One of the most common questions from customers looking for a steak is, which is the best cut of steak? What do butchers think? Is an expensive steak worth the extra money? We know meat and steak, so here is the Butcher's guide to steak cuts for steak lovers and enthusiasts alike. I will go through the pros cons of the different types to help you find the right one.
To help you, I’ve broken this down into three different measures that we can use to help you choose the right cut.
These will be price, texture, and flavour.
Overall, yes, the price of steak is a fairly good indicator of its popularity. By simple economics, the more popular a cut is, the more expensive it is. There is, however, another factor in play, which is the yield/quantity of a cut per animal that is processed.
There is only one fillet steak per carcass, while there will be many rump steaks. This is why filet mignon and eye fillet top the charts for the most expensive steak due to their popularity and low yield. So does that make it the perfect steak for everyone?
Actually, it has nearly everything to do with choosing a steak, and while it's very common knowledge that eye fillet is the most tender of steaks (so it must be the best? Yes?), the combination of tenderness, fat content, and natural flavours makes every steak cut unique.
Tender steak options like the eye fillet are prized for their soft texture and subtle flavour, while tougher cuts like chuck steak rely on slow cooking to unlock their robust flavour and buttery tenderness. The texture and tenderness are primarily determined by the primal muscle group the meat comes from. Not everyone is aware that the cooking technique also has a huge impact on the texture and flavour of a steak.
For instance:
Skirt steak, with its beefy flavour and firm texture, has become popular in Australia. When marinated, cooked quickly, and cut across the grain, it is fantastic for tacos or sandwiches and is a relatively cheap cut.
Eye fillet comes out as the most tender as the muscle group does little work and is difficult to make tough with cooking.
Chuck steak (one of the toughest cuts due to its muscle group) becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender when cooked long and slow. Think beef rendang or massaman curry.
From a butcher's perspective, it most certainly does. Most butchers I know don’t really like the eye fillet. Sure, it’s tender, but overall it’s quite lacking in flavour. Have you noticed that restaurants often serve the eye fillet with a sauce? That’s because the sauce drives the primary flavour here.
For steak lovers, cuts like the rump steak or porterhouse steaks, which balance tenderness and robust flavour, are often favoured. As the tenderness goes down, the flavour profile often goes up, but cooking techniques can counterbalance this. A quality rump steak cooked correctly can be almost as tender as a beef eye fillet while delivering a richer taste.
So with these three factors defined and explained lets get into the various cuts of steak.
Indicators (low to high)
Price 💵 to high 💵💵💵💵💵 🪙=1/2
Tenderness 🦷(Tender) to 🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷(Chewy)
Flavour 1 to 5 - 🍲
Butchers Rating: 🔪 to 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Price = 💵💵💵💵💵
Tenderness = 🔪
Flavour = 🍲
The eye fillet, also known as tenderloin or filet mignon, is cut from the short loin primal cut of the cow. This particular cut is highly prized for its exceptional tenderness and subtle flavour. Its leanness makes it a popular choice for those who prefer a mild, buttery flavour with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Butchers Rating - 🔪- Tender, but lacking robust flavour.
Price = 💵💵💵💵
Tenderness =🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲
Scotch fillet, also known as ribeye steak, is known for its marbling—the streaks of fat within the muscle that enhance the flavour and juiciness. This cut offers a perfect balance of tenderness and flavour, making it a favourite among steak enthusiasts.
Butchers Rating - 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪- High-quality steak, versatile for BBQ and pan-frying.
Price = 💵💵💵🪙
Tenderness = 🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲
T-bone steak is a classic cut that comes from the short loin primal cut of the cow, located towards the back. The steak is characterized by its distinctive T-shaped bone, which separates two different sections of meat, with tenderloin on one side and the sirloin on the other. It’s an impressive-looking steak with the bone in the middle and gives out ‘Fred Flintstone’ vibes.
The biggest problem I have with this steak is that you have two very different cuts of meat that required different cooking times. If you want the tenderloin just right then the sirloin will be underdone and the versa of the sirloin perfect with an over cooked fillet. Others will say it give the best of both worlds
Butchers Rating - 🔪- Over-rated - Pick a lane
Price = 💵💵💵🪙
Tenderness = 🦷🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲
Sirloin steak comes from the loin primal cut of the cow. This cut is situated towards the rear of the cow and is typically divided into top sirloin and bottom sirloin. The top sirloin is known for its tenderness and flavour, while the bottom sirloin is less tender but still flavorful. The sirloin steak is often favoured for its balance of tenderness and robust beef flavour.
A solid staple steak for the BBQ, Frying etc. Has a great flavour, is easy to cook and is often available at a good price.
Butchers Advise / Rating - 🔪🔪🔪🔪- A great steak for the BBQ . Firm Favourite
Price = 💵💵💵
Tenderness = 🦷🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲
Rump steak comes from the rump primal cut, which is located at the hindquarters of the cow. This area is known for its robust flavor and slightly firmer texture compared to other cuts. An often overlooked steak, this is full of flavour and, when cooked correctly, is very tender (the secret here is to use a thermometer to get the right temperature and let it rest really well).
Butchers Advise / Rating - 🔪🔪🔪- A flavourful steak . It may not be to everyone's taste.
Price = 💵
Tenderness = 🦷🦷🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲🍲🍲
Skirt steak comes from the plate primal cut, which is located on the underside of the cow, near the rib cage. It is a long, flat cut known for its intense beefy flavour. Although skirt steak can be somewhat tough due to its fibrous nature, it becomes very tender when cooked properly, particularly with quick, high-heat methods like grilling or pan-frying. This steak is often used in dishes like fajitas because of its robust flavour and excellent compatibility with marinades.
Butchers Rating - 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 - Fantastic for tacos or sandwiches.
Price = 💵
Tenderness = 🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷
Flavour = 🍲🍲🍲🍲🍲
Chuck steak comes from the chuck primal cut, which is located in the shoulder area of the cow. This cut is known for its rich flavour and slightly tougher texture due to the presence of connective tissue. However, this same tissue makes it ideal for slow-cooking methods such as braising or stewing, as it becomes tender and flavorful when cooked for extended periods. Chuck steak is often used in hearty dishes like pot roast and beef stew, where its robust flavour and texture shine.
Butchers Advise / Rating - 🔪🔪🔪🔪 - The goto for long and slow cooking.
Helpful tip: Don’t cut this too small, you want the meat to be large enough to cook and melt down, but not become tough and dry. I personally would never cube this less that 1 inch or 3cm’s and prefer to go larger. Remember it is always easier to break apart (most likely with a fork) after cooking.
Hopefully the above is a helpful guide to the various different steaks and will be useful the next time you are buying a steak. Observant readers will notice that I’ve not included the Oyster Steak/Spider Steak or dry age steaks. This is because there are only two Oyster steaks per steer and only available if the butcher is one who breaks down the whole body.
Dry age steak is another whole topic which we will cover later, and wagyu shares the same cut just very different fat profiles.
My Favourite steak for BBQ / Frying = Scotch Fillet - the perfect blend of taste and tenderness, along with a reasonable price point.
My Favourite for slow cooking is Chuck Steak - You just can’t go past how well this steak cooks down to become so tender and full of flavour
My Favourite for sandwich/tacos = Skirt Steak - A great taste when cooked and cut correctly at a great price.
