#beefchart

What kind of steak should I buy?

Its tough to know when I go to the store which steak to buy.  One indicator is always price.  Generally pricey meats are more tender for just plain eatin'...  Well what about that steak on sale?  Is it tender?  Do I need to braise it?  Could I slice it thin and use it in stir-fry or soup?  

One rule of thumb is to remember that the meat you're eating at one point was a muscle.  A tough steak comes from a muscle that is used a lot by the animal.  So with that in mind, if you buy something near the shoulder, or are the legs, typically it will be tough.  I try to stick with meats along the stomach (Flank+Skirt) or along the spine and ribs.

If I'm ever going big with steak, I'm going to go Porterhouse.  The Porterhouse has a giant T-bone in the middle of the steak that divides the Striploin from the Tenderloin.  So when you get a Porterhouse steak you get a little piece of each of those cuts, one high in flavor and the other super tender.