It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas, grilling season! With the days getting warmer and longer it’s time to dust off the old grill and get cooking — if you haven’t started already!
Now before you rush off to the grocery store to spend your hard earned dollars on some overpriced steak take a minute to consider trying out some cheaper cuts of meat. Sirloin, rib-eye, and fillet are wonderful, but there are a number of cheaper cuts of beef that taste just as good, if not better, when cooked over a roaring fire. These three cuts of meat are juicy, tender, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
One word of warning though, you’re unlikely to find these cuts at your grocery store, instead try checking out your local butcher to see if they have these cuts.
Short rib
When it comes to meaty flavor short rib is probably the best bang for your buck out there. thanks to their marbled nature short ribs are absolutely packed with flavor and are juicy when cooked right. The only downside for this cut of beef is it’s texture, unless it’s braised for a few it can be quite tough.
Most commonly braised or added to a stew, short ribs are one of my personal favourite meats to cook on the grill. Just rub them with a bit of salt and cook them on a grill over medium-high heat. The high fat content will prevent them from drying out and they are really difficult to mess up.
Chuck-eye
When it comes to steak, my personal favourite has always been the rib-eye. Flavourful and tender, it’s often my go-to steak. Unfortunately, as we all know, rib-eye is not exactly cheap. Thankfully, Chuck-eye is about half the price and almost as good as Rib-eye. Unlike Rib-eyes which are cut from the 6th to the 12th ribs, the chuck-eye is cut from the 5th rib.
Just like rib-eye, chuck-eye should be cooked hot and fast and its particularly great when grilled. As it’s slightly less flavourful and tender than the rib-eye it’s best to not overcook it in case it gets too tough.
Skirt steak
If you’ve ever eaten a fajita from a food cart or a restaurant, chances are that you’ve already eaten skirt steak. When cooked correctly, skirt steak is rich and tasty, but if cooked incorrectly or for too long it can get extremely tough and fibrous. The best way to cook this cut is on a hot fire for a short amount of time.