Best Cut of Beef

[vp311]

What, in your opinion, is the best cut of meat (beef) for grilling/bbq'ing?

[Kobus]

In my opinion, there is nothing better than the Fillet, but a T-bone or Rump is also very nice. In fact the pieces that is not dry type of meat like the sirloin, do good on the grill.
Add some lemon juice while you cook. Leave the meat on the grill on one side till you see some blood coming out before you turn it to the other side. Do not put any salt on the meat before the meat are selaed, by using the above method. This will keep the moist inside the meat. Once the meat looks dry on the outside, then put some spices and lemon juice. The juice helps the spice to go to the inside of the meat. Enjoy!

[Mama Mangia]

From my notes:

You want young meat, since older animals will produce tougher meat.

Also ask about aging. Meat can be stored at a low temperature for a while, and this helps break down the tissues and creates tender meat.

All meat comes in several grades. If you truly want the best BBQ meat, buy prime grade meat. This is the most expensive, but it has a lot of marbling and will be great on a grill. This grade is only found in meat markets. Choice grade is the second best, and is sometimes found in grocery stores.


Three Rules for Good BBQ Meat

There are three things you want to look for in BBQ meat.

First, the meat must be fresh and never frozen. Make sure it's still brightly colored and there are no extra juices in the package.

Second, good BBQ meat needs to have a layer of fat on it. Lots of marbling helps the meat stay tender, since it keeps the juices from escaping and melts into the meat as you cook. If you want to reduce fat, trim the meat after it cooks instead of before.

Third, it needs to have an even thickness. Meat that is thicker in one section than another is hard to cook evenly. You'll end up with part of it either undercooked or overcooked.


Favorite Beef BBQ Meat Cuts

When grilling beef, the cuts that make the best BBQ meat are the most tender portions. Look for rib eye and porterhouse steaks, as well as the classic t-bone and strip steaks. Meat cut from the tenderloin, such as filet mignon, is the most tender, but also the most expensive.

Avoid skirt steaks or flank steaks. These cuts don't make good BBQ meat choices since they have little marbling and are usually pretty thin. If you do use them, make sure to marinate well and be careful not to overcook them.

You can buy your BBQ meat a few days before you plan to use it. Storing it in the fridge for a couple of days can help to age it and make it more tender after its cooked.

[KYHeirloomer]

If we're talking steak, imo nothing compares to a rib eye, at least an inch thick.

However, there are other cuts that work really well. I disagree with Mama, for instance, about flank steak. I do them on the grill all the time, and they are great. But her point about marinading is well taken. Even better is to use a pinner and then marinate.

I also, for the first time ever, just played with a flatiron steak. In this case I sliced it thin for fajitas. But my first reaction was that it would be ideal on the grill.

BTW, vp, the end result is barbecue. The act of getting there is called grilling. Only Aussies and some Yankees use the term barbecue for the act or the thing you cook the barbecue on.

(Hey! Things are dull and I thought I'd start a fight. )

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Hi KYH,
So ya' feel like fighting today huh? I know just what you are talking about it's been one of those weeks. I need a little calming down every now & then but so far I have survived, even despite the headaches! G-r-r-r

Where in this world can one find a flatiron steak? I have heard the term on the FoodNetwork, but I have never seen them in the grocery here. Did yours turn out good for the fajitas? My Mexican neighbors use some cut that is real tough and I would like to tell them about flatiron, is it rather inexspensive?

My favorite is a ribeye! And a mingon, of-course that is without a doubt the very best!

I had an idiot one time totally ruin some mingon steaks I had bought, totally burnt them to total destruction, I was livid and had to be polite and keep my mouth shut WOW I wanted to blow my stack You know a woman can get real mean when you ruin a perfectly beautiful steak!!! And he thought he was the "Grill Meister" HUMPH; my foot he was!

Cheers, CCCathy

[Jafo232]

For me, arguing about what is the best cut would be like arguing over what the best song is.

When I am out to eat at a restaurant, the last thing I want to hear is heavy metal music blaring, yet love to hear it when I am working out.

Texas barbecue recipes use a lot of the "less desirable" cuts like the brisket. When done right, the brisket will taste like the best cut. Cook it like you would a tbone and you are going to find its texture that similar to a rubber boot.

I agree with ky, that I grill flank steak all the time and it comes out great. No marinating, just spices, and then I cut it at a very sharp angle and very thin. This steak is so tender and wonderful, it makes me hungry typing about it.

I am a firm believer that there are no absolutes in recipes. I always cringe when I hear "never" or "always". If everyone thought that way, we would still be eating raw meat.

Ding Ding. Round 3.

[KYHeirloomer]

Y'all missed the point, Jafo.

It wasn't which cut is "best" that I thought would start a fight. Everyone knows "best" is a personal decision.

But I've had problems, in the past, with folks who don't realize that barbecue is the part that you eat; not what you cook it on. And that there's no such thing as "barbecuing." That act is called "grilling."

That aside, there really are regional differences that associate particular meats or cuts of meat with a geography. In Texas, as you hint, if they say "barbecue" they mean "brisket." In most of the south, "barbecue" means pulled pork---except in Memphis, where it means ribs. In the rest of the south they'll specify ribs if that's what they mean.

In the Midwest it pretty much means ribs.

In California---well, forget that. What can anyone who thinks tofu is edible really know about barbecue?

[Jafo232]

I agree there. I remember when I moved to North Carolina when I was a kid for a short time and everyone there called pulled pork barbecue. That drove me nuts.

And California & barbecue go together like New York and tropical..

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Hey Jafo,

You win And you're right in a way

But seriously thanks for the in-put.

The real reason I am writting you is to let ya' know my sister received her copy of Jeff's recipes! She loves it, and is so happy I had thought of her. She loves the Southern Comfort Chicken recipe (I knew she'd flip for that one, she's a push-over when it comes to cooking with booze) and so I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to make my baby sis happy with a gift from the heart!

Sincerely, Cathy

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

I am curious what the heck is a flatiron steak? I've heard the term a few times on FoodNetowrk and I am stumped. Is this a new name for a cut of steak? I am 51 yrs. old and have been cooking since I was 18yrs old and then just of late start hearing the term flatiron steak, am I just confused or is this a relatively new thing? From the way KYH explains it I think it sounds good, I have not seen them here in our stores for sale, but then I have never looked for that cut. Can anyone help me out.

Thank you, CCCathy