Cuts of Beef

This chart shows all of the cuts of beef for the many types of steaks.

It’s Saturday night, and man am I in the mood for a mean steak.

By Elizabeth Lampasona

I sit, stare at the menu and contemplate my ultimate carnivorous meal. But before I order I want to know one thing, what the hell is the difference between a rib eye and a sirloin.

The memory of this dilemma takes me back to a small local restaurant in my hometown (let’s keep the restaurant nameless) – the night when all I wanted to do was devour a beef eater’s delight.  I stared at my dismal steak choices, to my dismay, no filet mignon on the menu.  I’ll admit, at this point in my life, I was an amateur at ordering, filet had been my safety. But there I was- no boyfriend, brother, or father to help me choose the manly meal I desired; just me, a menu, and my waitress.

This was my first mistake: asking our 21-year-old waitress the difference between rib eye, Kansas City and sirloin.  Not smart! Needless to say, what I ordered was a mistaken identity to what my actual steak dinner would be. It was a farce! So there I was, mouth watering, ready to bite into my lean flavorful steak; sad to see a fatty grizzle infested cut of meat in its place. That night, I swore to myself, never again!

Today, a connoisseur of cow; I know what I want and how I want it cooked. No more waitress games. I think at one point or another everyone finds themselves in an ordering catastrophe; our goal is to help make this never happen again. We think it’s necessary to school the amateur meat eaters out there – know what you’re ordering on your STEAKNIGHT!