Steak Guide

I love steak, so here's a steak guide to go with the wine guide.

First lets start off with a diagram of the parts of a cow:




The most common cuts of steak I will go through is the filet mignon, Strip steak (New York strip), Sirlion Steak, Ribeye Steak, T-Bone and Porterhouse, and Prime Rib. Just to clarify before I start, a steak can be judged on its tenderness and its flavor. The tenderness depends on what part of the cow it comes from and if the muscle has been used by the cow while he was alive  The flavor comes from the fat of the steak. Usually, the more flavorful steak has pieces of fat embedded in it, which causes the fat to melt while cooked called marbling. This creates the flavor and the juiciness of the steak.

1. The Filet Mignon, (also known as tenderloin steak, fillet steak, chateaubriand) is the most tender part of the steak, taken from the tenderloin area (in light green color). There is low fat content, so there is less marbling when cook and it does not have a lot of flavor although still good. It is usually a big piece, although not flat, very high.
2. The Strip Sirloin Steak, (also known as New York Strip, Kansas City Strip) comes from the sirloin part of the steak (in neon green color). This part of the muscle does no work and therefore is very tender. It is the most flavorful part of the steak.
3. The Top Sirloin Steak, comes from the top sirloin part of the cow (in peach color) or the tip short loin (in green color). This fat is removed, so there is only meat so it is not as flavorful. However, the steak is very tender and therefore very delicious.
4. Ribeye Steak which is known as the filet of the prime rib, comes from the rib part of the cow (in orange). It is from a tender and fatty piece of meat, usually the most popular of red meat selections. The flavor is from the marbling of the fat. It can be severed boneless or bone-in.
5. T-Bone and Porterhouse is a combination steak with a lot of fat, so therefore a lot of marbling. This is from the center of the short loin where the bone separates the top sirloin and the tenderloin. The difference between a T-Bone steak and a Porterhouse steak is that a Porterhouse usually has more meat on it.