Select a cut.
Beginners might not know how to choose a cut, and of course, the more expensive one is not necessarily the most suitable for you.
The beef cutting chart is a very professional and detailed description and distinction of every part of the cow.
As a beef eater, you don't need to understand all of it; you just need to know your preferred texture and master a few typical terms to choose with confidence.
For example, the fillet is a tenderloin cut from the rump and loin, the softest part of the cow, and is best suited for grilling or barbecuing.
After being boned and the fillet removed, the T-bone becomes the New York strip, which is very tender.
The ribeye, when cut to 1.5 cm thick, is best for pan-searing or grilling.
The most expensive cut is not necessarily the most suitable for you. The choice of cut also depends on the cooking method. For example, the beef chuck is firm and springy, and has a good texture whether thick or thin. Besides being used for steak, it can also be used for hot pot slices, braised dishes, or stir-fries. The latter part, especially, has the most marbling, and if prepared well, its texture can be just as good as the ribeye.
Steak must be eaten tender.
A piece of beef cooked by grilling or pan-searing to be well-done on the outside and rare on the inside allows you to taste the original, unadulterated flavor that is different from other meats. This is what is meant by steak. This simplest method can highlight the highest nutritional value of beef.
Beef is graded into different classes. By convention, the younger the cow, the higher the grade of beef, and the more popular the resulting steak. Different parts of the beef have different names; for example, the most popular fillet is the most tender and has a famously delicate texture. In fact, there are many factors that affect the tenderness of a steak, besides the age of the cow, such as the distribution of marbling, the raising method, the breed of the cow, cooking technique, cutting against the grain, and removing or breaking the sinews.
Many Western restaurants in China even use special processing methods like tenderizing powder or soda to prepare steaks, which can have a certain impact on the texture of the steak.