Any time you would like to cook a great steak, you have to start with the best one you can. That sounds simple enough, until you try to decide what makes a steak great, however. Just heading to the local market will result in staring at a long line of steaks. If you do not know what you are looking for, finding the best and most delicious one can be pretty difficult. The good news is that there are some things you can look at when you decide to buy your steak.
Grade is one of the first things you will want to look at. The USDA, or a third party agency in some cases, does the grading according to the age of the animal and how much marbling is on the carcass, which is then cut into pieces of meat. There is some variance between the actual cuts because of this. However, prime meat is usually better than choice, which is better than select meat - these are the major consumer grades in the US.
Other grades exist, but they are sold mostly to commercial users. It can be pretty hard to find prime beef, so most of us will be eating choice steaks. Try some choice and some select steaks and see if you can taste the difference between the two grades.
Marbling is also something to pay attention to. This has traditionally determined the quality of a steak, since lots of fat means lots of flavor, but lean meat is more tender. Other factors are a big influence as well, however. You may find that grass or partially grass finished beef has more taste than beef, which is, finished with the more traditional grain, but once again, results will vary, and you'll want to spend some time discovering which you like best.
There are lots of different cuts of meat available on the market, with some making better steaks than others do. Steak comes from three major portions of the animal - the sirloin, short loin, and rib, and each cooks a little differently. The rib is less tender, and needs more attention and longer cooking than you'd use if you were deciding how to cook boneless top sirloin steak.
The short loin produces familiar high quality steaks, including T-bone, Porterhouse, top loin, and tenderloin. Sirloin is responsible for classic sirloning steaks and the top sirloin. You may also see round, chuck, and flank meat described as steak, but you will probably want to cook them as stew, not as a steak, due to their toughness. Pick the best steak to begin with, then find a method of cooking that suits. In the end, you will be much happier with the results you get. No marinade, no matter how good, will fix a bad steak, but a good one will make a great steak the best one possible.
Grade is one of the first things you will want to look at. The USDA, or a third party agency in some cases, does the grading according to the age of the animal and how much marbling is on the carcass, which is then cut into pieces of meat. There is some variance between the actual cuts because of this. However, prime meat is usually better than choice, which is better than select meat - these are the major consumer grades in the US.
Other grades exist, but they are sold mostly to commercial users. It can be pretty hard to find prime beef, so most of us will be eating choice steaks. Try some choice and some select steaks and see if you can taste the difference between the two grades.
Marbling is also something to pay attention to. This has traditionally determined the quality of a steak, since lots of fat means lots of flavor, but lean meat is more tender. Other factors are a big influence as well, however. You may find that grass or partially grass finished beef has more taste than beef, which is, finished with the more traditional grain, but once again, results will vary, and you'll want to spend some time discovering which you like best.
There are lots of different cuts of meat available on the market, with some making better steaks than others do. Steak comes from three major portions of the animal - the sirloin, short loin, and rib, and each cooks a little differently. The rib is less tender, and needs more attention and longer cooking than you'd use if you were deciding how to cook boneless top sirloin steak.
The short loin produces familiar high quality steaks, including T-bone, Porterhouse, top loin, and tenderloin. Sirloin is responsible for classic sirloning steaks and the top sirloin. You may also see round, chuck, and flank meat described as steak, but you will probably want to cook them as stew, not as a steak, due to their toughness. Pick the best steak to begin with, then find a method of cooking that suits. In the end, you will be much happier with the results you get. No marinade, no matter how good, will fix a bad steak, but a good one will make a great steak the best one possible.
About the Author:
There are some important food safety issues that must be addressed when you use marinades. Please be sure to follow all safety protocols to keep your foods safe and uncompromised. You can find out all about marinade safety at EasySteakMarinades.net. Following these easy guidelines will keep you and your family safe.
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