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A
steak guide without the coveted New York Striploins, Rib Steaks,
and Filet Mignon? Ludicrous! Well, not from our standpoint… “our”
meaning any self-respecting butcher shop that has the
availability, ney we say pleasure, of buying whole animals – not
just boxed muscles. Let’s clear the air right off the top… we
have excluded the three most expensive steaks from our list, the
bread and butter for most butcher shops, for the following three
reasons:
-
To
celebrate meat. Since industrialization in the meat industry
kicked in – roughly fifty or so years ago – and the
mass-production of cheap boxed meat became commonplace,
omnivores have become creatures of habit. To see these same
three cuts on every restaurant and steak house menu, and
to see these steaks take up the majority of display space in
virtually every grocery store and butcher shop is, frankly,
appalling and boring. We hate to break the news to anyone who
thinks otherwise – a cow is not a walking loin. We owe it to our
local farmers, the farmers that have a passion for what they do
and how they do it, to explore their products in their entirety.
Appreciation and exploration of whole animals is the sustainable
way to eat meat;
-
Although a Certified Organic, locally raised, well-marbled, and
dry-aged New York or Rib Eye is pretty much a piece of heaven
(we’re not going to say otherwise), there is lot to be said
about the flavour in tougher cuts of meat that is not present in
the more tender cuts. Many argue that fat content is the
sole factor in the determination of flavour, but chefs and food
scientists alike have known for decades that there is an inverse
relationship between flavour and tenderness, i.e. tougher cuts,
regardless of fat content, are more flavourful. To this day, it
is still a mystery - scientifically speaking - as to why tougher cuts tend to have more flavour
– our theory is that the increased flow of blood to a well used
muscle develops it’s meaty taste (or beefiness in the case of
beef). In any case, tougher cuts benefit from a fullness of flavour that are simply not present in the more tender cuts;
and
-
The
value, meaning bang-for-your-buck, is higher for any steak on
our list than for a Striploin, Rib Steak or Tenderloin. In fact, we
could have just as easily named our list a “Value Steak Guide”…
we thought the term “Sustainable” more accurately links your
buying decisions to the farmers' reality.
The
best way to treat our list of steaks is to print a copy, stick
it to your fridge, and systematically over the course of the
summer try each cut. You may very well rank the steaks
differently; truth be told, and despite our repeated
recommendations, number 9 and 10 on our list consistently
out-sell number 1.
We
used four factors to come up with our top ten list: flavour,
tenderness, price, and personal opinion. If Einstein taught us
anything, it’s that we needed some markers for the
objective categories to which all cuts are judged relative. So this
is what we came up with:
Flavour: Rated from zero to ten, with zero being the least
flavourful cut of beef – which we deemed to be the Eye of Round, and ten being the most flavourful cut of beef –
which we deemed to be the Beef Shank. There are several cuts we could have chosen to be the
least and most flavourful – the point is, the least flavourful
is one that is very low in fat, not on the bone, and is
a muscle that does little work;
conversely, the most flavourful cut is one that has ample fat
content, benefits from being on the bone (especially marrow
bones), and benefits from being a muscle that is used often.
Tenderness: Rated from zero to ten, with zero being the
toughest cut of beef which we chose to be the Beef Shank
(assuming it was cooked with dry heat like the other steaks it
is being compared to),
and ten being the most tender cut of beef, the Tenderloin.
Price: Ahh… for price we had to kick up our creativity a
notch. The percentages shown in the price columns below
are the percentage savings from a New York or
Rib Eye steak calculated by the following formula:
(Price of New York / Rib Eye per kg) minus (Price of cut we are
comparing per kg)
(Price
of New York / Rib Eye per kg)
So,
for example, there is a 57% savings over a NY Striploin by
purchasing a boneless blade steak. The percentage was then
divided by 10 to yield a number between 0-and-10 to be
consistent with the 10-point scale for the other categories.
Just like rating a wine, you need to know the price prior
to rating it – ultimately is it worth the price – or more
accurately, is it high in value? But, unlike wine that
ranges in price from $5 to $5000 per bottle, it wouldn’t be
obvious to a reader of the list, relatively speaking, if we just
plopped in $2.20/100g in one line, and $3.31/100g in another
line – the differences seem almost negligible. We decided to
measure value as the percentage savings over the pinnacles of
steaks – the New York Striploin and Rib Eye. In our store we
price these two steaks equivalently… we’re not quite sure why
these steaks are differently priced in grocery stores, to us
they’re worth the same – give up a little tenderness for the
sake of more flavour in a rib steak, or give up a little flavour
for the sake of more tenderness in a New York.
Personal Rating: For the only subjective category, our Head
Butcher Ryan Donovan and our Head Chef Jonathan Abrahams were
each asked to rate the cuts from 0-to-5 on purely a personal
preference. The two values added together yield a 0-to-10 point
rating consistent with the other categories.
For a more detailed look at the steak rankings, download our PDF
charts available by
clicking here.
|
CUT |
Boneless Blade Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Book Steak, Butler Steak, Lifter Steak, Petite Steak,
Paleron (French), Copertina di Spalla
(Italian), Paletilla, Planchuela, or Parte
Superior de la Paleta (Spanish) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
Our average
Blade Steaks are 340g (0.75lb), but any size thickness can
be cut on request. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The Blade is
truly an overlooked gem. The Blade steak is located in the
chuck (or shoulder) of a beef, which is the primary
weight-bearing muscle group. More specifically, it is
located in the Bottom Blade section; we point this out
simply to differentiate it from the Flat Iron steak
(another steak in this list) that is cut from the Top Blade
section in the chuck, which is a
little less tender. As a rule, meat from the chuck
primal, although always flavourful, is usually tough and
best for braising or stewing. The Blade is an exception to
the rule and is surprisingly quite tender; in fact, the
Boneless Blade Steak is cut from the exact same muscle as
the premium Rib Eye steak that is over twice the price. The only catch to
this phenomenal steak is that there’s a seam of cartilage
running through the centre – but for a 57% savings off a New
York, we’ll gladly take the extra step of slicing the
cartilage out before serving. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Braised blade
is absolutely to die for, but phenomenal results can be
achieved on a grill by seasoning, searing over high heat,
then lowering the heat slightly until the steak is cooked medium-rare. Tent with
foil and let sit for 5 minutes before carving. Don't
forget to cut along the centre cartilage and remove it
before serving. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 9 |
6 |
5.7 (57%) |
5 |
3.5 |
29.2 |
|
|
CUT |
Vacio |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Thin Flank, Vacio (Argentina), Bavette
(France), Costine di Pancia (Italy). Because of the
popularity of this cut in Argentina, we have adopted the Argentinian name in our store to differentiate it from the
Flank steak everyone is familiar with. |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
One Vacio is
roughly 1.2kg (2.75lb), but we cut and sell smaller pieces
if asked. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
Vacio is one of
The Healthy Butcher’s signature cuts. It is situated in the
Flank primal, but it is a very different cut from the
“Flank” that everyone knows (just look at the photos of the
two cuts to see the obvious differences). Essentially,
it's a cow's tummy muscle. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
In
Argentina, a Vacio would be thrown on a grill once the wood
has burned down and left to cook for a long time… South
Americans are champion slow grillers! Our dry-aged
Vacio can be grilled simply by seasoning, searing, then slow grilling over medium heat to a
medium-rare. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then slice
it thin and across the
grain.
Because of its
large size, this is a phenomenal party steak; you can feed a lot of people with one Vacio! |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 8 |
6 |
3.5 (35%) |
5 |
5 |
27.5 |
|
|
CUT |
Tri Tip
Steak (or Roast) |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Triangle Steak
or Roast, Punta en Triángulo (Spanish) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
790g (1.75lb) |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The Tri Tip
comes from the bottom section of the sirloin (versus the #8
Top Sirloin comes from the top section of the sirloin). It
is uncommon to find this cut in our neck of the woods or for
that matter, any part of the Eastern U.S., because it is such a
popular cut in the west (especially California) and many
meat packers still ship their tri tip their. (Don’t
forget, most butchers and grocers deal strictly with pre-cut
“boxed” meat so their choice of cuts may be limited depending
on the distributor.) |
|
COOKING METHOD |
If the Tri Tip
you see in your butcher’s window has been trimmed of all
fat, ask to have another one cut for you leaving the fat cap
(in the photo above, the fat cap is on the bottom side not
shown). Season, sear both sides, then cook on lower heat
with the fat side up until the centre of the steak is medium
rare. The Tri Tip is a perfect party steak because: (a) it’s
fairly large; and (b) the steak will vary in thickness from
fairly thin to very thick – by cooking the steak to a medium
rare in the centre, you will make everyone happy… people who
enjoy their meat more on the medium-well side can pick at
one end, while the rare lovers can pick on the other end.
The grain is fairly obvious in this muscle so be sure to cut
against the grain… ask your butcher to show you the grain if
it is not obvious to you. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 7 |
7 |
4.3 (43%) |
5 |
4 |
27.3 |
|
|
CUT |
Skirt Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Philadelphia
Steak, Bavette Aloyau or Hampe (French), Falda, Entrãna
(Chile) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
Outer Skirt
300g
Inner Skirt
475g |
|
DESCRIPTION |
Skirt is one of
the most flavourful of all steaks. It is situated in the
short plate section of the beef, which is the inside of the
rib on the chest. There are two types of skirt: inside and
outside. It’s a coin toss as to which is better; inside
skirt is great because it doesn’t have as much membrane to
be removed, but outside skirt is a little thicker and a bit
less stringy. Skirt is the meat originally used for both
fajitas (which means “belt” in Spanish and reflects the
shape of the skirt) and Philadelphia cheese steak
sandwiches. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Season and cook
quickly over high heat. Skirt has a very pronounced grain
(just look at the photos). If cooked to a rare, sliced thin
and against the grain, you will end up with as fine a piece
of beef as you will find. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 9 |
6 |
3.5 (35%) |
4 |
4.5 |
27 |
|
|
CUT |
Brisket |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Poitrine
Gros Bout (France), Petto (Italy), Pecho
(Argentina) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
A whole
brisket, point and ¼” fat cap left on weighs between
4.5-5.5kg (10-12lbs). Of course, any size smaller piece can
be cut. Allow about ¾ lb per person to allow for trimming
and shrinkage. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The
brisket is the front portion of the beef breast that lies
between the front legs. Brisket is the cut of choice for
Texas slow-smoked pit-cooked barbeque. The only reason
the brisket is not #1 on our list is (a) it’s not really a
steak; and (b) it takes a long long time to grill – we’re
talking on the order of 15 hours. When it comes down to it,
a properly slow-smoked brisket is as good as it gets in the
beef world. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Brisket can be
braised (like a pot roast), poached (like for corned beef),
or hot-smoked (like for southern-style barbeque, the reason
this cut is on our list). There are more opinions and
debates about how to properly smoke a brisket than any other
cut; in our opinion, best results come from brining for 24
or more hours (the brine being a salt-based mixture that is
best applied if injected into the brisket with a needle), dry rubbing with a
nice mixture of spices, then slow grilling for 10 to 15
hours at around 180-200F. The
brisket is ready when it is falling apart or “fork tender”. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 9 |
4 |
4.6 (46%) |
4 |
5 |
26.6 |
|
|
CUT |
Flat Iron Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Flat Iron is
often confused with the Boneless Blade Steak above even
though they are two distinct steaks. |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
220g-320g
(0.5-0.7lbs), perfect one steak per person |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The flat iron
sits in the Top Blade section of the chuck, on the other
side of the shoulder blade from where our #1 Boneless Blade
Steak is located (which is in the Bottom Blade). As
compared to the Boneless Blade Steak, the flat iron is also
very flavourful, slightly tougher, has no cartilage running
through it, and is a little more expensive. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Same as
Boneless Blade Steak. Flat Iron’s are usually thinner than
Blades, so less cooking time will be required. This steak
will likely be finished after a good sear. Slice
across the grain and serve. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 9 |
5 |
3.5 (35%) |
3 |
4 |
24.5 |
|
|
CUT |
Flank
Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
London Broil,
Bavette Flanchet (France), Pancia or
Bavetta (Italy), Bife de Vacio (Argentina),
Bife do Vazio (Brazil), Palanca (Chile), Dunne
(Germany) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
790g (1.75lb) –
One large Flank will serve about four people. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The Flank steak
is easily distinguishable by its longitudinal grain (see the
photo). Marinade can penetrate flank steak without the meat
losing its firm texture because it is relatively thin and
porous (we will discuss marinating in more detail in next
month’s newsletter). Flank has a moderate amount of fat, a
great beefy flavour, and no connective tissue. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Similar to the
Vacio, season, sear, then cook at medium or perhaps
medium-high heat until medium-rare. Tent with foil and let
sit for 5-to-10 min., then slice thin across the grain. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 8 |
6 |
3.5 (35%) |
3 |
4 |
24.5 |
|
|
CUT |
Top Sirloin Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Coulotte,
Bifteck (French), Bife (Argentina), Bistek
(Chile), American
retail butchers often call this steak Chateaubriand,
but we feel that French name should be reserved for the
large butt end section of the Tenderloin. |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
Range from 454g
to 790g (1lb to 1.75lb), depending on what side it is cut
(i.e. from the loin side or the round side). Generally, one
Top Sirloin can feed 2-3 people. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The Top Sirloin
comes from the Sirloin section of the beef, which falls
between the lean and tough Round and the luxuriously tender
Loin primals. Don't be fooled by the 8th place
ranking, the Top Sirloin is a phenomenal steak; the only
reason it didn’t top our list is because its higher price
pushed it down. That being said, at a 26% savings from NY’s,
this is a magnificent steak, both tender and flavourful. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Season, sear
and cook at medium-high heat until medium rare. Also note
that a top sirloin roast makes for a great barbeque roast. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 7 |
8 |
2.6 (26%) |
3 |
3.5 |
24.1 |
|
|
CUT |
Sirloin Tip |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Knuckle Steak,
Breakfast Steak, Tranche Grasse (France),
Rabadilha (Portugal), Bola de Lomo (Argentina),
Patinho (Brazil), Posta Rosada (Chile) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
450g (1lb) each
steak. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
The Sirloin Tip
is the continuation of the sirloin muscle that is the source
of Top Sirloin steaks (see #8 above). However, because the
tip is situated in the Round primal, it is tougher and
leaner. As far as extra-lean steaks go, this is the best it gets. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Season, sear,
and cook to medium-rare over medium-high heat. Do not
overcook! |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 5 |
5 |
3.9 (39%) |
2 |
2.5 |
18.4 |
|
|
CUT |
Eye of Round Steak |
 |
|
OTHER NAMES |
Tranche ou
Piece Ronde or Roti de Boeuf (French), Girello
or Magatello (Italian), Peceto (Argentina) |
|
AVERAGE SIZE |
Average 220g
(0.5lb) per steak, but can be cut thinner or thicker to
preference. Shown in the diagram is our 3-peppercorn
encrusted Eye. |
|
DESCRIPTION |
Rounding out
our Top Ten list is the Eye of Round. The Eye is the leanest
muscle in a beef which probably explains its popularity
among our health-conscious customers. It comes from the
round primal, and because it is a well used muscle, it is a
bit chewy. If you’re looking for a lean, small steak, that
is unbelievably economical, this is a good choice. |
|
COOKING METHOD |
Since the Eye
of Round has so little fat, it is best not to cook it past
rare or medium-rare. Season, sear, and cook to medium-rare
over medium-high heat. |
|
SCORE |
|
Flavour
(0-to-10) |
Tenderness
(0-to-10) |
Price
(0-to-10)
(% discount
in brackets) |
Butcher's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
Chef's
Rating
(0-to-5) |
TOTAL |
| 4 |
4 |
3.9 (39%) |
2 |
2.5 |
16.4 |
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What Have We Learned From The Rankings?
Price was obviously a
significant factor that tipped the scales. The least expensive steak, the
Boneless Blade Steak, took the top rank. And the most expensive steak on
the list, the Top Sirloin, placed only eighth. Using the wine analogy
again, it became obvious that for a $10 bottle, the Blade was as good as it
gets, but more was expected from the Top Sirloin being a $20 bottle.
The rankings also show
the importance of fat. Is it a surprise that the three leanest cuts in our Top 10 are numbers eight, nine, and
ten? Fat plays multiple roles in meat. First, it improves tenderness
by acting as a lubricant between meat fibers making the fibers easier to pull
apart. Second, fat carries flavour compounds; in fact, if all fat was
removed from meat, it would be difficult to differentiate between several types
of red meat because they would taste so similar. And third, fat stimulates
the flow of saliva which has the effect of further stimulating taste and further
increasing tenderness.
Most important to
understand with our Top 10 list is that all of these steaks are sustainable
steaks. These cuts represent a whole animal, excluding the oversold
and premium-priced loin and rib sections. No matter which cut you
choose from the above list, you can feel comfortable that not only are you
being frugal, you are also supporting sustainable farming. The results of
sustainable eating trickle down to everything from helping the farmers'
livelihood to improving local groundwater.
Next Issue: Grilling the Perfect Steak
To access past issues of live to eat? Click
here.
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