How do you pick out a good steak at the market?

Question

Seems like what I've been getting lately is tough no matter how it is coked.

Answer 1

Ask the folks in the meat department to help you pick out a nice cut. They're usually very helpful. Also, allow the steak to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking and rest for at least 5 minutes after cooking to allow the juices to settle. If you like to salt your steak before cooking, do this just before you cook it as the salt can pull moisture out of the steak.

For grilling times and tips we like to use the cookout calculator at charcoabob.com. Enter the cut, thickness and desired doneness and it will give you printable instructions for how to grill steak so that it nice and juicy.

Answer 2

The cut of meat if fairly important; it also depends on how you're cooking the steaks (grilling, broiling, pan-frying, etc).

The most tender cut, and also the most expensive, is the tenderloin, which is what filets mignon are cut from. Even though there's no significant marbling within the meat, it comes from a muscle group that gets very little exercise, and therefore produces very tender meat. As you work away from the tenderloin section of the beef, the tougher the cuts become.

Marbling is important, too. Any steak will naturally have fat on the outside of it; the fat that's speckled throughout the INSIDE of the steak is what gives the meat both flavor and tenderness.

After that, the only remaining issue is the cooking. Remember that the longer you cook any steak, the tougher it will get. If you happen to only enjoy well-done steak, then you're doomed to eating tough steak. Medium-rare is probably the best, all-around "degree of doneness" for steaks...the meat remains juicy, and there's still some redness in the center of it, but it's not bloody.

Answer 3

What you want to look for is the "marbling" of the meat. This is the distribution of fat in the meat and is what makes it flavorful and juicy. You want to see lots of little flecks throughout the muscle, otherwise it is likely to be tough.


Most beef has little flecks of fat within the muscles. The term for this is marbling. Marbling is sometimes referred to as the taste fat. When the steak is cooked, marbling melts at that high temperature. This helps to make the beef juicy. Beef with very little marbling is often dry after it is cooked. This is especially true if the steak is cooked a long time. Marbling also gives beef its unique flavor. A good steak has a lot of marbling. http://www.askthemeatman.com/beef_steaks_different_names.htm

Answer 4

I always go for a sirloin not too much fat and usually tender. A rib eye is a good choice too but a lil more fat content. I like to broil my steaks in the oven and they always come out tender that way. You could also pan fry them or cook on the grill. Use a good meat tenderizer or a vinegar based marinade will help tenderize.