Steaks are cuts of meat, grilled, barbecued, and/or baked into a delicious protein recipe, widely popular all around the world because of their rich textures, juicy flavors, and high protein. They are enjoyed on several special occasions and seasonal barbecues.
This recipe can be prepared with any kind of meat like chicken, lamb, pork, and even fish. Beef is considered the most traditional and popular meat of choice and is highly consumed all over the world. Steaks made from chicken, lamb, pork, and fish are equally delicious and are a must-try.
Beef is popular for cooking steaks because of certain qualities like high protein content, oozing umami flavors, and fine and rich texture. There is a wide variety of steak, depending on various factors like cuts, origin, and price tags.
Different Types Of Steaks
There are different types of steaks which vary from different types of cuts to different origins and quality of meat altogether.
Rib-Eye
This premium cut beef is known as the “King of Steaks” because of its juicy and rich flavor. It has many pockets of beef fat interspersed with muscle content which makes it highly fatty, giving it a marble-like texture. This portion of meat originates from the ribs of the cow and the outer part of the meat is usually fatty white with a reddish eye core.
The high-fat content makes the steak very juicy along with a chewy texture. It is served with and without bones, depending on individual preferences. This piece of meat is perfect for grilling and skillets. It can retain its juiciness even if it is slightly over-cooked.
The rib-eye is also known as Spencer, Delmonico, Entrecote, and Scotch Fillet.
New York Strip
Originating from the short loin, behind the ribs, this boneless strip has a fine-grain texture and is packed with a decent amount of flavor. This meat is not as juicy as the rib-eye because it is low in fat and packed with proteins.
The shape of this cut resembles the city of Manhattan and it has a long line of fat running on the border of the meat, along with smaller marble-like fat pockets. This cut has a very high umami flavor with the perfect balance of tenderness.
The New York strip goes by various names like Manhattan and Kansas City strip.
Filet Mignon
GTA Meats says the filet mignon is the “Rolls-Royce” of all steaks. It is a cylindrical piece of meat carved out from the spinal region of a cow. This cut of beef has the leanest texture of meat because that part of the cow receives no muscle activity throughout its life.
This makes this meat extremely tender and buttery due to which this is more expensive than any other cuts of beef. Also known as the tenderloin, this premium quality meat is tender and smooth like butter and can be practically torn apart with a fork.
Unfortunately, this very fact of extreme tenderness comes with the drawback of lacking flavor. Due to its very low-fat content, filet mignons are not very flavorful but they are very textured and tender.
Wagyu Steak
Wagyu steak comes from Wagyu beef and the difference here is not in the cut but in the animal itself. Wagyu means Japanese cow in Japanese and as the name suggests, these beef are derived from cows originating in Japan.
This beef steak is the most expensive in the world because Japanese cows are bred very differently than other cows. They also have to adhere to many strict Japanese guidelines which hike their price even higher.
These steaks have a decent amount of fat, marbled into their very core. It is famous for being buttery smooth and extremely tender. They also retain a very high flavor which makes this type of steak very unique and pricey. Wagyu Steak is the typical fine dining experience that everyone should experience once.
Tomahawk Steak
This unique-looking, huge cut of beef is a rib-eye with a long protruded bone. It tastes just like a rib-eye and comes in an enormous portion. This steak is oddly inspired by the famous cartoon series Flintstones.
T-Bone
Porterhouse, also known as the T-Bone, is the fusion of a strip and a filet mignon. This cut consists of a T-shaped bone, which it is named after, having strip loin on one side and tenderloin on the other.
This unique cut of beef has a fusion of flavors. It is very tender and buttery like a filet mignon and also has rich and juicy flavors of a strip. This steak serves two different experiences on one single dish and is worth a try.
Sirloin
Carved out of the subprimal posterior of the short loin area, this piece of steak consists of both the top and bottom part of the sirloin. The top sirloin is the most prized possession among the two and it is sold by its name whereas the bottom part is simply sold out as sirloin steaks.
These steaks have a high flavor profile, rich texture, and tenderness. They are served boneless and have a rounded appearance. They are best for grilling, sauteing, and pan-frying.
Hanger Steak
The butcher’s steak, also known as the hangar steak originates from muscles that hang from the diaphragm of a cow and are disconnected from every other bone. This is a cheaper cut of meat that is cooked into a very savory steak.
This steak has a tender border and a tough textured core. It is highly flavorful and is said to be a butcher’s favorite cut, hence earning the name.
Skirt Steak
These flat and long muscles are carved out of the plate section of the underbelly of a cow. This meat is usually very tough and filled with connective tissues.
Properly cooking these skirt steaks can lead to an extremely juicy and umami outcome. These steaks are not pricey and they are ideal for grilling, broiling, and even stir-frying.
Briskets
Briskets are muscles from the breast of a cow. These meats are very tough and consist of a lot of connective tissues. They taste tender and flavorful if they are cooked the appropriate way.
These steaks are ideal for slow-braising. It absorbs a lot of flavors and pumps up the palate if it is left out overnight and slowly braised the next morning.
