe-level quality is truly the most decadent option available.
That decadence is mostly due to the intensely marbled meat that glistens with vibrant strands
of fat throughout. The actual meat is also super tender and delicate thanks to the care
that goes into raising the cattle, but it's the high fat content that sizzles away on the grill
and absorbs into the already-rich meat to create a mind-blowing wallop of deep steak flavor. Be
warned, though: once you go Kobe, it's pretty much impossible to go back to anything else.
"I assure you that the word 'impossible' is a word which for me does not exist."
"Although I just said it."
If next-level marbling is what you're looking for, then there's nothing that
compares to an A5 Wagyu steak, which is the highest grade of Japanese beef you can buy.
Foodies drool over the astounding ribbons of glistening fat that run in every direction
throughout the meat. The fat content frequently outweighs the meat content,
so you're actually getting more of the aggressively rich fat flavor than beef flavor.
These coveted cuts are so special that nearly all of them are reserved for restaurants only.
So unless you have a pretty serious connection in Japan, you'll have to dine out to enjoy one.
When a cut of A5 Wagyu arrives at the table, it's impossible not to stare in
absolute awe at how much it glistens with the intense juices that flooded over it on
the grill. It usually comes sliced thin, and you literally don't have to chew it in order
to swallow it. Let the meat just rest on your tongue as it quickly melts down
like meaty cotton candy. The only reason this beef doesn't top this list is that
it's so immensely rich that you can only eat a small amount before it gets too overwhelming.
Since filets are cut from the tenderloin, they're already super delicate cuts and
fall right apart beautifully in your mouth with each bite. So what happens
when you combine the already-tender texture of a filet and add the fact
it comes from a Kobe cow? Your mouth is probably watering just thinking about it,
as this combination results in one of the softest, juiciest, and richest cuts of steak on the planet.
If there's a heaven, this is one of the foods that would be on the menu every night. You
can almost see the fat melting into the meat before you even start cooking it. It literally
feels like you're eating a creamy, meaty butter that washes over your palate like
a tsunami of deep steak flavor. If you ever have the opportunity to try some Kobe filet,
then it's absolutely worth completely draining your bank account to do so.