# Your favorite cut of steak? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051 "2011-03-09T14:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/41 "2011-03-09T19:57:49Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The Delmonico Restaurant in NYC serves it as a boneless ribeye (for the modest sum of only $44.00;)), so personally I would consider that the authority, seeing as how that’s where the steak got it’s name, but that’s just my opinion. The mystery runs [deeper](http://www.steakperfection.com/delmonico/Steak.html), though. According to that research: > [@](#): > > Alessandro Filippini and Charles Ranhofer each served as chef de cuisine at Delmonico’s Restaurant in the 19th Century, and each was largely responsible for building the reputation of the restaurant as the finest in the United States and one of the finest in the world. > > […] > > Filippini and Ranhofer provided the recipe for the Delmonico Steak, and their recipes are essentially the same. > > […] > > 1. Delmonico’s Steaks, Bordelaise > > Nicely trim and lightly flatten with a cleaver two tender **sirloin steaks** of one and a quarter pounds each. > > […] > > Delmonico Sirloin Steak of Twenty Ounces, Plain (Bifteck de Contrefilet Delmonico de Vingt Onces, Nature). > > Cut from a **sirloin** slices two inches in thickness; > > […] > > It is clear from Ranhofer’s illustration, Fig. 311, that the sirloin steak is boneless. Ranhofer, Fig. 311 at 487. Because Ranhofer teaches the use of the finest ingredients, one may reasonably assume that the proper sirloin is the best available: **a boneless, Prime-Grade, dry-aged, top sirloin.** Emphases mine. Just sayin.’ I think of it as a rib-eye, myself, but would prefer the more universally agreed-upon term to be used, because (according to that article), there are no fewer than _nine_ cuts that get called “Delmonico.” The article further addresses criticisms to this, also noting that Delmonico’s no longer serves top sirloin as “Delmonico steak.” Also, I would argue that in the research, “Delmonico” doesn’t refer to a specific cut, just a type of steak served at Delmonico’s at the time those authors wrote their recipes. At any rate, it’s fuzzy terminology. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/42 "2011-03-09T20:17:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The mystery runs [deeper](http://www.steakperfection.com/delmonico/Steak.html), though. Fair enough.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/43 "2011-03-09T21:36:28Z")
Two points - [ol] [li]I hesitate to call a Prime Rib a “steak”, while it is certainly beef, it is more of a “roast”.[/li] [li]Tri-tip is not included as a choice (yes, I see “other”…but, really now! It is on your linked list of descriptions.)[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/44 "2011-03-09T21:48:41Z")
I voted “it depends on the cooking method”. If it’s a roast, I’m down with a rare Prime Rib cut, thrown on a griddle for a few moments to get a hint of sear. As for grilled, I’m New York strip all the way, baby - throw a little salt and pepper on, get a good char on either side for a couple minutes and let it rest for about 10 minutes (if you can stand waiting that long). Alternately, you put a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes, then throw the New York on for about 4 minutes on one side, and 3 on the other. And leave the windows open or else the smoke alarms will all go off. You can even do up lowly sirloin pretty well - I had some sirloin at a Brazilian steakhouse, where they put huge cuts on a skewer and grill it rotisserie style, then slice it on your plate to-order, and it was some of the best meat I’ve ever had. As for filet - while it has a texture that can’t be beat, I find that it tends to have a hint of livery flavor, stronger than sirloin, which puts me off. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/45 "2011-03-09T21:51:48Z")
NY Strip. Seared on the outside, raw and bloody in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/46 "2011-03-09T22:01:25Z")
I never acquired a taste for pure fat… filet mignon is my first choice. We’ve been eating our way through a half of a half of a very happy free-range steer, and I find that his filet has plenty of flavor. Before we had beef connections, I preferred sirloin or NY strip. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/47 "2011-03-10T00:38:20Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > You can even do up lowly sirloin pretty well - I had some sirloin at a Brazilian steakhouse, where they put huge cuts on a skewer and grill it rotisserie style, then slice it on your plate to-order, and it was some of the best meat I’ve ever had. Sirloin is definitely helped by being a big cut of meat… I guess it dries out less. I do find the Brazilian places tend to overcook meat from my perspective, which is hardly surprising given I like VERY rare steak. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/48 "2011-03-10T00:50:51Z")
It also matters if you’re getting it from a restaurant or buying your own meat. I usually don’t order a ribeye because folks’ definition of marbling can vary considerably. If I’m at the meat counter I just pick the thickest, yummiest lookin’ hunk o’ beef I can find. _drooling_ ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/49 "2011-03-10T03:15:24Z")
Filet mignon, by far. Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/50 "2011-03-10T15:01:51Z")
After a full day of voting in this thread and its [companion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=600024), it would seem that the consensus SDMB favorite is a medium-rare ribeye. I wholeheartedly agree (those were exactly how I voted myself). ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/51 "2011-03-10T20:17:30Z")
No love for the skirt steak? It’s the diaphragm muscle. It’s amazing. And easy to cook, especially in the summer when you can grill it over charcoal. Much beloved by Argentines. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/52 "2011-03-10T20:29:02Z")
I thought Hanger would get more love; it’s my second favorite, after New York Strip, and the tastiest of the cheap cuts. A conundrum: How come the thigh meat, called “ham” on several other meaty beasts, is dismissively sold as “beef for stew”? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/53 "2011-03-10T20:37:28Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > No love for the skirt steak? It’s the diaphragm muscle. It’s amazing. And easy to cook, especially in the summer when you can grill it over charcoal. Much beloved by Argentines. It has a strong, distinctive flavor. I love it, but I can see opinions being divided over it. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/54 "2011-03-10T21:00:58Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > No love for the skirt steak? It’s the diaphragm muscle. It’s amazing. And easy to cook, especially in the summer when you can grill it over charcoal. Much beloved by Argentines. Sounds tough. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051/55 "2011-03-11T01:23:15Z")
Ribeye is the king of steak. Well-marbled, prime-grade ribeye is an absolute masterpiece. Flame-grilled is nice if you really know what you’re doing, but broiled and then seared in cast iron is amazing. My wife worked for a prime-grade butcher’s shop for a while; when she got her wholesale-price discount, we ate like Gods. If you’re going to be adding a sauce, filet is great because it’s more tender and milder. And you’re not wasting a ribeye. 😃 Skirt steak is great if you want steak as part of a dish – it has a great flavor and texture when cut up, and it can be good heavily seasoned / spiced. Not generally one I’d eat on its own, but the price is usually a bargain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-cut-of-steak/574051.md?page=2)