Choosing The Best Steak To Grill - Jargon Explained

By Mia Kane

Cooking a great steak is as much about the selection of your meat as it is about how you cook it. As they say rubbish in equals rubbish out. So the first thing you need to do is know how to select a fine piece of meat.

You start with the quality of the meat. How do you decide how good the meat is and which is best for grilling. It can be very confusing, as a nation of meat eaters, there are so many varieties out there.

If you are lucky enough to have a butcher in your area, then I would always suggest getting your steaks there, especially if you like medium or rare. It tends to be fresher and the butcher can give you some great advice. Or even in your supermarket they often have a fresh butcher section. Try there for your steak. Here are some tips on getting through the jargon.

The cut of Steak, what does that mean?

To keep it simple, the best cuts for grilling are Rib Eye, T bone, Porterhouse, Strips Steak and Sirloin. This is because they contain more fat, which gives great flavor and makes sure the steak does not dry out on your grill. Other cuts like tenderloin and fillet, well they have less fat and are not so good for grilling. For my money I always go for rib eye. But you should try them all before you choose.

All About Marbling.

Marbling is the visible lines of fat that you see going through the meat. The fat is what gives your steak its great flavor. Now of course the more fat you have on your beef, the less healthy it will be. But as long as you don't over do it, I'm sure its fine. The marbling should be thin lines of fat and should be evenly distributed throughout your steak. Just try to avoid thick marbling, as this will produce a tougher steak.

What Grade Should You Use For Grilling??

There are three different grades of beef in the United States: Prime Grade, Choice Grade and Select Grade. Prime the top of the grade and is only a small percentage of beef the beef you will find in the shops. You will mostly see Prime Grade beef in restaurants. Choice and Select are usually the grades that are available in supermarkets or butcher shops. This is the steak you will most likely be grilling with.

So experiment with T-bone, Porterhouse and Strip, in the choice and select range, and you will be well on your way to finding the steak that is best for you and your grill. - 30241

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