Steak

Before I began my beef cooking education, whenever I thought of steak it was always a big, fat, juicy rib eye grilled medium rare over charcoal with my favorite basting sauce.

But I have learned that the beef critter has lotsa' steaks and they're not all rib eyes!

Some are not even suitable for the grill!

A simple definition of the word steak is an individual serving portion cut from a larger section.

Now in my mind that means beef. But it doesn't have to be. It can be pork or even fish.

However, on this website, whenever I refer to steak I mean BEEF and only BEEF.

The Tender Steaks

The steaks that are best for grilling come from the rib, short loin and sirloin primal cuts of the animal. These sections contain the least used muscles of the steer and therefore are naturally tender.

The Rib Primal

My favorite, the rib eye, comes from the rib section.

The rib is the primal cut right behind the chuck and right before the short loin. So steaks cut closer to the short loin will be the tenderest.

The Short Loin Primal

The short loin contains the tenderest steaks of all. Depending on how the primal is cut for retail it can be filet, club, t-bone or porterhouse.

On a recent visit with my cousin we had a surf and turf dinner. Naturally I had a rib eye but my cousin had a filet, which I had to taste.

It just might replace the rib eye as my favorite. I've got one in the fridge right now that I'm gonna' grill up tonight.

The Sirloin Primal

The sirloin comes right after the loin and right before the round primal. So just like the rib the cuts closer to the loin will be the most tender.

There's a famous story about this sections name.

Seems a king was so impressed with a cut he was served from this section that he decided to Knight it. Hence the name: Sir Loin.

But it's just not true. The name is actually from French. Sir in French means "under" so the name actually refers to the section under the loin.

It's still a great section though and my brothers' favorite sirloin steak comes from here. He likes to grill a huge thick one and then cut it into serving portions.

The Not So Tender Steaks

Any steak cut from the other primals is not going to be as tender as those from the rib, short loin and sirloin.

I'm not saying they are bad you understand. Just not as tender. In fact, with the proper cooking method, some say these steaks are more flavorful.

There are a lot of steaks cut from the chuck primal such as chuck steak, blade steak and shoulder steak.

This is also true of the round primal with steaks from the top round, bottom round and eye of round.

In addition to the chuck and round primal we also get skirt steak from the short plate primal and flank steak from the flank primal.

Not Really Steak "Steaks"

What's in a name? Well it's a matter of perception I suppose. Naming something steak that's not really a steak seems to put it on a higher plateau.

A couple that fit into this category or hamburger steak and Salisbury steak. Both are great dishes but not really steaks by definition.

There's also other dishes that have adopted the steak name but really refer to the preparation method rather than the cut of meat.

Chicken fried steak is in that category along with Swiss steak. Even though both are really steak it can be any steak.

A little education is a great thing and I've learned a lot about steaks with my beef education. I'll certainly continue to learn more.

There's an underlying thing that I have learned about all steaks however:

I've never had a steak that I didn't like!

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe

I grew up with this dish. My Mom had a great Chicken Fried Steak Recipe but she just called it minute steak. We had it quite often, probably because it was cheap. We always had gravy with it.

Hamburger Steak

Steak is an individual portion cut from a larger piece of beef. So Hamburger Steak hamburger steak is not really a steak at all. Giving it the steak name does lift if from the lowly ranks of just cooked ground beef.

Pepper Steak Recipe

Like the name suggests a Pepper Steak Recipe is the combination of two key ingredients. One is the steak and the other, of course, is the pepper. But there are two entirely different versions.

Salisbury Steak Recipe

A Salisbury Steak Recipe does not include a steak at all. The recipe calls for ground beef. The definition of a steak is an individual serving portion sliced from a larger section of beef.

Swiss Steak Recipe

Most any Swiss Steak Recipe will begin with a beefsteak that has been tenderized by pounding, coated with flour and browned on both sides. It is then braised for a period of time until tender.

More Steak Recipes

Grilled Flank Steak Recipe

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Grilled Flank Steak

Best Grilled Steaks

Grilled Steak

Porterhouse Steak Recipe