As much as taste is subjective, every diner that orders steak at a steakhouse expects a tender, juicy, and flavorful cut of meat. But it’s easy to get confused when you encounter a variety of steak cuts, so knowing the best type of beef for your taste is important to ensure a great dining experience.
The taste of the beef can differ depending on many factors. That’s why we’ve created this guide on how to select the perfect cut of beef for your palette. When you order, ask your server or yourself, depending on your knowledge, these four guiding questions.
1. How is the Marbling in this steak?
Marbling is the term used for the amount of fat specs a piece of meat contains, because fat equals to flavor. While most of us are hostile to the idea of seeking fat in our meals, when it comes to steak, if you want something that’s deep in flavor, you certainly don’t want to miss out on steaks with great marbling.
2. Is this cut close to the rib?
Any piece of meat from an animal’s body can be considered a steak, however it’s always those parts that are closer to the rib astonishes meat lovers.
3. Is it an active muscle of the cow?
Texture plays a big role in every food we consume, but that especially applies to steak. No one wants a tough meat that requires too much chewing that it can arguably be considered a workout for your jaw. Like how every muscle works, a cow’s muscle that is active and carries more weight will be tighter and tougher.
4. Is it Dry-Aged?
Dry-aged beef is known for its more tender texture and richer flavor. It’s the art and science of making better tasting beef. In the dry-aging process, meat hangs in a humidity-controlled environment in a way that exposes all of its sides with unimpeded airflow around the entire cut. Which will be pulling moisture from the meat over time. Since meat is 75% water, if you lose a bit of that by dry-aging, the meat flavor will be concentrated creating a better piece of beef.
At Wolfgang Steakhouse, we offer premium cuts that have been dry-aged in our own facility especially made for dry-age processing.
Following are the five cuts of beef we serve that have its unique characteristic that every meat lover appreciates.
Filet Mignon
As its name comes from a French origin with filet meaning strip, and mignon meaning small and pretty. This premium cut is found on the ribcage of the cow, specifically the middle part of the tenderloin. Since it’s not an active muscle, filet mignon impresses diners because of its incredibly tender texture and great mouth-feel. Despite its great tenderness, it’s a lean meat which makes it less profound in flavor. That’s why it is often served with sauce, some type of compound butter, and prepared with excellent dry rub.
Porterhouse Steak
Porterhouse is the perfect steak to share if you want a taste of both the Filet Mignon and New York Strip. Porterhouse is basically a larger version of the famous T-Bone that is found further up the loin section. This cut has a good ratio of fat and lean meat making it a great meat that does not require too much work in cooking and preparation since the meat will speak for itself.
T-Bone Steak
This flavorful cut features both a filet and a New York Strip portion separated by a T-shaped bone hence, its name. The T-Bone is really two steaks in one, so if you want both tenderloin filet and a New York strip steak, this is your best choice. The difference between Porterhouse and T-Bone is the location of their cut. Porterhouse is from the rear end of the short loin that includes more tenderloin steak, along with a large strip steak while T-bone steak is cut closer to the front, and contains a smaller section of tenderloin.
New York Sirloin Steak
The sirloin is found at the back portion of the loins. A New York strip steak is a piece of sirloin that is typically a boneless section cut from the top of the sirloin, which means it’s extra tender and tasty. You will also find bone steaks in New York that are cooked before the bone is extracted. This brings a little extra meaty taste to the steak.
Ribeye Steak
If a good marbled meat is what you seek, the ribeye has the most abundant fat marbling. It is from the same cut as a standing rib roast. Prime Rib is what it is called when roasted and when sliced into steaks, and grilled or broiled, it becomes a ribeye chop. When you order this, you will have the most juicy and flavorful of all steaks. So if you don’t mind fat, make sure to have a taste of ribeye.
Expect the Perfect Piece of Steak at Wolfgang Steakhouse
Now that you’re informed about these types of steak, the whole experience also relies on how it’s prepared. Through Wolfgang Steakhouse, your steak experience will be nothing but pleasant! It’s worth mentioning that beef in Wolfgang Steakhouse is graded by expert USDA inspectors so you can be assured that no matter what cut you get you are getting the best quality of beef cuts. We offer delivery service and have the Wolfgang Steakhouse experience at home!
