The Cuts

The bavette, or bib steak in French, is named for its appearance. The accordion style muscle fibers are designed to stretch and flex around the abdomen. The large bavette is more versatile than a skirt as it can be cut into smaller steaks. It is tender and very flavorful. A top choice for those who can source it.

The flank is known for its versatility. Flank has long parallel muscle fibers which are great for taking a marinade. But this steak is more well known for the London Broil recipe where it is seared hard and sliced thinly across the grain. The flank also makes a great braciola…just ask my mom.

Tri-tip is a California staple. Also known as the Santa Anna Tri-tip, this cut is great for parties. The size and shape make it easy to cook for a group with varying tastes. It is fantastic grilled or smoked and sliced across the grain. It has plenty of intermuscular fat to keep it flavorful with medium tenderness.

The hanger is a notorious “butcher’s cut”. This complex muscle hangs from the inside of the navel when the steer is processed. As the animal cools and dries, the hanger is removed to prevent spoilage, and was often lost before it makes its way to the case. Hanger is now a very popular bistro steak for those who want big flavor.

The matambre is very popular in Argentina. The preparation includes grilling and topping with sauce and cheese. This rare inexpensive cut is a great canvas for experimentation. Marinade, roll and tie, grill or braise.

The culotte, also known as the sirloin cap or picanha, was popularized in Brazilian churrascaria BBQ. This lean, tender cut has a large fat cap which allows for a myriad of preparations. The whole muscle can be grilled and sliced for a large group. The muscle can be portioned into smaller steaks which are perfect for the grill, the pan, or the Brazilian skewer.

The top sirloin steak is never the wrong choice. Weeknight dinner, leftover steak salad, weekend BBQ. Top sirloin is fairly lean and very tender with great flavor. It is also known as the baseball steak (hits dingers).

The petite sirloin has all of the attributes as the top sirloin except for size. This fantastic cut is best when portioned into medallions and pan seared. But, its tenderness gives it a lot of options. The whole muscle would make a great wellington or chateaubriand.

The New York strip makes most top 3 lists. This cut can be served on-the-bone or boneless. It has a nice fat cap which can be used for rendering in the pan. The fat and bone alike will protect the meat from drying out when cooking. But, worry not, this steak is fantastic no matter how you like it. Rich in flavor and tender.

The tenderloin is most commonly known as the filet mignon, a tender medallion of steak, grilled or pan seared and dressed in butter and herbs. This is the most tender cut, often admired in tartare or carpaccio where cooking is not even necessary. While this cut is mostly enjoyed by those who prefer rare, no matter how you like it, you cannot go wrong with the tenderloin.

The ribeye is the most notorious cut. Thick bone-in cut is known as the cowboy, toward the chuck end the large rib cap (spinalis) gives way to the Delmonico steak. From family feasts featuring the 7-bone standing rib roast to the modern tomahawk steak, the ribeye is the best of the best.

There are two skirt steaks on each animal. These long fibrous looking muscles are tucked tightly along the inside of the ribs. These muscles allow the lungs to expand and contract, thus their shape. While these muscles are always working, they are not tough. The small muscle fibers, when cut across the grain make for a super tender and flavorful steak.

Short ribs can be prepared as a whole slab or portioned. English short ribs are separated parallel to the bones and can be frenched, or portioned into smaller pieces for braising, roasting, or grilling. Flanken cut or Korean-style short ribs are cut perpendicular to the bones (usually with a band saw). Short ribs are super versatile. They are great to marinade, or brine and smoke. When prepared correctly, they make for a fantastic steak on the grill.

Toro was made famous by Seattle butcher Kevin Smith. This versatile cut from the navel takes a marinade extremely well and is often cured and smoked.

The top round is very versatile. It is large with large muscle fibers and minimal intermuscular fat. The top round makes for a perfect roast beef. When the round is portioned for steaks, it is often tenderized or marinated for London Broil. It can be pounded out very thin and makes a great chicken fried steak.

The bottom round has a bit more fat than the top round. It is a hard working muscle with large muscle fibers, which means it can be tough if not cooked properly. It is great for roast beef or stew. There is one steak that can be portioned near the hip where the round meets the sirloin.

This is another great weeknight steak. The poor man’s skirt some call it. This cut is found on the cap of the top round. It has a similar size and shape to the skirt, but without the intermuscular fat. It does take a marinade well. It is great for pinwheels or braciola.

The sirloin tip comes from a primal called the knuckle. The knuckle is part of the quadricep muscle which is responsible for locomotion. This hard working muscle group makes great roast beef or a good weeknight steak. The steaks are lean with unctuous beefy flavor.

The eye is another hard working cut that has gained appreciation for versatility. It can be portioned into steaks, but it really shines as a roast. More and more, due to the size, shape and symmetry of the muscle fibers, this cut is selected for making consistently good beef jerky and bresaola.

The heel is a primal cut that extends from the round to the rear shank. This group of muscles is very tough and consists of lots of connective tissue. The great thing about this bundle of muscles is the magic that can be produced from cooking them low and slow. There is not a lot of fat, which leads the heel perfectly to braised dishes like stroganoff, bourguignon, or barbacoa.

The merlot steak is another hidden gem found in the round. This wine colored muscle is located inside of the heel primal. The cut consists of a single muscle with very little fat, but tons of beefy flavor. This is a perfect little steak that can be pan seared, grilled or marinated and enjoyed any way that it is cooked. There is only one steak in each hind quarter.

The shank is a cut that consists of bone, tendon and tough hard working muscles. When cut across the bone, we have the cut that is the base for the popular dish, osso bucco. The combination of slow cooked bone marrow and bone broth makes for the start of one of the greatest cold weather meals in history.