Great Steaks for Grilling
From our Co+op Kitchen Video Series
How to Choose a Steak with Johnny Livesay from Black Star Co-op!
If you are using a marinade, keep in mind that the marinade will only go so far into the meat. Marinating for 3 hours at room temperature is the same as marinating overnight in the refrigerator. Let those steaks get up to room temperature before cooking. This allows them to cook faster and more evenly. Most importantly, let those steaks rest after you remove them from the heat. This resting period, of no less than five minutes, allows all the juices that have concentrated in the center of the steak to redistribute themselves, making a juicy and delicious steak.
Now, let's talk about some steaks. When it comes to grilling steaks, there are a lot of options...
Middle Meat
The middle meats are the group of meats that are furthest from the tail and the hoof and are considered to be the best cuts of beef for steaks. The T-bone is the New York Strip on one side and the Tenderloin on the other side of the T shaped bone. All three of those steaks come from the Short Loin. These are considered to be the most premium steaks available. The Ribeye is another middle meat and has more marbling than the short loin cuts and packs a whole lot of flavor.
Hanger Steak
The Hanger steak is a special cut and Wheatsville is one the the few places that offer it. Since there is only one per cow, it is sometimes called the butcher's steak because it hung in the butcher shop until the butcher took it home. This steak has intense beef flavor with a hint of iron. It also has a great texture and almost melts in your mouth.
Sirloin
The Sirloin cuts are the steaks that bridge the middle meats and the chuck cuts. They are leaner than Ribeyes and are a whole lot nicer on the pocketbook than the Short Loin Steaks. The Full Cut , Ambassador, Petite and Culotte steaks represent the Top Sirloin family. They are all represented in the full cut. The Ambassador is a full cut with the Culotte removed and the Petite is the Ambassador cut into several pieces. They are flavorful and are fairly lean.
Chuck
Chuck Steaks and Shoulder Steaks are also a really good steak choice for grilling. The Chuck Eye resembles the Ribeye, hence the name. The Chuck Steak and the Ranch Steak are full flavored and as tender a steak as you're going to find in the chuck. The Flat Iron has managed to make it's way into steak houses all over the state. It was named and realized from Texas A&M. It has nice marbling and flavor. When it's cold outside, we roll a top blade roast out of this cut , but when it's grilling time, we cut the fantastic Flat Iron steak.