Title: The Food Lab's Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak
Headings: The Food Lab's Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak
The Food Lab's Definitive Guide to Grilled Steak
The Short Version
Selecting the Right Cut
The Four High-End Steaks You Should Know
The Ribeye
The Strip
The Tenderloin
The T-Bone/Porterhouse
The Six Inexpensive Steaks You Should Know
The Hanger
The Skirt
The Short Rib
The Flap (Sirloin Tip)
The Flank Steak
The Tri-Tip
How to Buy a Good Steak
Q: Prime, Choice, or Select. What do they mean?
Q: How does marbling affect flavor and cooking?
Q: Do I want grass-fed or grain-fed?
Q: How thick should my steak be?
Q: Should I buy pre-cut steaks or cut them myself?
Q: Bone-in or boneless?
Dry-Aging
Q: What is dry-aging?
Q: What's the difference between wet and dry-aging?
Q: Is dry-aging worth it?
Q: Can I dry-age steak myself?
Cooking
Q: What tools will I need?
Q: Hardwood, briquettes, or gas?
Q: How should I set my heat sources?
Q: When should I salt my steak?
Q: How heavily should I season my steak?
Q: Anything else I should do to prepare my steak for cooking?
Q: How should I cook my steak?
Q: Should I stuff or marinate my steak?
Q: How often should I flip my steak?
Q: How do I know when my steak is done?
Q: What if I want more smoke flavor in my steak?
Serving Steak
Q: Do I need to let my steak rest? How long?
Q: Should I pre-carve my steak before serving?
Q: Do you have a favorite steak knife or serving tool?
Q: Any good side dishes to serve with grilled steak?
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Content: The Four High-End Steaks You Should Know
The kings of the steakhouse are still those cuts that come from the Longissimus dorsi and the Psoas major. The Longissimus dorsi are a pair of long, tender muscles that run down either side of the spine of the steer, outside the ribs, all the way from the neck to the hip. The tenderness of a steak is inversely related to the amount of work that a muscle does during the steer's lifetime. The Longissimus dorsi (commonly referred to as the loin or the backstrap) are relatively unused muscles, so they're extremely tender, making them an ideal candidate for steak (and also quite expensive). The Psoas major are a pair of shorter muscles that start about two-thirds of the way down the steer's spine and run on the inside of the ribs. Commonly referred to as the filet mignon or tenderloin, they're by far the tenderest piece of meat on the steer. That, coupled with their small size make them most expensive cut at the butcher (that whole supply-and-demand thing, you know?) Out of these two muscles come a number of cuts. Here's what you'll find at the typical butcher. The Ribeye
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