Steak is one of the most prized meat products among meat-eaters.
In 2017, Americans had consumed 81.47 pounds of beef per capita.
This is a 37% increase from 1970.
The United States is the second-most meat-consuming country in the world.
Hong Kong takes first place.
With so much meat consumption, a good portion of that is likely steaks.
However, if you’ve never considered where your steak comes from, then you may be unsure of how to determine a good steak from a high-quality steak.
Here’s what you need to know about steaks and where they come from.
Where Do Steaks Come From?
A common misconception about steak is that it only comes from a cow.
This isn’t the case.
A steak actually refers to the way the butcher cuts the meat.
For meat to be a steak, the butcher has to cut against the grain of the muscle, meaning across the fibers that make up the muscle.
If the cut isn’t against the grain of the muscle, then it technically isn’t a steak.
That’s why you often see steaks that come from certain types of fish, pigs, and even sheep.
Most people tend to prefer beef steaks, however, as they often provide a meaty sense of flavor that many correlate with steak.
That said, there are also different types of steak that come from a cow.
Here are the various cuts of steak that you can get from a cow.
1. Sirloin
Sirloin steaks offer great flavor at an affordable price.
This particular cut of steak comes from the top of a cow’s backside.
One of the reasons that butchers like to use this meat is that it strikes a great balance between tenderness and flavor.
It doesn’t contain any bones, which means the butcher has to do less work to prepare it for sale.
That can bring down its price.
However, without the bones there to give it flavor, sirloin often isn’t as flavorful as some of the more expensive cuts of steak.
It also has little fat which makes it ideal for meat-eaters who are watching how many fats they consume in their diet.
The downside of not having that much fat in it is that it also impacts the flavor.
It won’t pack as much of a flavorful punch as other cuts of steak.
Finally, an advantage of sirloin is that you can cut it extremely thin.
That makes it as tender as filet mignon without the expensive price tag.
As long as you know how to cook it properly, a sirloin steak can provide a delicious meal for those on a budget.
2. Tenderloin
Just under the area for sirloin is the tenderloin area.
This is a small area that’s also located on the backside of the cow.
The tenderloin area of the cow is narrow and lean.
It provides the most tender of all the beef cuts available from a cow.
While tenderloin is often used to make filet mignon, it can also become tenderloin steak.
In most cases, the butcher will take the entire slice of meat and cook it to give you a thick, compact shape.
It’s one of the more expensive cuts of steak and it practically melts in your mouth.
Sometimes the tenderloin combines with other cuts of steak to enrich the meal further.
On its own, however, you can expect the tenderloin to offer incredible flavor, tender meat, and come with an expensive price tag.
3. T-Bone
Another highly prized cut of steak is the T-Bone.
This cut of meat is so named because of its T shape.
It actually comes from the short loin area of the cow which is right along its waist at its back.
However, it also combines the tenderloin portion of the cut.
When preparing a T-Bone, the butcher will cut into the short loin, and then cut into the tenderloin to keep it connected to the bone.
In this way, the bone ends up combining two different cuts of steak.
You essentially get two different types of steak with a T-Bone steak.
There’s the filet mignon side which is smaller but extremely tender and flavorful.
Then there’s the strip side which contains a bold and intense beefy flavor.
When consumed together, you get the very best a cow can offer you.
You can have a T-Bone with the bone still attached or have it removed.
Cooking the steak with the bone attached requires more skill on the chef’s part.
Because of that, these types of T-Bones tend to be more expensive.
That said, you also get a lot more flavor with the bone’s presence in the meat.
T-Bones are quite expensive to buy on their own but not as expensive as tenderloin steaks.
4. Ribeye
Along with sirloin, ribeye steaks are one of the most famous types of cuts.
There’s plenty to love about a ribeye steak.
One of the reasons they’re the go-to steak for families and restaurants is that they offer a ton of flavor.
As its name might suggest, the ribeye comes from the ribs section of a cow.
You have the choice of either leaving the bone in the ribeye cut or having it removed.
Leaving the bone in offers more flavor.
Another trademark of this type of steak is its marbling.
Marbling refers to the white streaks of fat that run through a piece of meat.
Because the ribeye often contains a lot of fat from the ribs, it also has intramuscular fat.
This type of fat loads the meat with flavor and can even help make it tender.
When diners want an explosion of beefy flavor in their mouths, then the ribeye tends to be their first pick.
An advantage of ribeye steaks is that they’re also ideal for pan-searing.
While this does require some skill on the cook’s behalf, it makes the meat more accessible to people who don’t have a grill.
Because ribeyes are versatile, they’re often the powerhouses of most restaurants.
They also look great on a plate.
Ribeyes aren’t quite as expensive as some of the other cuts of meat, but they’re about mid-range, especially for a slice of meat with a healthy balance between beef and fat.
5. Strip
The strip steak also comes from the short loin area where the tenderloin and T-Bone come from.
Often called New York Strip, this cut of steak isn’t as tender as the tenderloin, but it does pack a lot of flavor.
It also has a reputation for providing a careful balance between lean meat and fat.
Finding pieces of meat with marbling can be a bit more difficult for strip steak, but it is possible.
You can expect to pay more money for these lucky pieces of meat.
Strip steak is also easy to cook.
It’s best prepared either on the grill or in the broiler.
You can also use a skillet if you’re familiar with using the tool.
It also doesn’t have bones which makes eating and preparing it easier.
Strip steak isn’t as expensive as a tenderloin or a T-Bone.
In fact, the strip steak is often the second part of a T-Bone.
It also tends to be a smaller cut than a sirloin steak.
That said, it also has more flavor than sirloin.
Strip steak is a great option for those who are looking for a more affordable option than the tenderloin or T-Bone.
6. Round Steak
Round steak comes from the back of the cow’s back legs.
It tends to be more affordable than other cuts of steak because it isn’t as tender.
The area it comes from is an area that the animal uses a lot.
Because the muscles are used more, the meat is tougher.
That said, it still provides excellent flavor.
You’ll just have to spend more time chewing it.
Because it isn’t as tender, the best way to cook a round steak is to add moisture to it.
That means most chefs will choose to either braise it or put it in a stew.
Some even cut the steak into thin strips and make a stir-fry out of it.
Since it’s a pretty lean type of meat, it’s also one of the healthier options.
It doesn’t contain as much fat as some of the other cuts of steak.
As with most other cuts, you’ll find that there are various grades for round steak.
Prime round steak is top-tier quality.
Most restaurants tend to grab this level of quality for their chefs.
Choice is the grade that most people find in grocery stores.
It has some tenderness, but it isn’t the greatest quality of meat.
7. Skirt Steak
Although this type of meat has the name steak, it isn’t technically steak.
That’s because skirt steak isn’t cut against the grain.
That said, butchers still give it the name steak.
Skirt steak is meat that comes from the underside of the cow.
In particular, the meat comes from the diaphragm of the cow.
The meat is lean and has a lot of long fibers running through it.
That makes it a chewy type of meat.
Despite being a tough type of “steak,” the meat packs a ton of beefy flavor.
To avoid becoming too tough to eat, most chefs only cook skirt steak from rare to medium-rare levels of cooking.
This type of meat is best for slow-cooking recipes or braised.
It’s actually the preferred choice of meat when making fajitas.
8. Flank Steak
Another misnomer that isn’t actually steak is flank steak.
Like skirt steak, this type of meat also isn’t cut across the grain.
As such, it doesn’t technically qualify as steak.
That said, flank steak is another great option for those looking for a cheaper alternative to traditional cuts of steak.
Flank steak comes from the abdominal area of the cow.
Because these muscles see a lot of use, the meat that comes from them tends to be tough.
Like skirt steak, it has dense and tough fibers that run through the meat as a result of the cow using these muscles often in life.
Since the abdominal area is quite large, flank steak tends to be a larger cut of meat, especially when compared to skirt steak.
It’s tenderer than skirt steak, however, and also offers a decent amount of beefy flavor.
There are several ways to cook flank steak.
Marinating is often one of the best choices since this process introduces moisture to the meat.
This helps it become a bit more tender.
You can also grill and sear the flank steak.
What Types Of Cows Does Steak Come From?
Many believe that steak comes from bulls, but that isn’t the case.
Bulls tend to be older and have large muscles which makes it difficult to find tender meat.
Instead, castrated males and young female cows who have yet to give birth are the preferred choices for steaks.
Baby cows are also killed and slaughtered in such a way that their meat also qualifies as steak.
However, for marketing purposes, most butchers and meat companies call this type of meat veal instead.
Butchers prefer steaks from young cows because they’re developed enough to get a good amount of meat on their bones.
In particular, they have some fat on them.
Waiting too long, however, can make the meat tough.
What Other Types Of Animals Can Make Steak?
Several different types of animals can produce steak since it all comes down to how the butcher cuts the meat.
That said, if an animal is too small or doesn’t contain enough muscle, then it’s impossible to cut against the grain of the muscle and come out with a steak.
Some of the animals that can make steaks are:
- Cows
- Elk
- Pigs
- Deer
- Sheep
- Horses
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Swordfish
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Guinea Fowl
Although the cuts that come from these animals often use different names, like venison or pork, they’re all technically steaks since the butcher cut against the grain of the muscle.
In most cases, however, the beef you see in a grocery store comes from a cow.
Conclusion
Steak can come from almost any type of animal that is large enough and has muscle mass.
That’s because a “steak” refers to a specific type of cut that a butcher makes.
There are several different types of steaks that come from a cow.
Each one refers to a different location on the cow from which the butcher harvests the meat.
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