Summer is the perfect time to enjoy outdoor living. So firing up the barbecue for a weekend get together with friends or family is the easiest way to entertain. But, finding the perfect steak can be exhausting, with so many different types out there, how do you decide which one to buy?
Always buy quality beef from your local supermarket, butcher or a reputable brand. Choose steak that has more marbling if economical, this is your insurance policy for tender, juicy beef every time.
‘Marbling’ refers to the little white flecks of fat within the lean beef. They melt during cooking and baste the beef from within for amazing flavor.
What To Look For When Buying Beef
1. Beef should be cold when you purchase it. If it’s not cold to the touch, don’t buy it.
2. You want beef to be bright red, brown discolorations are bad, this shows the beef is old.
3. Look at the sell by date? This seems like an obvious one, but make sure you purchase beef before it’s sell by date. Sometimes, beef will go on sale when it’s by its sell-by date, the beef must be cooked that day if you buy this.
4. There should be no moisture in the tray, beef is fresher when there is less moisture in the package.
5. Do you see marbling? Marbling and fat are the white coloured lines you see in beef. You want it to be consistent and even throughout the beef. For lean cuts like sirloin steak, you want less fat. For tender cuts like ribeye steak and chuck roast, marbling makes it more flavourful and is why the beef will melt in your mouth.
6. How is it graded? Pending where you live, there is different grading, the tenderness and amount of marbling in the beef changes from different grades.
6 Most Popular Beef Cuts
Fillet Mignon
Common Names: Fillet, Tenderloin Fillet, Tenderloin Steak, Tournedos (Tenderloin Tips)
Description: The most tender beef cut, lean yet succulent and elegant. Melt-in-your-mouth texture, with subtle flavour and a compact shape.
T-Bone / Porterhouse
This well-marbled cut consists of two lean, tender steaks – the strip and tenderloin – connected by a tell-tale T-shaped bone. In a T-Bone, the tenderloin is between 1/2 and 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
Top Round / Rump
Common Name: Rump, London broil
Description: An economical and full-flavored cut. Best when marinated and sliced thinly against the grain.
Rib Eye
Common Names: Fillet of rib eye
Description: This boneless steak is rich, tender, juicy and full-flavoured, with generous marbling throughout.
Strip Steak
Common Names: New York Strip Manhattan, Kansas City
Description: This premium lean steak is a steakhouse classic, known for its marbling, tenderness and flavour.
Rib Eye Bone In
Common names: Rib Steak Bone In, Cowboy Steak, Tomahawk Steak
Description: Rich, juicy and very flavorful, with generous marbling throughout. A cowboy steak has a short frenched bone; the tomahawk, a long frenched bone.
