Types of steak and the differences
1st Sep 2021
There are many types of steak cuts, some more different than others. They come in a variety of shapes, tastes and prices. Sometimes understanding the different types of steak can be confusing, so we are here to help. We will cover key characteristics, tastes and flavours, serving suggestions and ways to cook the most common steaks.
Sirloin Steak
The Sirloin Steak has a delicious balance of rich flavour and tenderness, and ours is traditionally matured for up to 28 days, and hand prepared to leave a thin edge of fat for added flavour. The sirloin is a leaner type of steak, but toughness can be prevented if cooked in the correct way. The Sirloin Steak is typically an average priced steak, well suited to everyday meals.
How to cook a Sirloin Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1-2 minutes per side, rest for 6 minutes
Medium: 3 minutes per side, rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4-5 minutes per side, rest for 1 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve these with hand-cut oven chips and a tasty, fresh salad for a delicious meal.
Ribeye Steak
Our Ribeye Steaks are traditionally matured for up to 35 days and pack a big hit of intensely rich flavour thanks to the generous marbling. Fat is where a lot of the distinctive flavour of the beef comes from, making the tender Ribeye Steak one of the richest tasting cuts available. The Ribeye Steak is slightly more expensive than the sirloin due to its rich marbling.
How to cook a Ribeye Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1-2 minutes per side, rest for 6 minutes
Medium: 3 minutes per side, rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4-5 minutes per side, rest for 1 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve these steaks with an avocado salsa and new potatoes for a flavoursome dinner.
Fillet Steak
The Centre Cut Fillet Steak is the leanest and most tender of all the steaks. They are hand cut from the premium centre and ours are traditionally matured for up to 21 days to give this steak a meltingly tender texture and delicate flavour. These steaks are normally more expensive as they come from the most tender part of the animal, in small amounts.
How to cook a Fillet Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 4-5 minutes per side, rest for 6 minutes
Medium: 5½-6 minutes per side, rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 7-7½ minutes per side, rest for 1 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Enjoy these luscious steaks with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce and a seasoned baked potato.
Rump Steak
Our Rump Steak is hand trimmed for a lean, succulent cut. Fully matured for up to 35 days, the Rump Steak is full of rich, deep flavour. This cut is a healthy and wholesome steak, full of vitamins, minerals and Omega-3. These steaks are normally a cheaper option as the rump of the animal comes in large amounts as opposed to the fillet which comes in small amounts.
How to cook a Rump Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 4-4½ minutes per side, rest for 6 minutes
Medium: 5-5½ minutes per side, rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 6-6½ minutes per side, rest for 1 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve these flavoursome steaks alongside prawns and a drizzle of lemon for a classic surf and turf meal.
T-Bone Steak
The T-Bone Steak is a larger, bone-in steak that can be shared with a loved one or friend. These are cut from the short loin and have luxurious fillet on one side of the bone, and all-round favourite sirloin on the other. Our T-Bone Steak is dry-aged on the bone for fuller, richer flavours.
How to cook a T-Bone Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1½-2 minutes per side, rest for 6 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2½ minutes per side, rest for 5 minutes
Medium: 3-3½ minutes per side, rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4½-5 minutes per side, rest for 1 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Grill these steaks and serve alongside grilled cherry tomatoes, onion rings and fries for a steak night to remember.
Porterhouse Steak
Similar to the T-Bone, the Porterhouse Steak is a mix of mouth-watering juicy sirloin and luxuriously tender fillet so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. These steaks are also left on the bone to enhance their flavour. Apart from being a little bigger than the T-Bone Steak, the Porterhouse has more fillet making it slightly higher in value and better for sharing:
How to cook a Porterhouse Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare to medium rare: 2-2½ minutes per side, rest for 5 minutes
Medium: 3-3½ minutes per side, rest for 5 minutes
Well done: 3½-4½ minutes per side, rest for 5 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Enjoy a Porterhouse Steak with a fresh salad, hand-cut oven chips and Creamy Peppercorn Sauce for a delicious dinner.
Tomahawk Steak
The Tomahawk Steak is an impressive size that’s great for sharing. It’s generously marbled to deliver a lingering, deep succulence and flavour. It’s cut from the rib cage muscles where the Ribeye Steak is cut from, these muscles are barely used by the cow. That means the meat is incredibly tender and rich in flavour. Again, having the bone left in the steak enhances its taste and makes it moist and tender.
How to cook a Tomahawk Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat oven to 230°C / Fan 210°C / Gas 8 and a large shallow frying or griddle pan. Once hot, add a little oil to the pan, or brush the steak with oil. Sear the meat for 4-5 minutes. Place your meat uncovered on a rack in a roasting tin and put into the preheated oven. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 8-10 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 12-14 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium: 16-18 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Well done: 20-22 minutes per side, rest for 10 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve your Tomahawk Steak with garlic butter mushrooms and cheesy asparagus for a delicious meal for 2.
Côte de Boeuf
Côte de Boeuf is the fore rib of beef with the main backbone removed and the ribs French trimmed for extra finesse. This steak features all of the marbling and flavour of the ribeye, left on the bone for extra indulgence. It is also a very luxurious cut which Butchers love, making it more expensive but a great choice for steak enthusiasts.
How to cook Côte de Boeuf?
Preheat oven to 250°C / fan 230°C/ gas 9 and heat a heavy based frying pan on the hob until almost smoking. Brush oil onto the steak, place in the pan and sear for 5-6 minutes. Once seared, place steak uncovered on a rack in a roasting tin. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven following the recommended times, or use a meat thermometer to check:
Rare: 10 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 15 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium: 20 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Well done: 26-28 minutes per side, rest for 10 minute
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Try serving your Côte de Boeuf with shallots and some Buttery Mashed Potato.
Picanha Steak
Prized in Latin American countries and by barbecue lovers everywhere. Picanha is a cut of beef taken from the top of the rump. You might also know it as a rump cover, rump cap, sirloin cap or even culotte steak. This steak has a long strip of fat down one side like the sirloin just slightly cheaper, but also quite heavily marbled like the ribeye, making it one of the most flavoursome steaks you can get.
How to cook a Picanha Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1-1½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve your Picanha Steak with a wedge of lime and a zesty avocado salsa verde for a delicious ‘Brazilian bombshell’.
Bavette Steak
The Bavette Steak is the French name for the Flank Steak, it is thin, lean and full of robust flavour. The bavette is a loosely textured flat cut of meat taken from the abdominal muscles of the animal. The bavette/flank is very popular in French restaurants, in Brazil and Columbia. It is typically priced very reasonably considering its rich, deep flavour.
How to cook a Bavette Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1 minute per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 1½-2 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Slice thinly against the grain and serve as fajitas with your favourite sides and sauce.
Flat Iron Steak
Flat Iron Steak is also known as Butlers' Steak or Feather Blade Steak and is cut with the grain from the chuck, or shoulder of the animal. The intense flavour from the marbling and reasonable price of Flat Iron Steak makes it an excellent choice for stir frying or any recipe that uses thin slices of beef.
How to cook a Flat Iron Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1 minute per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 1-2½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Cook your Flat Iron Steak rare, slice thinly against the grain and serve with grilled asparagus and crumbles of blue cheese.
Hanger Steak
Also known as the onglet steak, the Hanger Steak's deep flavour is rich and reminiscent of game, with a firm texture and a definite 'bite'. Even when cooked to well-done, hanger steak stays tender and juicy. This cut is taken from the plate, which is the upper belly of the animal. This steak can be described as ‘chewy but tender’, and is also priced very reasonably.
How to cook a Hanger Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1-1½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Serve with your favourite steak sauce, oven chips and garden peas.
Chuck Eye Steak
The Chuck Eye Steak comes from the upper shoulder of the cow which Butchers refer to as the chuck primal. Known for flavourful roasts, chuck cuts generally benefit from low-and-slow cooking methods. It has a rich, beefy, buttery taste just short of the intensity of a ribeye, and typically for a lower price.
How to cook a Chuck Eye Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1-1½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2½ minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Enjoy Chuck Eye Steaks with fresh rocket, red onion, and a punchy chimichurri sauce.
Skirt Steak
The Skirt Steak’s loose texture and distinctive ‘bite’ make it a great choice for marinades and the most delicious fajitas. Skirt Steaks are very lean, so they can be dry and tough if overcooked or sliced too thickly. Therefore, it's important to cook to no more than medium and slice very thinly against the grain. This steak is trimmed from the short plate primal cut, located just below the ribs, between the brisket and the flank.
How to cook a Skirt Steak?
Remove the steak from its packaging, allow the meat to come to room temperature for 20 minutes, patting dry with kitchen paper. Preheat a heavy based frying pan over a medium high heat, add a little oil or brush the steak with oil. Cook the steaks to your liking following the recommended times:
Rare: 1 minute per side, rest for 10 minutes
Medium rare: 1½-2 minutes per side, rest for 10 minutes
Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for the recommended time.
Barbecue your Skirt Steaks and serve on skewers, then enjoy with your favourite accompaniments.