The weather is appropriate enough for throwing a party and grilling. Surprise the people around you with the right choice of steaks. Selecting the right steaks not only give a new definition to the entire dish but also make the cooking process better.
Types of steaks differ according to cut, fat portion, thickness and the part of the body of an animal. There are famous to lesser-known cuts for steaks, here we will list down the most famous cuts in brief. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, there are almost 28 types of steaks which come in different flavor, texture and tenderness and give a wide array to choose from.
The most popular six cuts and suitable for pellet grills and smokers are boneless rib-eye, bone-in rib-eye, boneless strip steak, top sirloin steak, bone-in strip steak, T-bone steak. Apart from those, there are new cuts those are being introduced to the market. Muscles are gleaned from hardworking body parts of the animal such as chuck or shoulder, hinder leg etc.
Whatever the cut is, old or new, there are a few factors that you should consider. Marbling or the fat amount present in the steak is one of those as it is the most prominent quality indicator. When marbling is the major factor to choose and select a cut, the prime cut is the winner always. The U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA certifies this cut for being very tender, though there are fake sellers who sell almost similar cuts to the prime but fat portion or marbling differs a lot.
There are cuts like bone-in, porterhouse or T-bone with different flavors and texture. Other tougher cuts like hanger and skirt steaks can give delicious and juicy flavor when marinated rightly overnight.
Types of Cuts
Rib-eye
This cut is the perfect one for any kind of pellet grill and smoker. Cut from the rib section, this is available in both boneless and bone-in form. This is big and tender with a beefy flavor.
The Strip Steak
This is alternatively called as New York strip, Kansas City strip, strip loin or top loin steak. This is no less good than rib-eye. This is cut from sirloin and its variables depend on aging, grading and marbling.
Tenderloin Steaks
This is the most tender cut but lacks a bit in flavor. This is cut in long, pencil shape from deep muscle from the short loin. This deep muscle generally stays away from heavy lifting.
Porterhouse Steak
This is cut from rump end and is a cross-section of the short loin. It has rib-eye muscle on one side and tenderloin on the other.
T-bone Steaks
This is similar to a porterhouse steak. These are cut from short loin but from a little forward side, thus, have no tenderloin muscle attached.
Skirt Steak
It comes from beef plate primal cut and takes from the inside part of the chest and abdominal cavity. This is thick-grained and has a thick chewy connective tissue. You should cook it quickly on a very hot pellet grill and smoker.
Flat Iron Steak
This is boneless and cut from the shoulder. This is a top blade steak cut crosswise than lengthwise.
Other than the right steaks that are easily available in the market, you need a good pellet grill and smoker. For that purpose, you can contact American Propane.
