Steaks? the best you ever had?

Taken straight from Wikipedia,

"The T-bone and Porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin and including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side: the larger is a strip steak and the smaller a tenderloin steak. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and include more tenderloin, while T-bone steaks are cut from farther forward and contain less. "

FYI, NY strips = boneless short loin steaks

You should be able to tell the difference between prime and choice if you're cooking ribeye or NY strip, since prime steaks will have better marbling, thus, will be juicier and more flavorful. 

I wouldn't inject anything into a good steak. I wouldn't even marinate it. I'd use salt, pepper, and maybe some thyme, but nothing more.

I think there are many better cuts than the usual ribeyes and NY strips. See if you can get your hands on flat iron steaks or hanger steaks. I'd take these over ribeyes and NY strips anyday. Having said that, I think my favourite would have to be the ribeye cap. I suppose it might be difficult to find the cap sold separately, though.

Ribeye is my favorite for its balance of flavor and texture.

I also kinda like the weird steaks like the chuck tender or the bistro filet. Flat iron's are kind of a turn off because of the tough membrane in the middle of it.

Porterhouse has a tenderloin section of 1.25 inches (32 mm) or greater; T-bones have <1.25 inches (31 mm). Both steaks are combined portions of strip and tenderloin, no rib-eye included. 

The T-bone and/or Porterhouse

The Rib-Eye

LOL. I never answered the question. I like Prime Rib the best. Juicy medium-rare pink edge to edge, with a tear-off crust of seasoned fat. 

A 2-lb slab will do just fine to start. 

Ribeye is my favorite followed closely by Picanha.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuan 

Ribeye is my favorite followed closely by Picanha.

Lol, that's just sirloin right? Or does it have to be cooked on a sword?

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetincook 

 

Lol, that's just sirloin right? Or does it have to be cooked on a sword?

Only the fatty part of the sirloin though.  :)  Yeah, and on a sword, over charcoal, and some good wine.
 

I'm partial to ribeye or flank. ribeye is more buttery, flank has more flavor.

rub with garlic, pepper. and a shot of soy sauce on both sides Let sit 5 minutes, Grill to medium rare.

Rib eye wins, hands down.  T-bone is usually ok on a bbq, especially the smaller section, but we get them cut fairly thin here off the shelf so it's a waste of time.  Rib eye - rub with oil, S&P (try a 2inch one if you can get it) pan really hot and sear the heck out of it.  Go by feel for how well you want it done, but I like mine still mooing :)

Fillet mignon is soft and buttery when done right with some onions and bacon.  I think that's where my love affair with beef began.

Of late I've taken to doing stir fries and marinated blade steak sliced thin, pounded out, then marinated in soy, ginger and garlice is a favourite.  Plus you don't have to use as much once it's combined with the veg and served on rice or noodles.  I tend to cook the veg first, put aside to keep warm, then sear the heck out of the steak once you take it out of the marinade, once it's almost done add the veg back in to re-heat, add the remaining marinade, then thicken with a cornflour slurry.

It is more-ish :)

Probably a ribeye or porter house grilled over a wood fire (hickory, mesquite etc.).  The meat itself is only half the battle.

T bone/Porterhouse both cut from same primal loin section. One from wide section one from narrow section. As far as grading. I worked in a Federally Inspected premise and if  the inspector had a good night It was Prime if not  It was choice.In many cases its hard to tell.They just slop that grapejuice on the carcass. (The ink is made from grapejuice) Over the years the quality guide lines have changed and gone downward. 

My favorite is a Delmonico or Rib steak, you need that fat to be good.

Porterhouse, and rib, especially bone-in rib, are great steak cuts.  I like both a lot, and have had steaks as good as any from both.  But by no means are they the only great cuts.  I don't think it's just a matter of taste, either.  Variety has its own charms and choosing one steak to rule them all is unnecessary.  Dinner is not marriage. 

The quality of the meat is very important and so is the cooking method.  I like Prime, CAB and "wagyu" quite a bit -- and Choice too.  But while wagyu is the most expensive, I don't think that it's necessarily the best choice for all cuts as it can run somewhat greasy for those which have a lot of marbling anyway.  In fact, we prefer CAB or Choice 1 for rib for that reason.  Also, I don't find the variation in Prime and the top Choice grades that Ed does.  Perhaps it's the butchers I use, but there's a definite difference between Prime and Choice 1.

The three best steaks I've had recently have been a prime (Alexander's Prime Meats in San Gabriel) and two CAB (Newport Prime Meats -- I've got an "in" ) tri-tips, cooked "Santa Maria" style, over white oak, on my own grill.  Both Alexander's and Newport dry age their meats.  Details matter.

Another leaner cut I'm very much looking forward to trying is the prime "chateaubriand" (really top block sirloin) from How's -- but I'll have to wet age it as their meat tends to be a bit fresh.  The chateau will have to wait while we work our way through the case of tri tips from Newport.

Getting on to method:  In my opinion, grilling "Santa Maria" style, way above a hot, oak fire -- whether red, white, post or live oak -- is the best way to grill beef, period.  Makes all the difference.

BDL

PS.  Just got a huge new grill with a swing-set which allows cooking over some big sticks.  Jealous?

PPS.  Having spent a few formative years in the Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys, I simply loathe the term "Santa Maria" as applied to barbecue.  They didn't invent the style, or -- despite what Sunset Magazine wrote -- tri-tips.  Sorry, have to get that off my chest periodically.

PPPS.  And if you want to get really technical about "Santa Maria" barbecue, the REAL cut is top sirloin ala the Santa Maria Elk's Club and The Hitching Post (the original was in Casmalia, not Buelton), etc., and not tri.  Really good top-sirloin rocks, but I've got a case of that CAB tri from Newport to get through before buying any top.

PPPPS.  Don't you find that the term "California Central Coastal Valleys Beef Barbecue" just rolls of the tongue?