The right cut. The right heat.

Steak tonight or stew on Sunday?

Tenderloin, striploin and ribeye need less cooking than chuck, brisket and shank. The difference comes from the muscles, connective tissue and trimming. Price alone tells you little about what will work best in a stew.

Ask the butcher: Has this been aged for steak? Has the central sinew been removed? Which way does the grain run? These questions are often more useful than asking which cut is ‘best’.

Find your cut.

The overview covers the main Norwegian primal cuts and several common international steak cuts. Some rows describe portion cuts or trade names from the same muscle. Where names do not match exactly, this is stated explicitly.

These names deserve an explanation.

Skirt, flank and hanger steak are three different cuts

All have a pronounced grain and plenty of flavour, but come from different muscles. Skirt also comes as inside and outside skirt. Norwegian ‘nyretapp’ is hanger steak or hanging tender and has a central sinew that should be removed. Flank comes from the abdominal flank. Do not swap them without considering thickness, trimming and cooking method.

Sirloin does not mean the same everywhere

British sirloin refers to the area Norwegians usually call ‘ytrefilet’. American top sirloin is closer to Norwegian ‘mørbrad’. Look at the full name and the country the recipe comes from. Despite its name, ‘sirloin tip’ comes from the knuckle area.

Picanha is not tri-tip

Culotte, coulotte and picanha refer to the cap over the top sirloin area. Tri-tip is a different triangular cut. Ask to see the fat cap and the cut’s boundaries if it is labelled only ‘Brazilian steak’.

Flat iron needs correct trimming

American flat iron is steak from the top blade muscle with the tough central sinew removed. Norwegian products may retain the sinew. Matprat also uses ‘flat iron filet’ for a different cut on the inside of the shoulder blade. The picture, location and trimming therefore matter more than the name alone.

Brown the surface. Let the thermometer help.

1. Dry the meat thoroughly. A wet surface must lose its water before it can brown. Salt just before cooking or well in advance, and pat dry if needed.
2. Use a properly hot pan and a little oil. Cook in batches. Butter can be added towards the end, when the temperature is more controlled.
3. Match the heat to the thickness. Thin skirt and flank cuts need less time than thick bone-in ribeye. Thick steaks can be browned first and finished over gentler heat.
4. Measure in the centre of the thickest part. Avoid bones and large fat pockets. Do not treat a fixed number of minutes as a guarantee.
5. Rest briefly and slice across the grain. This is particularly important for skirt, flank and tri-tip. Turn the cut before slicing if necessary, so you can see the direction of the fibres.

For whole, intact steaks, approximate cooking temperatures often used are 55 °C for rare, 60 °C for medium and 70 °C for well done. These describe doneness. The temperature can continue rising after the meat leaves the heat, especially in large cuts. All surfaces must be thoroughly cooked; the same advice about a pink centre does not apply to minced or mechanically tenderised meat.

A dry steak need not have been ‘bad meat’. It may have been sliced with the grain, cooked too long, or made from a cut better suited to braising.

Tough stewing meat often needs more time.

Chuck, brisket and shank need gentle heat and time for their connective tissue to soften. Brown in batches, deglaze the pan and simmer gently. The stock need not cover everything under a tight lid, but check the liquid regularly and add water or stock as needed.

Test with a fork. The meat should yield without much resistance. A particular core temperature or three hours on the clock alone will not tell you whether it is ready. Large pieces and different muscles can need different times.

Use the stock guide when choosing your liquid, and the mushroom guide when browning mushrooms before adding them to the stew.