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Become Familiar with these Uncommon Cuts of Beef

There’s a whole wide world of beefy cuts out there! Don’t settle for those same-old steaks, repetitive roasts, featureless fillets, or tedious tenderloins. All it takes is a little conversation with your local butcher and you’ll have plenty of scrumptious options to choose from. Here are some of our favorite uncommon cuts:

Bavette 

The bavette, also known as flap steak or sirloin tip, is a versatile, inexpensive cut that comes from the lower part of the primal sirloin (one of the larger, main portions of the butchered cow). Bavette steaks are very flavorful, loosely textured, and lean, making them ideal for quick cooking methods like stir-frying, grilling, broiling, or sous viding. Substitute bavette steaks with recipes that call for flank or skirt steak and get ready for enhanced flavor. 

Recipe Ideas: Carne Asada, Broiled Steak with Chimichurri 

Coulotte  

The coulette, also known as the sirloin cap, is also part of the primal sirloin but located at the very top of the cut. This triangular cut is exceptionally lean with very little marbling. To compensate for this leanness, butchers typically keep a layer of fat intact. The fatty layer enhances the flavor and allows the cut to retain moisture while cooking. Searing and high heat cooking is ideal for coulotte cuts, with medium-rare being the ideal internal temperature. Coulotte is a very popular cut in South America, specifically at Brazilian BBQs, and works wonders with kebabs and thin-sliced steak sandwiches. 

Recipe Ideas: Beef Spiedies, Cheesesteaks

Hanger 

Known as the “butcher’s secret”, hanger steak is located on the primal section of the cow known as the plate located along the lower belly. It is a thicker cut that is beautifully marbled and tender. When people say that butchers keep the best cuts for themselves, the hanger steak is the cut they’re keeping. These cuts are so tender that they can be prepared and served in the same manner as their tenderloin relatives. Hanger steaks are ideal for high-heat, quick cooking methods like pan searing, grilling, broiling, or controlled cooking methods, like sous vide. Cook your hanger steak between rare to medium for the best results. 

Recipe Ideas: Classic Steak and Potatoes, Garlic Butter Steaks 

Underblade Roast 

The underblade roast is a section of chuck where the ribs meet the shoulder. This majorly underused cut, also known as the Denver steak, has ribeye-like tenderness and flavor at deeply discounted prices. When left uncut, the underblade roast can be a delicious substitution for brisket or rump roast. When portioned into steaks, these can be grilled, seared, broiled, or thinly sliced for stir-frys. The underblade roast is a great substitution for sirloin steaks or NY strips. 

Recipe Ideas: Beef Bulgogi, Steak au Poivre

Brisket Point 

The brisket point, also known as deckle, is one of two parts of the brisket: the part most people are familiar with is the flat cut. The flat cut is larger, leaner, and well known for slow cooking and smoking. The point cut is thicker, fattier, and comes in a more manageable size for everyday cooking. And with more fat, comes more flavor (the brisket point is responsible for those tasty BBQ burnt ends!). The brisket point, suitable for slow-cooking, is ideal for pulled or shredded beef applications. It is also very tasty slow cooked in stews.

 Recipe Ideas: Barbacoa, Beef Stew

Feature Image: congerdesign from Pixabay 

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