Choosing the best flat iron steak involves selecting the highest quality beef, such as prime or choice, with good marbling. Proper trimming is also important, with no visible tendon and ribbons of fat for tenderness. It may cost more than other cuts but is worth it.
Buying the best flat iron steak is similar to buying the best of any other cut of steak. Once you’ve identified which meat is the highest quality, the next best step is to get a well-butted cut to maximize the tenderness of this type of steak. Understanding the different grades of beef quality and the correct way to cut an iron is essential to getting the best beef.
When buying a quality steak, whether it’s a flat iron or filet mignon, you should generally stick to the highest grades of beef, which are prime and choice. The classification is based primarily on the amount of fat distributed or marbled through the meat. Prime is the best marbled and generally the most tender, and Prime is the next best marbled.
The grades below the choice are still tasty cuts of meat, but they’re by no means the best. The selection is slightly better than your average meat, while standard or commercial meats are considered to be of lower quality, with tougher meat and less marbling. Meat that has been given a lower grade is usually passed on by branded companies, so it is usually found as store brand or generic meat. This meat is less expensive than choice or prime, but is generally not considered a good cut of meat.
Learning to recognize the properties of a properly cut flat iron steak is essential in choosing a quality steak. Some butchers, especially inexperienced butchers, may find it difficult to cut properly. A properly trimmed flat iron should have no visible tendon.
Quality flat iron steaks will have a large amount of visible fat distributed fairly evenly throughout the meat. Although some large deposits of fat appear in the best cuts of flat iron steak, you want to look for ribbons of fat in the meaty parts, creating a visual effect called marbling. The more marbled the meat, the juicier and more tender it is likely to be after cooking.
Since flat iron steak is a fairly new cut of meat that has become trendy in some food scenes, buying flat iron steak can cost more than buying a top blade roast and having it cut the butcher in a flat iron shape. This type of steak is typically eaten thinly sliced, which an in-house butcher will usually do for you if the steak isn’t already sliced. Getting your flat iron steak professionally trimmed can improve the quality of the cut and save prep time in the kitchen.
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