The Hanger Steak Secret
There’s a reason butchers used to call hanger steak their “secret cut.” The Hanger Steak, or Hanging Tender, used to be one of the cuts that butchers would keep for themselves. This distinctive piece of meat comes from the diaphragm section and has such incredible flavor that chefs guard it jealously.
The biggest problem that fans of this cut of meat have is actually finding it. Many meat markets and butcher shops don’t carry it, so one must specifically source it. The reason they can’t find it is because restaurants buy it up before consumers can get it from the butcher. Smart restaurant owners know that this tender, beefy cut is pure gold for creating memorable dishes. When you see hanger steak on a menu, you’re getting something truly special that most home cooks never experience.
Flat Iron Steaks Take the Spotlight
Daniel Brunina, executive chef and co-owner of Sergeantsville Inn in Sergeantsville, New Jersey cites the Flat Iron Steak as one of his “favorite off-the-beaten-path” cuts of meat. “This muscle comes out of the shoulder and rests in an area of high activity,” explains Brunina. Despite coming from a hardworking muscle, this cut delivers surprisingly tender results when handled properly.
The flat iron steak requires specific preparation techniques that most home cooks simply don’t know. Marinades don’t actually do much to tenderize a tough cut, since they barely penetrate the meat unless you tenderize it first with a meat mallet (like the mallet from KitchenAid), which makes all the difference in the world. Additionally, you don’t want to cook a flatiron steak the same way you would cook a T-bone or a strip. Chefs understand these nuances and consistently deliver amazing results that would challenge even experienced home cooks.
Denver Cuts Command Attention
The Denver cut is a unique cut of meat that comes from a lesser used portion of the chuck primal – the under blade, making it relatively unknown to most home cooks. Chefs appreciate this cut because it offers exceptional marbling and flavor at a fraction of the cost of premium steaks. When properly prepared, it can rival much more expensive options.
“We use a Wagyu/Angus cross-breed of cattle for maximum flavor, and the breed combined with a lesser-known cut of meat makes for a unique, memorable steak experience!” When preparing this cut, Sonny Ingui, executive chef at Urban Farmer Philadelphia, suggests a “quick flash in the pan.” “The Denver steak, or Zabuton, which loosely translates to cushion or little pillow in Japanese, was the main course on our B-Side dinner,” Ingui says. “Every other part of the chuck usually requires a longer cooking process and lends itself well to braising or smoking, but the Zabuton can be prepared with a quick flash in the pan or on a hot grill.”
Bavette Brings European Flair
Loved for its rich flavor, the bavette cut (also known as flap meat or sirloin flap steak in the U.S.) is a great choice if you want something a bit different. Chef Dennis Littley shares that this long, flat cut of meat is taken from the bottom of the sirloin and has a delicious beefy flavor to it. This European favorite offers incredible value and taste that most American home cooks have never experienced.
Professional kitchens understand that bavette needs careful attention during cooking. Just make sure to be mindful when cooking it. “It’s best cooked medium-rare or medium to avoid toughness,” advises Littley. The timing and temperature control required makes this cut much better suited to professional environments where chefs can monitor it constantly. Most home cooks simply don’t have the experience to handle such precise cooking requirements.
Ribeye Cap Creates Pure Magic
Ingui also recommends the Deckle (aka the ribeye cap), which he says is more of a “trade secret” than a hidden cut. “Everyone knows what a ribeye is, but what most people don’t realize is that there are two parts to that steak,” Ingui explains. “There’s the eye, which is the solid center piece that we cut right into or test to make sure it’s cooked to the temperature that we intended it to be – but the best part is the Deckle, the outer part surrounding the eye, separated by a small fat cap.” The Urban Farmer chef says that people don’t notice how good this piece of meat is because it’s usually served well done.
This incredible cut represents everything that separates professional kitchens from home cooking. Chefs know how to extract maximum flavor from every part of the animal, while home cooks typically only think about whole ribeye steaks. The deckle requires expert butchering skills and precise cooking techniques that take years to master.
Bonanza Cuts Break New Ground
Developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Bonanza cut is traditionally one that gets tossed in with the spare cuts to be ground. However, this quarter-moon shaped cut – left on the ribs after the flank steak is cut away – rivals the filet mignon for juiciness, marbling, and tenderness. It’s a small, but mighty addition to the high-end cuts chefs are always on the lookout for.
This cutting-edge discovery shows how restaurants stay ahead of trends that home cooks won’t see for years. Professional chefs have access to specialized purveyors and industry connections that bring them the latest innovations in meat cutting. By the time these discoveries reach general consumers, chefs have already perfected techniques for preparing them.
Strip Steaks Demand Professional Touch
The strip steak, also known as New York strip steak, ambassador steak, strip loin steak, Kansas City strip, and club steak, is a tender boneless cut that hails from the short loin of the cow. This muscle is nestled beneath the spine and encased by the rib cage, a region of the animal that does little work, yielding meat that is tender and rife with intramuscular fat. The strip has the richness of flavor of a filet mignon with a slightly firmer texture.
This requires a touch more experience when cooking than the filet. Because the strip steak is quite pricey and less forgiving than a filet, chefs recommend ordering it at a restaurant rather than cooking it at home. Professional cooks have specialized equipment and techniques that consistently deliver perfect results, while home cooking often leads to expensive mistakes with such premium cuts.
Tri-Tip Troubles at Home
Another reason to leave this cut to the professionals is its distinct morphology. The tri-tip is divided into two segments separated by dense connective tissue. This can be removed before cooking the tri-tip in two segments, or an experienced chef has to carve these segments accordingly, as they have muscle fibers (or grains) that run contradictory to one another. Each half must be sliced against the grain for the meat to be moist and delectable.
You may recognize this steak by its bulky, triangular shape, hence the name tri-tip. And, you may have been tempted to pick it up at the grocery store because of its reasonable price tag. But chef Kearney warns us to proceed with caution. While this steak does offer nice marbling, yielding great results hinges heavily on how you prepare and clean your cut. Similar to round or chuck cuts, tri-tip can contain a wealth of connective tissue–silvery lines of muscle fibers that run through the meat and “eat like shoe leather” if not removed or handled properly, according to the chef.
Bone-In Giants Need Professional Equipment
Bone-in cuts are always recommended when dining at a restaurant. The presence of the bone can make it cook unevenly, making it a challenge to obtain uniform doneness without extensive experience. Tomahawk and cowboy steaks are bone-in steaks that are well-suited to restaurant preparation. These cuts take advantage of an in-house butcher, or access to specialty meat purveyors, for which restaurants are uniquely equipped.
If you ask David Rose, executive chef at the nation’s leading meat delivery company, Omaha Steaks, he’ll tell you that larger steaks, such as bone-in ribeyes, are kryptonite to amateur cooks. “Thicker, bigger cuts of steak (or “king cuts,” as we like to call them at Omaha Steaks) can be a bit trickier to cook at home due to their sheer size,” explains Rose, also a former finalist on the reality TV series Food Network Star. He says the main issue with these colossal cuts is that they’re very easy and common to burn the outside of the steak before the inside reaches the desired doneness. The actual bone within a bone-in cut isn’t doing you any favors, either. While the bone is thought to enhance the meat’s overall flavor, it also acts as an insulator, causing uneven cooking.
