A steak thread

What is your favorite cut of steak?

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Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

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This is a follow up on a previous cole slaw thread where the discussion of horseradish came in to play re: admixture to cole slaw.

This is the Vietnamese rendition of an American steak, made in a place that professes to make American steaks. The steak? A medium grade sirloin cut, probably Australian. In USDA terms it's about a Select grade. But it's the best they can throw at you here. But that is in fact horseradish on the steak. I'm not sure they get the concept that horseradish is normally reserved for rib roast, but we'll roll with that. The mushrooms are a local variety with the small heads and long stems. That is gravy. The whole roasted garlic is a nice touch.
 
There’s a cole slaw thread?!??
 
A scotch fillet from down under.
 
At least the meat wasn't overcooked. It's a real medium rare! I've taken to ordering "Rare" the last several years, so that I don't get Medium or sometimes Medium Well.

Looks tasty, too! Just needs a cold beer . . . . .
 
BTW, a flat iron steak is technically a chuck steak and prepared properly it can be just as good as one of the loin cuts. If you isolate the chuck steak category to flat iron, I think you pretty much nailed my preference order from top to bottom.
 
Also, I'll bet a sirloin like that one would be great if prior to cooking it had been marinated for a short bit of time in a few dashes of soy and/or fish sauce (think Asian version of Worcestershire sauce). Maybe some hoisin and sriracha, too.
 
Hank S said:
At least the meat wasn't overcooked. It's a real medium rare! I've taken to ordering "Rare" the last several years, so that I don't get Medium or sometimes Medium Well.

Looks tasty, too! Just needs a cold beer . . . . .
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Trust me, cold beers were in effect, just not in view. But yes, I know the predicament. I do the same. The taste was fine, but it wasn't top tier either.

asicer said:
BTW, a flat iron steak is technically a chuck steak and prepared properly it can be just as good as one of the loin cuts. If you isolate the chuck steak category to flat iron, I think you pretty much nailed my preference order from top to bottom.
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That is true. Chuck is actually quite tasty as a cut.

asicer said:
Also, I'll bet a sirloin like that one would be great if prior to cooking it had been marinated for a short bit of time in a few dashes of soy and/or fish sauce (think Asian version of Worcestershire sauce). Maybe some hoisin and sriracha, too.
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Sure - thin sliced strips of beef grilled or fried up in sauces are pretty common. This place's 'shtic' is to have Western style steaks. But given the mediocre cuts of beef, thin strips grilled or cooked up in pho are generally preferable. It's not that they don't eat their share of beef, they just don't eat it in the form of steaks.
 
I think my sirloin at Applebee’s tonight was better than that.
I’m sure other cultures think the same of us when they visit and see our rendition of their favorite food.
 
Heftiger said:
I think my sirloin at Applebee’s tonight was better than that.
I’m sure other cultures think the same of us when they visit and see our rendition of their favorite food.
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Very true. One of my favorite chain steak restaurants is Outback. It has an Australian motif. They are now in Australia. It's ironic to have an American company provide an Australian themed restaurant in Australia, but they do and they even ship the beef from the US.
 
Mmmmm, rare meat. In the middle east, the recipe for steak is cook until done and then repeat. I could not eat the steak in the DinFacs while deployed.

How to make steak: Very hot grill, add meat about 1.5 inch thick, when the meat is seared to the point that the grill lets go turn it over and do the same. Always serve with grilled onions. Keep the horseradish for prime rib.
 
Although I voted Ribeye, as it's the easiest for me to just slap on the grill and get a good result, I do agree that it's not only the preparation, but the selection of the cut, as well as it's origin.
Lot's of variables at play. With all things equal, it is the winner to me.

Funny though, I rarely buy steaks anymore because the meat is so high. About as cheap to go get a meal at the local TFR. (Texas F*****g Roadhouse)!

ps... please don't let 'steaks' start a plural vs. non-plural thread derailment ;)

oh crap, I shouldn't have said that..
 
Prime Rib (in all it's allowed variants) - Rare to Medium rare, Au Jus, Straight horseradish.
Ribeye - Medium rare. Seasoned salt and pepper should be all it needs.
Sirloin - Medium - Pass me the A1 sauce.
 
Flank is one of my favorites, prepared using @cgrab's method. Salt and pepper, cut on a bias.
 
1. NY/KC Strip - I like being able to easily separate the fat/gristle from the meat
2. Ribeye - most flavorful, but that comes with the fact that the fat is marbled-in and not able to be separated
3. Filet - generally most tender, but usually too pricey for me at a restaurant
4. All other cuts are about the same to me, but I usually won't order a steak in those cuts, but it's fine for making ka-bobs or hamburgers/etc.

Temp - medium-rare to medium, never anything past medium.
 
How come this was not a choice? :) (Never had it btw.)

steakums-cheesesteak-sandwiche-7dbe2a.jpg
 
flhrci said:
How come this was not a choice? :) (Never had it btw.)

steakums-cheesesteak-sandwiche-7dbe2a.jpg
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I used to eat these a lot 25 to 30 years ago. They're not half bad. I haven't had one in well over 20 years, though. I have no desire for them now.
 
Either ribeye or filet mignon, medium rare, depending on what looks good.
 
I usually go for Top Sirloin or NY Strip, but a good flat iron steak tastes good when doing fajitas. Toss in some bell pepper and onion and you’ve got it made!
 
What do you have against the tenderloin? Either by itself or as a good T-bone/porterhouse.
 
We favor strip steaks at my house. We also do a rub of paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, turmeric, and coriander. I know, go ahead and put the cuffs on me now.

Sirloin is tasty but a bit chewy. Ribeye is good too, but some people don't like the fat in it. In my estimation, filet/tenderloin is best made into tournedos.
 
And it ain't a steak sub in the east coast sense of the word. Steak subs are made by slicing/chopping actual steak, not forming planks of ground meat.

It's even a poor approximation of a gyro which in addition to lamb has more character than the steakum wafers.
 
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I guess I categorically excluded filet, because it is so pricey it isn't even on my radar. That said, I did splurge a few months ago and barely seared the edges in a pan and ate, with grilled onions. It was very good.

Technically tri tip is a roast, all though you could slice it up and cook it as steak. That isn't nearly as good as cooking the whole thing to roughly medium rare and slicing, however. Nine times out of ten a tri tip is going on the grill, vs. steaks. I get steaks if they are on sale.
 
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You know what I totally forgot about. Flank steak. This most righteous cut was had at Harris Ranch, at a Purple Board fly-in meat up.
 
Market Basket, NY Strip, prime, $4.99 a pound. I might go back and buy ten more.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I guess I categorically excluded filet, because it is so pricey it isn't even on my radar. That said, I did splurge a few months ago and barely seared the edges in a pan and ate, with grilled onions. It was very good.

Technically tri tip is a roast, all though you could slice it up and cook it as steak. That isn't nearly as good as cooking the whole thing to roughly medium rare and slicing, however. Nine times out of ten a tri tip is going on the grill, vs. steaks. I get steaks if they are on sale.
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Filet is pricey if you order it in a restaurant. A week from Thursday is our wedding anniversary, and I'm going to make tournedos, each of which requires a four ounce filet. All up, the cost per serving is about what a combination meal costs at Chick-fil-a.
 
FormerHangie said:
Filet is pricey if you order it in a restaurant. A week from Thursday is our wedding anniversary, and I'm going to make tournedos, each of which requires a four ounce filet. All up, the cost per serving is about what a combination meal costs at Chick-fil-a.
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Locally (back home in Cali rather) it's around $20/lb even at the wholesale grocery stores. That is over the top for me. My upper limit is around $9/lb or I'm getting chicken or pork for the grill.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Locally (back home in Cali rather) it's around $20/lb even at the wholesale grocery stores. That is over the top for me. My upper limit is around $9/lb or I'm getting chicken or pork for the grill.
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Kroger sometimes has it for $14 a pound. Since a serving size when making tournedos is four ounces, it doesn't make for that expensive of a dinner. Not that we eat like that every night, or for that matter, every week.
 
I love steak! I voted Ribeye because I eat it most often, but just about any cut of bovine flesh is delish.

I keep a list in my head of top 5 steaks I've ever had. Interestingly, my top five consist of steaks from chain reataurants, one fancy joint, and homemade. In my quest for fine beef, I've come to the conclusion that no matter where the steak is prepared, how much it cost, or how much love was put into it, the single most important thing that makes or breaks a steak is the cow itself.
 
My nephew has a sous vide setup, he takes the cheapest cut of steak he can find, put some spices on it, vac seals it in a bag and puts it in the sous vide for 13 hours, he finishes it with a torch. He says it makes some of the most tender flavorful steak he's had. I haven't tried it, don't like the idea of sous vide, but this idea might change my mind.
 
You could pull off the same reasonably well in the crock pot in less time. I wouldn't go low, slow cooking for anything that qualifies as a steak, though.
 
Ryanb said:
I personally don’t like rib-eye’s for that reason...too fatty.
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That is why I prefer mine in the form of Prime Rib/Standing Rib Roast. There is better fat control. But again, it just depends on the cut. A thick, lean ribeye steak comes better off the grill than a thin, fatty cut.
 
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