I was in Hardy's with my trusty sidekick Caleb doing some "Man-Shopping" (i.e. fast and furious, in and out in 30 minutes) and we had to pick up something to BBQ for a group of five. In Bali - this can be quite the experience because you get to the counter and the Indonesians serving you don't know much about he cuts they are selling either. So you peruse - look for something that looks grill worthy, and just go for it. As a result I've reverted back to basics: I just order huge pieces of meat and then try to figure out what to do with them at home.
I've never had to cut my own steaks (and the first time I saw this was actually on Epic Meal Time), but over the years I've picked up a few things here or there. The main thing is to know your basic cuts, the problem is getting around all the names (i.e. Sirloin vs Strip Loin? What's the difference?), but here's a break-down for you:
Shoulder Cuts - These tend to be pretty tough. Think: it's the animals shoulder and it stands ALL DAY. That piece ain't gonna be tender. So things that are labeled "shoulder,"
"brisket (neck)" or "chuck" are for slow cooking or a stew. That's why they are usually sold in small cubes or it's shredded after cooking for taste.
Flank, Shank and Rump - These are getting close to, or from the leg. Again, these tend to be lean and tough - so they will require some long preparation and low heat cooking to break down that muscle tissue. Things like "skirt steaks" or "flank steaks;"sometimes you'll even see "rump roasts." These are great for feeding large groups, but slow cook them like a roast, and make sure you cut across the grain into thin thing strips for the best flavour.
The Round - these are predominantly the best choices for pot roasts, but you can find them as steaks as well: "inside round steaks" Sometimes they throw in the word "tip,"which means it's close to the sirloin area, but it isn't. Biggest issue with the rounds are that the fat tends to be on the OUTSIDE, not marbled into the meat. Consider that this will effect the tenderness if grilling - but if you're smoking or making a nice medium rare roast beef, this is the cut for you. Sirloin - A lot of people like a nice grilled sirloin, and it can be very good, but it cooks VERY fast and has little marble. Ever had a pepper steak in a restaurant? It's probably a sirloin where they had to cover the toughness with seasoning and a nice sauce. Often you'll see them labeled as "tips" like the round, but this is just marketing. Keep in mind that just because it has the letters "sirLOIN" doesn't mean it is a loin cut. I tend to treat sirloins much like a skirt or flank steak - heavy on the marinade to tenderize, then barely cook it so it stays soft and cut it into strips across the grain before serving. Usually I avoid the pre-cut ones because they're always so damn thin!
Ribs & Loins - if you know your steaks then this is where most of your money goes. And the reason is simple: a good grilling steak doesn't need a lot of fancy bells or whistles. It should stand alone. The two main cuts are "tenderloin" which is a long tender piece that runs along the back of the ribs. If you slice it up you get the famous "fillet mignon" we all see in restaurants. The "rib steak" is a classic cut that stays nice and rare because the bone is left in. Or you can find them as "Rib Eyes" without the bone, but tied like a tornado to hold in all that flavour. Things labeled "porterhouse" or "t-bone" are a combination of the two - on one side you get the loin and on the other the rib steak. You can also ask your butcher for a "prime rib" cut which is basically how the rib steaks look before they are cut into strips.
Get rid of that silver tendon!
In the end Caleb and I bought a bunch of local tenderloins, and I took them home and sliced them into about 2-3 inch sections. Flopped them into a nice dark marinade (dark meat = dark marinade) and grilled them with some help from Ryan and Montreal Steak Spice. Which, incidentally, is all over the place here in Bali. The result was some spectacular meat - so my advice is to study up! Know your cuts! And if you have to cheap out cause you're feeding a huge group - then know what to do with it!
Happy grilling and if you have any questions and/or comments - please don't hesitate to email me! TW
