Beefsteak

A beef steak is a flat cut of beef, with parallel faces spaced to a thickness of 0.5–2" (1–5 cm), usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, with a raw mass in common restaurant service ranging from 4–20 ounces (120–600 g). Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized (cf. cube steak).

Regional variations[edit]

Australia[edit]

In Australia, beef steak is referred to as just 'steak' and can be purchased uncooked in supermarkets, butchers and some smallgood shops. It is sold cooked as a meal in almost every pub, bistro or restaurant specialising in modern Australian food, and is ranked based on the quality and the cut. Most venues will usually have between 5 and 7 different cuts of steak on their own menu and serve it medium rare by default. A steak is normally accompanied by a choice of sauces and a choice of either chips (thick french fries) or jacket potato. A complementary choice of side salad or steamed vegetables is also commonly offered.

Balkan region[edit]

In the Balkan region, steak is often rubbed with mustard and pepper, and marinated in vinegar and vegetable oil for up to a week. It is then fried in butter, and a slice of toast is then used to soak up the pan drippings. The steak is served on the toast and topped with optional fried egg and a sprig of parsley.

France[edit]

In France, steak is usually served with French fries or 'pommes frites' as they are referred to in French. The combination is known as 'steak-frites.' Vegetables are not normally served with steak in this manner, but a green salad may follow or (more commonly) be served at the same time. This is also the case in Argentina.

Italy[edit]

In Italy, steak was not widely eaten until after World War II because the relatively rugged countryside does not readily accommodate the space and resource demands of large herds of cattle. Some areas of Piedmont and Tuscany, however, were renowned for the quality of their beef. Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a well-known specialty of Florence; it is typically served with just a salad. From the 1960s onward, economic gains allowed more Italians to afford a red meat diet.

Philippines[edit]

Bistek Tagalog: strips of sirloin beef slowly cooked in soy sauce, calamansi juice, and onions.

Bistek is a Mexican/Filipino dish of pieces of salted and peppered sirloin, usually flattened with a meat tenderizing tool, covered in bread crumbs and fried. The dish is usually served in tortillas as a taco. In the Philippines, bistek Tagalog, a specialty of the Tagalog region, is typically made with onions and strips of sirloin beef slowly cooked in soy sauce and calamansi juice.^[1] Unlike usual beef steak that has certain degrees of doneness, Filipino bistek is always served well done.

United Kingdom[edit]

In the United Kingdom, steak is often served with chips (or french fries), fried onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, however in more expensive restaurants it is more likely to be served with potatoes and other vegetables and offered with a selection of cooked sauces such as red wine, Diane, Bordelaise, mushroom, Hollandaise, au poivre (peppercorn), or Béarnaise. Other vegetables such as peas or a green salad can also be served. Various types of Mustard are sometimes offered as a condiment.

United States[edit]

In the United States, a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks is known as a steakhouse, and typical steak dinner consists of a steak, optionally topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms, with a starchy side dish; usually baked or mashed potatoes, or thick cut french fries known as steak fries. Chili, rice, pasta, or beans are also common sides. A side salad or a small serving of cooked vegetables often accompanies the meat and side, with corn on the cob, green beans, creamed spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, and onion rings being popular. A well-known accompaniment to steak is shrimp or a cooked lobster tail, a combination often called "surf and turf" or "reef and beef" and "pier and steer". Rounding out an American steak dinner is some sort of bread, usually a dinner roll^{[citation needed]}.

Special steak knives are provided, which are usually serrated, though straight blades also work; they also often have wooden handles. Prepared condiments known as steak sauces are generally on the table in steakhouses. Tenderized round or sirloin steaks, breaded, and pan-fried or deep-fried, are called chicken fried or country fried steaks, respectively. Thinly sliced ribeye or other tender cuts, cooked on a hot griddle and shredded slightly, and served on Italian style rolls are called Philly steaks, named after Philadelphia, the city in which they became famous.

Special beef designations[edit]

USDA beef grades[edit]

Degree of cooking[edit]

The amount of time a steak is cooked is based upon personal preference; shorter cooking times retain more juice, whereas longer steak cooking times result in drier, tougher meat but reduce concerns about disease. A vocabulary has evolved to describe the degree to which a steak is cooked. The following terms are in order from least cooked to most cooked:

Raw (French: cru)— Uncooked. Used in dishes like steak tartare, carpaccio, gored gored, tiger meat and kitfo.
Seared, Blue rare or very rare (French: bleu)— Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked.^{[citation needed]} The steak will be red on the inside and barely warmed. Sometimes asked for as "blood rare" or "bloody as hell". In the United States and United Kingdom, this is sometimes jokingly asked for "still mooing", suggesting the meat is to be so rare that the animal is practically still alive. In the United States, this is also sometimes referred to as 'Black and Blue' or 'Pittsburgh Rare'. In Germany this is also known as "English Style or bloody". It is common for chefs to place the steak in an oven to warm the inside of the steak. This method generally means 'blue' steaks take longer to prepare than any other steak degree, as these require additional warming time prior to cooking.
Rare (French: saignant)— (52 °C (126 °F) core temperature) The outside is grey-brown, and the middle of the steak is fully red and slightly warm.
Medium rare (French: entre saignant et à point)— (55 °C (131 °F) core temperature) The steak will have a reddish-pink center. This is the standard degree of cooking at most steakhouses, unless specified otherwise.
Medium (French: à point, anglais) – (63 °C (145 °F) core temperature) The middle of the steak is hot and fully pink surrounding the center. The outside is grey-brown.
Medium well done (French: demi-anglais, entre à point et bien cuit)— (68 °C (154 °F) core temperature) The meat is lightly pink surrounding the center.
Well done (French: bien cuit) – (73 °C (163 °F) and above core temperature) The meat is grey-brown in the center and slightly charred. In parts of England this is known as "German style".
Overcooked (French: trop cuit) – (much more than 90 °C (194 °F) core temperature) The meat is blackened throughout and slightly crispy.

Degrees of Cooking in Various Languages
English	French	German
raw	cru	roh
blue rare, very rare	bleu	blau, Englisch
rare	saignant	blutig
medium rare	—	—
medium	à point, anglais	medium, rosa
medium well-done	demi-anglais	halbrosa
well-done	bien cuit	durch(gebraten)

A style exists in some parts of North America called "Chicago". A Chicago-style steak is cooked to the desired level and then quickly charred. The diner orders it by asking for the style followed by the doneness (e.g. "Chicago-style rare"). A steak ordered "Pittsburgh rare" is rare or very rare on the inside and charred on the outside. In Pittsburgh, this style is referred to as "black and blue" (black or "sooty" on the outside, and blue rare on the inside).^[2]

Types of beef steaks[edit]

American cuts of beef

Filet mignon wrapped in bacon

A beef round top round steak in a pan

A rump steak cooked to medium rare

A sirloin steak

Cooked skirt steaks

A T-bone steak being cooked on a grill

A ribeye steak meal with fries and tater tots

7-bone roast or 7-bone steak: From the chuck section of the steer or heifer and it includes a cross cut of the shoulder blade. The bone is shaped like a "7", which gives the steak its name.
Blade steak: Comes from the chuck section of a steer or heifer. The steaks are cross-cut from the top blade subprimal, also known as Infraspinatus. They have a line of tough connective tissue down the middle, creating a tough steak best suited to braising.
Chateaubriand steak: Usually served for two, center cut from the large end of the tenderloin. Sometimes extra thick top sirloin.
Chuck steak: A cut from neck to the ribs, a cut of beef that is part of the sub primal cut. The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, about 1" thick and containing parts of the shoulder bones, and is often known as a "7-bone steak".
Club Steak: A steak cut from the front part of the short loin, the part nearest the rib, just in front of the T-bone steak. It differs from the T-bone in that it lacks any of the tenderloin muscle.^[3]
Cube steak: A cut of meat, usually top round, tenderized by fierce pounding with a mallet or mechanical blades.
Filet mignon: A cut from the small end of the tenderloin, or psoas major, the most tender and usually the most expensive cut by weight. The word is French for dainty fillet. In French this cut can also be called filet de bœuf, which translates in English to beef fillet. When found on a menu in France, filet mignon generally refers to pork rather than beef.
Flank steak: From the underside, the abdomen muscles of the cow. A relatively long and flat cut, flank steak is used in a variety of dishes including London broil and as an alternative to the traditional skirt steak in fajitas. Not as tender as steaks cut from the rib or loin.; Flap steak comes from a bottom sirloin butt cut of beef, and is generally a very thin steak.^[4]
Flat iron steak: A cut from under the shoulder blade. It is the American name for the cut known as 'butlers' steak' in the U.K. and 'oyster blade steak' in Australia and New Zealand. It is cut with the grain, from the shoulder of the animal, producing a cut that is flavorful, but is a bit tougher because it is not cross-grain.
Hanger steak or (French) onglet: A steak from near the center of the diaphragm. Flavorful, and very tender towards the edges, but sinewy in the middle. Often called the butcher's tenderloin or hanging tender.
Plate steak: (also known as the short plate) is from the front belly of the cow, just below the rib cut. The short plate produces types of steak such as the skirt steak and the hanger steak. It is typically a cheap, tough and fatty meat.
Popeseye steak: Thinly-sliced rump steak, originating in Scotland and available in the United Kingdom.
Ranch steak: A chuck steak usually cut no thicker than one inch, 10 ounces or less, and trimmed of all excess fat.
Ranch steak: is from the chuck cut of a cow, namely the shoulder. Technically it is called a "boneless chuck shoulder center cut steak", but supermarkets usually use the shorter and more memorable term: "Ranch steak".
Rib steak: from the rib primal of a beef animal, usually with rib bone attached. In some areas, the boned version is called a "rib eye", in others the terms are interchangeable.
Rib eye steak, also known as Scotch fillet, Spencer steak, and entrecôte: the longissimus muscle and the spinalis or cap. This comes from the primal rib used to make prime rib which is typically oven roasted.
Round steak, rump steak, or (French) rumsteak: A cut from the rump of the animal. Can be tough if not cooked properly. The round is divided into cuts including the eye (of) round, bottom round, and top round, with or without the "round" bone (femur), and may include the knuckle (sirloin tip), depending on how the round is separated from the loin.
Rump steak: refers to a steak from the top half of an American-cut round steak primal or a steak from the top half of an American-cut round steak primal.
Sirloin steak: A steak cut from the hip, near the cow's rear. Also tends to be less tough, resulting in a higher price.
Outside skirt steak: A steak made from the diaphragm. Very flavorful, but also rather tough. It is a part of the plate (situated at the cow's abdomen), the steak is long, thick and tender. Skirt steaks are not to be confused with flank steaks because they are near the sirloin and shank. Skirt steaks are used in many international cuisines: Mexican cuisine use this steak for fajitas and arrachera. In the United Kingdom it is often used as filling for Cornish pasties as well as vegetables such as carrot and potato. In Chinese cuisine it is used for stir-fries, in Spanish cuisine the steak is made for churrasco and Italian cuisine use skirt steak for making bolognese sauce as well as with tomatoes.
Inside skirt steak: A steak from the flank or bottom sirloin similar in appearance but more tender than the outside.; Standing rib roast, also referred to as prime rib, is a cut of beef from the primal rib, one of the nine primal cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs.
Strip steak, also known as a Kansas City or New York strip: A high-quality steak cut from the short loin or strip loin, a muscle that is relatively low in connective tissue and does little work, and so it is particularly tender.^[5] It is referred to using different names in various countries. When still attached to the bone, and with a piece of the tenderloin also included, the strip steak is a T-bone steak.
Swiss steak: a steak which has been pounded with a tenderizing hammer, or run through a set of bladed rollers to produce "cube steak". Typically made from relatively tough cuts of meat, such as the round.
T-bone steak and porterhouse: A cut from the tenderloin and strip loin, connected with a T-shaped bone (lumbar vertebra). The two are distinguished by the size of the tenderloin in the cut. T-bones have smaller tenderloin sections, while the Porterhouse – though generally smaller in the strip – will have more tenderloin. T-bone and Porterhouse steaks are among the most expensive steaks on a menu because of the large individual portion size.
Tomahawk steak, cowboy steak (US): A bone-in rib steak with a length of rib bone scraped free of meat, so that it resembles a tomahawk axe.^[6]^[7]^[8]
Tri-tip steak/roast: Also known as a Triangle Steak, due to its shape, a boneless cut from the bottom sirloin butt.

Several other foods are called "steak" without actually being steaks:

Beef tips or steak tips: Small cuts of high or medium quality beef left over from preparing or trimming steaks, grilled and served in a manner similar to the cuts they were taken from. Common as a "budget conscious" option for those who want to eat steak but cannot afford (or cannot consume) a whole steak.
Salisbury steak: Not a steak, but rather a burger from ground beef made with onions, usually bread crumbs, and occasionally mushrooms. Also known as "Hamburger Steak" or "Minute Steak" (due to its shorter cooking time). It is the least expensive "cut" of steak, usually because it is made of lower grade meat.
Steak tartare or tartar steak: Finely chopped raw fillet of beef, onion, parsley, capers, a hot sauce (usually Worcestershire) and raw egg.

References[edit]

^ Filipino Fried Steak - Bistek Tagalog Recipe Archived April 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
^ Randal W. Oulton. "Pittsburgh Rare". Practicallyedible.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
^ "What Is a Club Steak? Another Culinary Mystery Solved". about.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
^ Green, Aliza (2005). Field Guide to Meat: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Meat, Poultry, and Game Cut. Quirk Books. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-59474-017-6.
^ Herbst, Sharon. "New York Steak". Epicurious. Barron's Educational Services. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
^ "Tomahawk Steak - what's all the fuss?". greatbritishmeat.com.
^ "Tomahawk Steak: What Is It?". Gentemint blog.
^ Rich Tramonto, Mary Goodbody, Steak Friends, p. 134