The first step to preparing the greatest steak at home is selecting the best steak. Use this article and apply the tips on how to pick a decent steak at the grocery store, as it can be challenging to prepare steak perfectly.
4 Things You Should Consider
Each steak is unique, so whether you have no idea what you’re doing or you’re one of those steak fans who already have a particular cut in mind that you’re going to buy, you’ll need to know how to pick the best of the specific cut you’re looking at.
- Pay Attention to the Marbling
The white lines you see going through each steak are called marbling. Simply put, marbling is just fat veins. That fat enhances the flavor and juiciness of the meat. The fat melts while the steak cooks, releasing flavor and moisture that the meat absorbs.
A steak will cost more money the more marbling it has. The flavor of the meat will suffer if you choose a less fatty cut, but it will also be more tender and easier to cook without turning tough.
- Choose Your Desired Grade
The USDA’s grade represents a steak’s overall quality. More marbling and greater prices are frequently associated with higher grades. The four choices for the grade, from the best to the worst, when looking at the steaks in your grocery shop are as follows:
- Prime
- Choice
- Select
- Standard
Prime will be the most expensive and best-tasting steak cut available. The quality and standard will decrease as you proceed down the grades.
- Identify Thickness
It would be best to choose a steak that is at least an inch thick to avoid cooking issues. This smaller steak will be slightly simpler to prepare without compromising the quality of your meal. Once you have mastered the 1-inch steak, you may experiment with cooking steaks of various sizes and in a variety of ways to achieve the ideal doneness.
- Assess the Price
Higher pricing often indicates greater marbling, which is considered more premium, as it was covered under the grade section. Even pricey streaks, ordinarily the best cut of meat, can have problems like dense connective tissue. No matter how expensive, be sure you are examining each steak cut to locate the best one.
The top five most tender cuts of steak are:
- Filet Mignon
- Top NY Sirloin Steak
- Strip Steak
- Flat Iron Steak
- Ribeye Steak
Bottom Line
For slow cooking, tougher meat is best. Choose fine meat grain, minimal connective tissue, and a few muscle sections per cut for steaks.
Find a tender, lean steak with medium marbling. For best results, pay attention to faults in even sensitive parts of the meat.
After learning about steak selection, take your newfound knowledge from this article to the shop and pick the greatest steak you’ve ever had. Enjoy!