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: Let's dive deeper. Selecting the Right Cut
First, a definition. Steaks are basically any piece of meat that falls under the category of "fast-cooking" cuts—cuts that are low enough in connective tissue that they don't require the long cooking times that "slow-cooking" cuts require. The difference between a steak and roast essentially comes down to size. Any good roast can be cut into individual steaks (although, unfortunately, it's not possible to put together several steaks into a large roast without the aid of transglutaminase, or at the very least, a reliable time machine). 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.