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Chuck Eye Steak

The often overlooked chuck eye steak is separated from the rib eye at the steer’s sixth rib, and it shares many characteristics with the rib eye, but for a much better price. With many different muscles running through it, the boneless chuck eye steak is not a particularly pretty piece of meat, but it is well-marbled with fat, quite tender, and very tasty. Chuck eye steak is often braised, but it also takes happily to the grill or broiler if it is not overcooked.

RECIPE:
Smothered Steak

Skirt Steak

One of our favorites for its juiciness and beefy flavor, skirt steak can be either of two long, flat, well-marbled muscles (the diaphragm and the transverse abdominal muscle). In terms of looks and flavor, they’re virtually indistinguishable.

RECIPE:
Grilled Skirt Steaks with Tomatillos Two Ways

Top Butt

The most traditional-looking steak of the bunch, top butt has a great mix of texture (it comes from a tender part of the sirloin yet has a satisfying chew) and rich flavor. Another plus: A butcher can cut this boneless steak to any thickness.
RECIPE:
Top Butt Steak with Whiskey-Mustard Sauce

Flank Steak

With its beefy flavor and ease of preparation, flank steak is a regular in our kitchens. This long, flat cut from just below the short loin, is quite lean and has a distinctive longitudinal grain—which means it is imperative to slice the steak thinly across the grain. Like skirt steak, flank steak makes great fajitas and has become more expensive as its popularity has grown, but it is still a relative bargain compared to many other steaks. Plus, there is no waste due to gristle or bone.

RECIPES:
Korean-Style Grilled Flank Steak
Grilled Glazed Steak and Asparagus Sauce

Flatiron Steak

Wide, long, and flat (hence the name), the flatiron, a muscle from below the shoulder blade, is bisected by a long line of gristle. When the gristle is removed, you get two beautiful 12- to 16-ounce steaks. (If it’s cut crosswise, through the gristle, you get top blade steaks.) The flatiron is the second-most tender cut in the animal (after the tenderloin), and it stays juicy and tender even when cooked to medium-well.

RECIPE:
Flatiron Steaks with Creamy Juniper Sauce and Hash Browns

Tri-Tip Roast

This boneless triangular cut from the bottom sirloin boasts good flavor and tenderness. Popular on the West Coast, it’s making a name for itself on the East Coast as well. Steaks cut from the roast may be labeled “Newport steaks.”

RECIPE:
Tri-Tip Roast with Sun-Dried Tomato and Roasted-Pepper Relish

Hanger Steak

This cut can be hard to find, since there is only one per steer; it hangs from the last rib and attaches to the diaphragm. Its alias, butcher’s steak, is derived from the practice of butchers keeping it for themselves. The ribbon of gristle that runs through the thick, deep red muscle is usually cut out by the butcher, resulting in long, narrow strips of meat. Hanger’s robust flavor makes up for its relative lack of tenderness.

RECIPE:
Six-Spice Hanger Steak

Top Blade Steak

These very tender, juicy steaks are a delicious bargain. Taken from below the shoulder of the steer, top blade steaks come from the same muscle as flatiron steaks, but are cut differently. Their only drawback is the thin ribbon of gristle that runs lengthwise through them, but it is easy enough to eat around. Before cooking top blade steaks, use the tip of a knife or scissors to make small perpendicular cuts in the gristle, which helps to keep the steaks from curling.

RECIPES:
Miso Sesame Grilled Blade Steaks
Blade Steaks with Mushroom-Madeira Sauce

Sirloin Flap Steak

These well-marbled strips of beef— the “tails” of porterhouses and T-bones—are increasingly sold on their own. They look a little raggedy but are very delicious: more tender than skirt steak but with a similar grain and meatiness. In New England and the mid-Atlantic region, this cut is sometimes labeled “sirloin tips” (not to be confused with sirloin tip, an entirely different cut). Citarella, a market in New York City and the Hamptons, sells the whole uncut muscle, which weighs about three pounds, as “Bohemian steak.” Niman Ranch sells the same muscle as “bavette.” Cut across the grain to obtain easy-to-cook strips.

RECIPE:
Grilled Marinated Sirloin Flap Steaks

London Broil

Technically, London broil is not a cut per se, but a method of cooking that involves marinating, then grilling or broiling a tough cut of meat (traditionally flank steak) to medium rare, and cutting it against the grain into thin slices. That said, in the supermarket you will often see steaks labeled London broil. This name most commonly refers to two different boneless cuts, the top round (pictured), which comes from the upper leg, and the chuck shoulder steak. We generally use top round because it is widely available and simpler to carve than chuck shoulder steak, which has better flavor but some gristle.

RECIPES:
London Broil with Soy Citrus Mayonnaise
Grilled Balsamic-Marinated London Broil with Red Onions

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