These cuts are – almost – the best of both worlds. They do just as well with dry heat as they do with wet heat.
- Bavette d'aloyau steak
- Bavette de flanchet steak (Flank)
- Beef liver
- Chuck eye steak
- Denver steak
- Featherblade roast
- Featherblade steak
- Flatiron steak
- Hanger steak (Onglet)
- Inside skirt steak
- Flanken cut ribs – Korean style ribs
- Ox heart steak
- Outside skirt steak
- Picanha – steak or mini roast
- Ranch steak
- Rump diced
- Sierra steak
- Silverside minute steak
- Silverside roast
- Spider steak
- Shoulder fillet – steak or mini roast
- Top rump – escallops or braising steak
- Top rump centre-cut roast
- Top rump centre-cut steak
- Top rump pave steak
- Topside minute steak
- Topside roast
- Tri tip – steak or mini roast
Unlike tender cuts, these ones get tough beyond Medium (60°C) or Medium-rare (55°C). It's because there's just enough collagen in them to toughen the meat as it heats.
In terms of tenderness, none of these cuts are as tender as Fillet or Ribeye – but they certainly hold their own. And served as a steak they're often more flavoursome than Prime cuts.
Done well, a Bavette de flanchet or Flat iron will outclass most other steaks. Especially on flavour. Just as long as you like your steak no more than Medium.
Cook in either a wet or a dry heat
Moist or wet heat
These cuts cook well in a moist or wet heat. And, because there's not too much collagen in them, they cook a lot quicker than tough cuts.
Dry heat – hot and fast – but not beyond Medium-rare
Hot and fast on a griddle/pan or grill. Cooked to no more than Medium or Medium-rare. The faster you cook them the less time there is for the collagen to heat up and turn the beef tough and dry.
As a rule, for these types of steaks, the thicker it is the lower the cooking temperature – and the thinner, the higher.
If the steaks are very thin (1cm) – and easy to overcook – put them in the freezer for 30 minutes before cooking. To chill, but not freeze them.
To break up the collagen and make them less chewy, use a meat hammer to tenderise them. And then slice against the grain when served.
Reverse sear or Sous vide
All of these steaks are well suited to both.
How to cook naturally tender cuts of Beef
How to cook naturally tough cuts of Beef – use wet heat