Meat is muscle tissue.\u00a0 This muscle tissue is divided into \u201cgroups\u201d.\u00a0 On a cow, each group of muscle tissue yields a particular section or \u201ccut\u201d of meat.\u00a0 A steak is a cut from these sections; either on its own or as the end product of being cut from a section of muscle such as a \u201croast\u201d For instance, a rib eye steak (also familiarly called a Delmonico steak) is cut from a prime rib roast\u2026a coulotte\u00a0\u00a0 steak is cut from a top butt sirloin roast\u2014and on and on.<\/p>\n
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One of the confusing things about cuts of steak is that they all seem to have more than one name, based as much on geography as on the whim of local butchers.\u00a0 Further confusing is assigning a name to a steak that is, in effect, a method of preparation and not<\/em><\/strong> the name of a steak.\u00a0 London Broil is a method of preparation, not a type of steak.\u00a0 It is traditionally prepared with a cut called flank steak, but I\u2019ve seen cuts at my local grocery store labeled as \u201cLondon Broil\u201d that weren\u2019t even flank steak.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another point of confusion arises when one observes any of the thousands of meat charts that are available in books and on the Internet.\u00a0 From one chart to the next there is an appreciable variance between what each muscle group is called, as well as a seeming arbitrary placement of these groups on the charts\u2014making cow \u201cgeography\u201d seem to be as much a result of whimsy rather than the end result of any thorough anatomical research.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To me the most befuddling thing that I discovered in my steak \u201cresearch\u201d was that all of my research sources seemed to think that it was important to give the Latin names of the beef muscle groups.\u00a0 For whom and why?\u00a0 Hungry veterinarians?\u00a0 Latinphiles?\u00a0\u00a0 People who have a Smarty Pants Complex?\u00a0 It certainly couldn\u2019t be for the benefit of some butchers.\u00a0 It\u2019s doubtful that anyone who doesn\u2019t know what London broil is either speaks or understands Latin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There were two important aspects of steak-ology that I didn\u2019t have to research.\u00a0 First, all beef has what is known as a \u201cgrain.\u201d\u00a0 This grain is the fibers of the tissue that run along the length of the muscle.\u00a0 A similar example in nature is the grain one notes in a piece of wood.\u00a0 With beef, it is always important to cut against<\/em><\/strong> the grain of the steak.\u00a0 Cutting with the grain will render an unpleasantly tough piece of meat.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to worry about the grain if you\u2019re grilling individually portioned steaks like ribeye or Porterhouse or T-bone\u2014the butcher has already cut them in such a way as to make concerns about the grain a moot point.\u00a0 Flatter, leaner cuts like flat-iron, tri-tip and flank steaks\u2014all with a\u00a0 perceptible grain\u2014have to be cut against the grain\u2026<\/em><\/strong>otherwise, you will have spent your money not on steak, but on beef-flavored chewing gum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secondly\u2014and lastly\u2014I didn\u2019t have to do any research to know that I love steak, especially grilling it outdoors.\u00a0 There is no need to wax poetic about it.\u00a0 A well-grilled steak is poetry enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following is a \u201ctour\u201d of steaks\u2014from the front of the cow to the back of the cow.\u00a0 I only briefly mention the muscle groups from which the steaks come.\u00a0 There will be no Latin.\u00a0 There will be no exact cooking instructions. Writing about steaks is not nearly as fun as actually grilling and eating them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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