New butcher cuts are time-savers
It’s no secret that grocery stores are adding coffee bars, mouthwatering boulangeries, even sushi bars in hopes of wooing increasingly discerning consumers who want high-quality food without hours of preparation.
The same is true in the butcher case, where a combination of improved butchering techniques and marketing magic have generated new, attractively-named cuts of meat designed to appeal to flavor- and time-conscious cooks.
And now these cutting-edge cuts – which include the flatiron, the Western griller, ranch steak and petite tender, to name a few – even are showing up on restaurant menus.
“We’ve had customers tell us the steak is the best they’ve had in a long time,” says David Bodner of Miguel’s Baja Grill in Moab, Utah, which uses the flatiron as a standalone steak, in fajitas and in tacos.
“It’s a well-marbled piece of meat. I’d have to compare it to a choice top sirloin,” he says. “It’s definitely not prime, but in flavor, texture and tenderness, it’s quite good.”
The new cuts come from the chuck and bottom round, beef mainstays whose popularity has suffered as consumers have become more health conscious and the nation’s demographics and cooking habits have shifted.
Smaller families and less at-home cooking have translated into a shrinking market for bigger, fattier cuts of meat. Instead, consumers want smaller, boneless options they can cook quickly with minimal prep and fewer leftovers.
Which is why the beef industry funded research in the 1990s to find new ways to cut and serve large, multi-muscle roasts.
By 1999, the investment paid off. Researchers at the University of Nebraska and University of Florida had developed a new butchering methodology based on a technique called muscle profiling.
The technique involves isolating muscles, then cutting them lengthwise, which allows butchers to offer smaller, more tender cuts of meat just the right size for consumers’ appetites and pocket books.
By contrast, the traditional method of meat cutting was less precise, making it nearly impossible to separate more lucrative cuts from less choice ones.
“Now you can take the good stuff out and grind the cheaper stuff, which is more profitable,” says Tom Schneller, an instructor at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
“The petite tender is going for $4 to $5 a pound, while the Western griller is about $3.50 a pound, as opposed to hamburger, which runs about $2.29 to $2.49 a pound,” he says.
Indeed, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association estimates the new technique and the resulting cuts have translated into another $70 per head of cattle for producers.
Still, availability of the cuts is somewhat limited. Meat processors usually want a guaranteed customer before reconfiguring production.
Last year, Kroger, a grocery chain that includes Fred Meyer stores, introduced pre-packaged flatiron cuts in more than 1,800 of its stores, a move the beef association says has spurred increased demand and availability.
Bodner of Miguel’s Baja Grill in Utah says flatiron steak prices have climbed steadily since he started using the cut about seven years ago. Today he pays about $7.90 per pound, compared with just under $2.60 a pound in 2000. But, he says, it’s worth it.
“It’s no longer a bargain, but the quality is there,” he says. “We’re pleased with the cut of meat.”
Regardless, Schneller says these new cuts are good for consumers.
“It’s almost like the European style of cutting,” he says. “The old-school butchers knew how to do this. But in America, we were stuck in this cross-cut, large family thing, where we focused on larger pieces of meat.”
He describes the flatiron as a small cut, about half the size of a flank steak. There’s also the Western griller, which originates from the bottom round. The ranch steak comes from the shoulder center muscle.
“Then you have the cream of the crop: the Teres Major, which is also known as the petite tender or shoulder tender, and this little thing is really quite small, maybe a pound or not even,” Schneller says. “It’s actually the second-most tender muscle on the animal.”
He recommends marinating and grilling these cuts. And they do best at medium-rare. Bodner agrees.
“It marinates really well, but it can be used unmarinated as well with good results,” he says. “I would season to taste and you’d be happy with it Anything past barely medium is overcooked in my opinion.”
Grilled beef fajitas
Recipe adapted from The Culinary Institute of America’s “Grilling,” Lebhar-Friedman, 2006
5 pounds Western griller or shoulder London broil, 3/4 inch thick
4 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups lime juice
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 red onion, sliced
16 corn or flour tortillas, 6 inches in diameter
Trim the meat to remove any visible fat. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, pepper, lime juice, garlic and minced onion. Transfer to a baking dish. Add the beef, cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat a gas grill to high. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a light coating of white ash. Spread the coals evenly. Clean the cooking grate.
Grill the steaks for 7 to 8 minutes per side for medium done. Remove the steaks from the grill and allow them to cool, about 5 minutes. Cut the steaks into 1/4-inch-thick strips, being sure to cut across the grain, and on a slight bias. Set aside.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the peppers and onions for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they just begin to soften. Add the steak and cook until just heated through, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill or toast the tortillas until softened and warm, about 20 seconds per side.
Serve the steak mixture with the tortillas and a variety of toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, guacamole or salsa.
Yield: 8 serving
Approximate nutrition per serving: 775 calories, 34 grams fat (13 grams saturated, 40 percent fat calories), 81 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams dietary fiber, 190 milligrams cholesterol, 613 milligrams sodium.