17 hours Ago By [email protected] (Monika Sudakov)
When it comes to cooking steak like a pro, one method for infusing the meat with flavor, while helping to tenderize it, is to soak it in a marinade. While there are several rules of thumb to follow for crafting the perfect steak marinade , a topic that's often overlooked is the fact that some cuts of steak shouldn't be marinated at all. Marinades are best used on beef cuts that lack a robust flavor or that come from a part of the cow that has a lot of connective tissue and very little intramuscular fat.
Some cuts of beef not only won't benefit from a marinade, but can be rendered inedible when subjected to one. To help demystify which cuts of steak shouldn't and should be marinated, I'm leaning on my nearly two decades of experience as a professional chef at a fine dining restaurant. In my time there, I prepared thousands of steaks using a wide array of different cuts of beef.
I witnessed firsthand the transformational potential of a marinade when used on the right cut, and can attest that using one on the wrong type of steak can be a huge waste of time at best and an assault on a great cut of meat at worst. Should: Skirt Steak As far as cuts of beef that absolutely should be marinated, skirt steak is one of my favorites. As its name suggests, this cut of beef has an expansive, thin, pleated shape resembling a skirt.
It comes from the plate primal of the cow, which can be found near the belly, just to the rear of the front legs. There are two types of skirt steak available for purchase — the inside and outside cuts. The inside skirt is the interior of the diaphragm, while the outside skirt is the exterior.
Though they are used similarly in recipes, the inside skirt tends to be more affordable owing to its higher ratio of connective tissue and more asymmetric shape. The outside skirt is more consistently shaped, broader, and a little pricier. Despite these differences, both inside and outside skirt steaks benefit from an acidic marinade, which can help tenderize the meat.
Though this cut of beef has a pleasant savory flavor, it can be quite tough when prepared as-is. The sweet spot for marinating a skirt steak is between two and four hours. Anything beyond that will render the thin cut mealy, as the protein fibers will denature too much.
Shouldn't: Filet Mignon A cut of beef that should not be marinated is the filet mignon. Considered the most tender cut of steak money can buy , the filet is sourced from the cylindrical tenderloin muscle of the cow, located in the loin primal section along the spine of the animal. This region of a cow gets very little exercise during its lifetime, which gives it a ton of intramuscular fat or marbling.
Because this cut of beef has little to no connective tissue, it's naturally juicy and doesn't require much effort to cook to tender perfection. For this reason, you'd be ill-advised to marinate a filet. Doing so can virtually disintegrate this cut, making it impossibly mushy and giving it an unpalatable mouthfeel.
That said, some critics of the filet dislike the fact that it has a relatively mild beefy flavor, compared with other cuts. Though a marinade could potentially assist with this, a dry rub would be a better option. Alternatively, try wrapping the filet in smoky bacon to infuse it with some extra depth of flavor, or slap it on the grill where the Maillard effect can really do its magic on the taste of this cut.
Should: Flank Steak The flank steak is also a great contender for a good soak in an acidic marinade. This cut is sourced from the abdomen of the cow, ahead of the buttocks of the animal, but behind the plate. The flank lacks much by way of fat or marbling, thanks to the amount of exercise this muscle gets over the lifespan of the cow, making it a relatively tough cut of beef.
That said, what it lacks in texture, it makes up for in savory taste. It just requires a little extra effort to cook to tender perfection. Though you could tenderize a flank steak by pounding it with a meat mallet, this requires a lot of time and effort.
A more effective method of transforming this cut into a delectable meal is to marinate it. Again, acid is key to marinating flank steak, which helps to permeate its dense grain. Salt is also useful in accentuating those beefy flavors while helping to transport the flavors of the marinade to the center of the steak.
Timing is everything with marinating a flank steak. Too long will make the meat mushy, while too brief won't allow the ingredients of the marinade to do their magic. At least an hour is advisable and I wouldn't go much beyond 12 hours for best results.
Shouldn't: Ribeye Steak Ribeyes are a common choice when you are searching for something fancy to entertain a crowd. This cut is among the juiciest, most flavorful you can purchase, even though it may cost a pretty penny. The ribeye is obtained from the top of the longissimus dorsi muscle or rib primal of the cow, which connects the shoulder blade of the animal to the hip bone.
Meat from this primal is exceedingly high in fat and marbling because the muscle is seldom exercised throughout the life of the cow. This naturally high fat content means you don't really need to marinate a ribeye steak — and, in fact, I would advise against it. As a ribeye is seared or grilled, the intramuscular fat within it will begin to render out, keeping the meat moist and helping to accentuate its robust flavor.
That said, there are a couple of keys to preparing the most flavorful ribeye. One is to salt it liberally before cooking it, which helps to tenderize the meat and highlight its beefy taste. Additionally, though slightly more challenging to cook evenly, obtaining a bone-in ribeye will help to preserve some of its natural juiciness and gives it an even richer umami flavor profile.
Should: Tri-Tip Steak Also known as a "California's Cut" or "Santa Maria Steak," the tri-tip steak is a roughly two-pound hunk of beef, cut from the lowest portion, or tip, of the sirloin primal located near the rear end of the cow. It gets its name from its triangular shape. Though relatively unknown until the 1950s, when it became the darling of what is now known as Santa Maria-style barbecue, this cut has been growing in popularity despite the fact that it can be hard to find.
This cut of steak is coveted for its savory flavor and affordability. That said, it can be fickle to prepare, owing to its lean fat content, which can cause it to dry out easily when cooked. These characteristics make it a great candidate for a marinade.
Again, timing is the name of the game with this relatively small, thin cut. It gains the most from being marinated for 1 to 12 hours. Tri-tip steaks benefit from a two-zone grilling method , where the exterior is seared over a high temperature before being cooked to a medium-rare doneness over a lower heat.
Additionally, because the grain of a tri-tip steak runs in two opposing directions, it is important to slice it carefully, otherwise the meat can become tough, even if cooked to perfection. Shouldn't: New York Strip Steak In the realm of popular steakhouse cuts of beef, few can hold a candle to the New York strip steak. This steak became well-known thanks to the iconic Manhattan institution Delmonico's, which has been in operation since 1827.
The cut itself is taken from the loin primal of the cow and, more specifically, the short loin subprimal. This is the piece left behind after the tenderloin is removed. These rather expensive boneless steaks are known for having a toothsome bite that's juicy but not quite as fatty or buttery as a filet mignon.
What it does have over the filet is a much meatier taste. The texture and flavor of a New York strip steak benefit from being aged for a period of at least 28 days. Because this cut has such a robust flavor and distinctive texture, it shouldn't be marinated.
Doing so might enhance the texture somewhat, but will mute the flavor, which would do it a disservice. A New York strip steak is best cooked at a high temperature to a medium-rare doneness. Should: Round Steaks If you're looking to entertain a crowd on a budget, you can't do much better than round steak.
Round steaks are obtained from the round primal or rear end of the cow. Because these muscles get a lot of exercise during the lifespan of the cow, the meat is lean and can become toothsome if not prepared carefully — in other words, this cut is much better when properly marinated. The round is typically divided into three parts: Top round, eye of round, and bottom round.
The top round is sourced from the interior of the hind leg, while the bottom round, or rump roast, comes from the exterior. The bottom round is typically smaller and may have slightly more marbling than the top round, but they are otherwise quite close in quality. The eye of round is a cylindrical piece of meat sourced from the middle of the hind leg.
Though it resembles a beef tenderloin, it's the leanest and toughest of all the round sections. While cuts can be taken from any of the sections of the round, cheap steaks like these require quite a bit of coaxing and finesse to cook well . In addition to soaking them in an acidic marinade for at least an hour, up to overnight, these steaks should never be cooked beyond a medium-rare doneness, or they'll become too chewy to enjoy.
Shouldn't: Porterhouse Steak Another fantastic cut of steak for feeding a crowd is the porterhouse . Though not cheap, the porterhouse has a lot going for it. This piece of meat, from the back end of the short loin, is often known as the "king of steaks" thanks to its size and the fact that it's a composite steak made up of two distinct cuts — the tenderloin or filet mignon, and the New York strip — which are divided by a large t-shaped bone.
Typically weighing in at two pounds or more, a porterhouse can easily serve four to six individuals. And, because it's made up of both a buttery tenderloin and a beefy New York strip, varying tastes and preferences can be accommodated in the form of a single hunk of meat. That said, because this steak is made from the filet and the New York strip, neither of which should be marinated, it follows that a porterhouse is not the best cut of meat to marinate either.
Attempting to do so would pose an additional challenge too, as the two types of steak would marinate at a different pace, giving them an uneven flavor and texture. Should: Hanger Steak Perhaps the most underrated cut of beef that does benefit from a nice soak in a marinade is the hanger steak. This cut has long had the moniker "butcher's steak," owing to its popularity with those in the profession.
Sourced from the belly of the cow, this affordable cut quite literally hangs between the loin and the rib of the animal. The unique shape and lack of exercise of this cut of meat translates to a steak that's incredibly tender, yet retains that robust flavor that's so desirable. Though it is possible to prepare as-is without marinating, the best way to cook a hanger steak for maximum flavor is to allow it to take a nice long bath in an acidic liquid for up to 24 hours.
The marinade will help give you a buffer to keep this relatively thin cut of meat moist as it cooks. Other keys to success with hanger steak include preparing it over high heat and only cooking it to a medium-rare doneness. Additionally, this cut must be allowed to rest for at least 10 minutes after cooking for the juices to redistribute and keep the steak moist.
Lastly, be very cautious to slice hanger steak against the grain, otherwise it can easily become fibrous and tough to chew. Shouldn't: Picanha Steak If you have ever had the chance to visit a Brazilian steakhouse, you are already familiar with picanha. This heart-shaped steak is a specialty at churrascarias that you should never skip .
It's sourced from the rump of the cow and consists of the biceps femoris muscle and its adjacent fat cap. This fat cap lends natural flavor and juiciness to picanha, which helps prevent it from drying out. Despite the fact that this cut stems from the well-used rump of the cow, this muscle itself is somewhat less overworked, giving it a healthy amount of intramuscular fat, which equals flavor and a delicate texture.
All of these features mean that this cut of steak is best prepared simply, with a liberal sprinkling of coarse salt, over high heat. This is not a cut of meat that you want to give a lengthy soak in an acidic marinade, otherwise its inherent beefy flavor will be overwhelmed and its naturally tender texture will be rendered too mushy. Some of the best picanha I've eaten got most of its flavor from the open flame itself, together with the wood or charcoal used to fuel it, which helped to form a golden brown crust and give the beef a toasty flavor that accentuated its natural umami-richness.
Should: Top Sirloin Steak Among the leanest and more inexpensive cuts of beef you can buy which requires a marinade, is a top sirloin steak. The top sirloin — which is often called a "baseball steak" owing to its thick, oval shape that has a tendency to swell up as it cooks — has a reputation for looking a lot like a filet mignon. This can be somewhat deceptive for those who are not as well-versed in meat butchery.
This cut, which hails from the sirloin portion of the loin primal, is known for its savory flavor and relatively low fat content when compared with other steaks. While this may be a selling point for meat lovers who are trying to watch their fat intake, it can also make it a challenge to cook without the meat drying out, which is why a nice bath in a marinade is advisable. When it comes to the types of marinades to use for top sirloin, go with those that include a healthy amount of acid.
Citrus juice, vinegar, and even alcohol can help to permeate some of those dense muscle fibers and loosen them up, while bold flavors can accentuate the natural umami-richness of this meat. Always cook top sirloin to a medium-rare doneness to prevent it from becoming chewy. Shouldn't: T-Bone Steak Though some people think that the porterhouse and the t-bone are the same , there are some key differences that set them apart.
They are sourced from similar regions of the cow, namely the short loin section of the loin primal, and share the unique t-shaped bone that runs along the center of the composite steak, separating the filet mignon from the New York strip steak, but that is where the similarities end. The t-bone is sourced from further back in the short loin subprimal, which means it contains a much smaller portion of both the tenderloin and short loin. Additionally, according to the USDA , there are requirements for the thickness of a porterhouse versus a t-bone.
A porterhouse must be 1.25 inches or wider, while a t-bone should be only 1⁄2 inch in width. This means that all porterhouses are essentially a t-bone steak, but the same is not true in reverse.
From a culinary perspective, however, the steaks are nearly identical. Since they are bone-in and contain two distinct cuts of meat, I don't recommend marinating these. T-bone steaks are best cooked using a high-heat method, like a reverse-sear, where the doneness can be more readily monitored to prevent the steak from becoming overcooked.
Should: Flat Iron Steak Among one of the more unusual cuts of beef that you may not be familiar with is the flat iron. This steak was invented more recently than many people realize , as the result of a grant from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. In 1998, it sought to discover a new, versatile cut of meat that could be marketed to consumers.
The result of this research was the flat iron. This cut, which is sourced from the top blade of the shoulder, or chuck, of the cow, had previously been disregarded because of its abundant connective tissue. That said, when carefully butchered to remove any dense sinew, the resulting steak, which resembles a flat iron, is not only delicious, it's also an inexpensive alternative to other cuts on the market, when prepared properly.
Marinating a flat iron steak not only infuses it with flavor, but also helps to tenderize it and speed up the cooking process. The sweet spot for marinating this cut of beef is anywhere in the range of 1-12 hours, though you can leave it up to 24 hours. That said, you may run the risk of denaturing the proteins, which can render the meat mushy.
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