If you want to end up eating a great steak, there is no other way to do it than by starting with one that is already great. Unfortunately, it can be rather difficult to determine whether or not a steak at the market is of high quality. There are plenty to choose from, but if you don't know what you're looking for, finding the best one will be pretty tricky. Here are a few things to look for when you go steak shopping that'll help you get a better result.
Grade is one of the first things you will want to look at. The USDA, or a third party agency in some cases, does the grading according to the age of the animal and how much marbling is on the carcass, which is then cut into pieces of meat. There is some variance between the actual cuts because of this. However, prime meat is usually better than choice, which is better than select meat - these are the major consumer grades in the US.
You will not find a lot of prime steaks, since they are sold mostly to restaurants, or sent abroad. That means that most of us will be eating choice or select meat, according to our budgets. Try both to see if you can tell the difference between them.
Marbling is a factor traditionally used to determine the quality of a steak. Leaner meat will have little fat and be more tender, but much less flavorful. Streaks of fat generally produce steaks that have more taste to them. However, many people are discovering that other factors influence taste as much or more than marbling. For instance, raising the cattle on grass instead of grain, and finishing them on grass alone, or a mixture of grass and grain seems to result in a steak with more taste, even though it has less attractive marbling. You may have to try a few different kinds to discover what the best option is.
There are multiple different cuts of meat out there, and some of them make better steaks than others. There are three main sections for steak - the rib, short loin, and tenderloin. They are going to cook up differently, depending on what area of the animal they come from. The rib, for instance, is the least tender, and you will need to cook it longer and with more attention to tenderizing than you would when deciding how to cook a New York strip steak
Using the right steak cooking temperatures will help you get the best results for your steak. It does not matter which cooking method you use, the right temperature means a lot. You can learn more about this at www.EasySteakMarinades.net when you check out their fabulous steak cooking tips, great marinades, and plenty of quality recipes.
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