Considered the most tender cut of all, a filet mignon is taken from the center of the beef tenderloin. It is lean yet delivers a melt-in-your mouth, buttery succulence. Perfect for grilling, pan-searing and broiling in the oven. Available in several weights, a filet is perfect for 1 person.
Most chefs opt for a ribeye as being one of the best cuts of meat. A ribeye has everything – from the way it holds together to the fat marbling, and when thickly-butchered, it simply makes for an excellent steak.
The Flat Iron steak comes from the chuck subprimal of the animal, and is the second most tender cut after the tenderloin. It's often considered to be an ultra-tender alternative to the ribeye.
The rib eye steak is one of the most beloved, flavourful, and tender cuts of beef both here in Australia and around the world. It is also known as the rib fillet or the scotch fillet steak, depending on where you go.
Famously tender cuts like filet mignon, prime rib, and porterhouse steak may need very little additional seasoning, but hanger steak and flat iron steak can be just as delicious with the help of marinades.
Ramsay chooses to cook a couple of sirloin steaks. As always, the first and most important step is to remove them from the fridge for at least 20 minutes before you start to cook them. If your steak is cold in the middle, you have to overcook them on the outside.
Shank. Shank is arguably the toughest, cheapest cut of beef. Located in front of the brisket at the cow's forearm, this beef cut is notable for its sinewy dryness. Due to its lack of popularity, shank is not typically found in retail stores.
T-Bone. This classic steak is probably the most identifiable cut around the world, given its unique T-bone shape. T-bones feature a sirloin on one side of the bone and an eye fillet on the other, making it perfect for people who don't like to choose.
Ribeye. The ribeye is the juiciest, most marbled steak. It's cut from the center of the rib section and sold as bone-in or boneless steak. Ribeye has more flavor than a filet mignon, but it's also slightly chewier.
Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. In addition to seasoning the steaks, salt helps break down proteins and make the meat more tender. Liberally salt the steaks up to an hour before cooking, then proceed according to your recipe.
Tenderloin (or eye fillet) has very little intramuscular fat, and is the tenderest muscle in the animal, which makes it typically very sought-after. Recommended cooking method: Grill as a steak, and great as steak tartare.
If you're a ravenous meat monger, the porterhouse definitely wins out, but if you're looking to savor a delicious yet manageable meal for one, the ribeye may be a more suitable cut. All in all, both the porterhouse steak and ribeye steak are two fantastically flavorful, high-quality cuts of meat.
The best steak for beginners to cook
For a good steak that's hard to screw up, consider a rib-eye. "It has a high fat content," Kroener said. "So if you were to overcook it, it will still be juicy because of the elevated level of marbling." Clark agrees that, for beginners, the more marbling the better.
Hanger steak gets its name from its location on the cow, hanging from the lower belly between the loin and the rib. As there is only one hanger per animal, it has long been nicknamed 'butcher's steak' as it was said that the butcher would secretly keep this cut for themselves.
Steaks, burgers, and chops that are 1 inch or more in thickness are best cooked using a two-stage cooking method. Sear first over direct heat, then finish over indirect heat. Be sure to deduct the searing time from the total estimated cooking time to determine the finishing time.
As you move lower and outward, the meat will become tougher. With the cow, the short loin, rib, and sirloin are more tender than cuts from the belly. The chuck, round, brisket, and shank are tougher yet.
Between ribeye steak vs sirloin, ribeye tends to be the more tender of the two steak cuts, thanks to its heavy marbling that runs throughout a ribeye. However, the most important factor in tenderness is how you cook your steak. To yield a more tender sirloin, cook it slowly over a lower temperature.
THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU MARBLING SCALE
Australia is one of the biggest producers of Wagyu beef in the world, and uses its own grading scale, the AUS-MEAT marbling system. This scale goes from 0 (no marbling) to 9+ (extraordinary amounts of marbling), the latter one being the highest grade.
The title of Australia's most expensive steak is in new hands. Levantine Hill winery in the Yarra Valley, in Melbourne's east, on Thursday unveiled its new 500-gram Japanese rare Itoham Sankyoi sirloin, priced at a measly $750.
The rib eye or ribeye (also known as Scotch fillet in Australia and New Zealand) is a beef steak from the rib section. The rib section of beef spans from ribs six through twelve. Ribeye steaks are mostly composed of the longissimus dorsi muscle but also contain the complexus and spinalis muscles.