YOU SHOULD KNOW
There are dozens of cuts sold in supermarkets as cheap
steak options, but here are my six favorites. These are the
pieces of the steer that chefs love to use because not only
are they less expensive, but they’ve got character.
The high-end steaks are all cut from the same general
region of the steer—along the ribs and spine. Why? Because
the muscles in that area—the longissimus dorsi and the
psoas major—do little to no work during the steer’s lifetime.
They are large, tender, and remarkably easy to cut into big,
juicy, meaty steaks.
The so-called butcher’s steaks, on the other hand, come
from all over the steer, and they’re not always quite as easy
to extract. Many of them are whole muscles that must be
trimmed just so to be tender enough and large enough to
cook as steaks. There are also not many of them on a steer.
For every 20 pounds of rib-eye and T-bone steaks you can
get from a steer, for example, you’ll get perhaps 1 to 2
pounds hanger steak.
These butcher’s cuts tend to be more flavorful because of
the work the muscles do, but because they’re not as
marketable to the general public and require a bit more skill
to cook and serve, they remain much cheaper than their
mainstream counterparts. This is good news for you!
Here are the six steaks worth knowing. Some of them—
like flank—are edging up in price to the not-so-inexpensive
range, but no matter where you shop, you’re bound to find
one of them at a reasonable price.