Walk into any grocery store and you’ll find the same cuts of beef staring back at you: ribeye, sirloin, maybe a New York strip if you’re lucky. But there’s a whole world of beef cuts hiding in plain sight that most people walk right past. These cuts are cheaper, often just as tender, and sometimes even more delicious than the expensive options everyone fights over. The real kicker? Butchers have been keeping some of these cuts to themselves for years because they’re so good. Once you know what to look for, you’ll wonder why you’ve been paying premium prices for the same old steaks.
Chuck eye steak gets confused with a dozen other names
Ever heard of a chuck eye steak? What about a Delmonico steak, English steak, or London broil? Here’s the thing that drives most people crazy: these are all the same piece of meat. One single cut of beef can have up to ten different names depending on which store you’re shopping at or which region of the country you’re in. The chuck eye comes from the shoulder area of the cow, right next to where ribeyes come from, which means it has similar marbling and taste. Most people have no idea they’re getting ribeye-quality meat for half the price.
The confusion doesn’t stop there. A flat iron steak might also be called a book steak, butler steak, lifter steak, or shoulder top blade steak. When you’re standing in front of the meat case trying to figure out what’s what, this naming chaos makes it nearly impossible to know if you’re getting a good deal or buying the same thing twice under different labels. Butchers and meat companies created these fancy names to make certain cuts sound more appealing, but it backfired by making everything more confusing. The best approach is to ask the person behind the counter what part of the cow the meat comes from, not what it’s called.
Flat iron steaks became popular by accident
Back in the 1990s, cattle prices dropped so low that the beef industry was desperate to find ways to make more money from each cow. They funded research at universities in Nebraska and Florida to study 39 different muscles in the shoulder and leg areas that most people ignored. Scientists discovered that one muscle in the shoulder, called the infraspinatus, was actually the second most tender part of the entire cow. Only the tenderloin beat it. This muscle became what we now call the flat iron steak, and it changed everything about how people think about cheap cuts of beef.
The flat iron steak used to be called “butcher’s steak” because meat cutters would keep it for themselves instead of selling it to customers. They knew it tasted amazing and was incredibly tender, so why share the secret? Now that the cat’s out of the bag, flat irons show up at more grocery stores and restaurants. They cost significantly less than a filet mignon but deliver similar tenderness with way more beef taste. The only trick is cooking them right since they’re best when grilled or pan-seared quickly over high heat.
Hanger steak is so limited it’s almost wasteful to eat
Here’s something that might change your mind about ordering hanger steak at restaurants. Each cow only produces about one and a half pounds of hanger steak. That’s it. This cut literally hangs between the rib and the loin near the kidneys, which is why it’s so tender and rich in taste. It doesn’t do any work, so the muscle stays soft. Butchers loved this cut so much they used to keep it for themselves, which is why most regular customers never even knew it existed. But now that everyone wants it, there’s a sustainability problem nobody talks about.
When ten people order hanger steak at a restaurant, that represents ten different cows that had to be slaughtered. Meanwhile, huge portions of those same cows go unused because everyone wants the same tiny piece. Massachusetts butcher Terry Ragasa suggests eating cuts from the chuck instead, since that area makes up nearly a third of the total meat from one animal. Ranch steak and Denver steak come from the chuck and taste great while being way more sustainable. The hanger is delicious, sure, but maybe save it for special occasions instead of making it your regular order.
Denver steak got its name from marketing research
Nobody in Denver invented the Denver steak. The name came from focus groups and marketing committees trying to figure out what would sell. When researchers discovered tender muscles in the chuck that could be turned into steaks, they needed names that sounded appealing. Calling something an “underblade steak” doesn’t exactly make people excited to buy it. So they tested different names with consumers and found that Western-themed names resonated best. Denver steak won out, even though it has nothing to do with Colorado. The same thing happened with other cuts that got fancy French names or exotic-sounding titles.
This naming strategy works from a sales perspective, but it drives butchers and educators crazy. Adam Danforth, who teaches butchery, points out that shops can’t keep all the different names straight. Sometimes they’ll call a triceps muscle a “faux flat iron” even though it’s completely different. Other times they’ll slap “London broil” on three different cuts that require totally different cooking methods. The confusion means customers don’t really know what they’re buying or how to cook it properly. It would be simpler if cuts kept their anatomical names, but that ship has sailed.
Skirt steak works better in tacos than as a main dish
Skirt steak comes from the plate section of the cow, which runs along the bottom middle area. It has thick grain and intense beef taste, which is why it shows up in fajitas and carne asada tacos all the time. The problem is that this cut can be really tricky to cook right. The grain is so pronounced that if you don’t slice against it properly, you’ll end up chewing each bite for what feels like forever. Some chefs won’t touch it because preparing skirt steak takes more effort than it’s worth, especially when there are easier cuts that taste just as good.
Chef Yester Banuchyan calls skirt steak the most troubling cut to work with. The meat itself is tough to begin with, and it doesn’t get easier during cooking. It’s almost unwieldy and requires a lot of effort just to get it cooked properly without turning into shoe leather. If you do buy skirt steak, make sure to marinate it for several hours and cook it quickly over very high heat. Then slice it super thin against the grain. Used in tacos or fajitas where it’s mixed with other ingredients, skirt steak works great. As a standalone steak on a plate? There are much better options.
Round steak costs less for good reason
When you see round steak on sale for a really low price, there’s a reason it’s so cheap. This cut comes from the rear leg of the cow, which does a ton of work. That means the muscle is dense and tough with almost no fat running through it. No fat means no marbling, and no marbling means no moisture or rich taste. Round steak takes forever to cook compared to other cuts, and there’s a tiny window between getting it cooked just right and burning it to a crisp. Most people end up with an overcooked piece of meat that’s hard to chew and doesn’t taste like much.
Chef Isabella Flint points out that the lack of fat running through round steak gives it a tough texture and takes away from any real beef taste. That doesn’t mean round steak is useless, though. It works great when ground up for burgers or turned into jerky. Some people use it for deli meat or cube it for stews where it cooks low and slow for hours. Just don’t try to grill a round steak and expect it to compete with a ribeye or strip. Save your money and buy a better cut, or save even more money and use round steak for something other than a traditional steak dinner.
Filet mignon gets overrated by most steak lovers
This might sound shocking, but a lot of professional chefs think filet mignon is the most boring cut of beef you can buy. The late Anthony Bourdain famously said that tenderloin, where filet mignon comes from, is “the most boring and uninteresting piece of meat on the animal.” The problem is that filet mignon has almost no fat and very little marbling. Sure, it’s tender because that muscle doesn’t do any work, but tender doesn’t automatically mean delicious. Without fat, there’s not much beef taste. You’re basically paying premium prices for a texture rather than actual satisfaction.
Christopher Arturo, who teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, agrees that filet mignon doesn’t have the marbling or structure that makes a great steak. To him, it’s always too soft and lacking in real beef taste. He admits that occasionally you’ll find an excellently marbled filet that tastes amazing, but those are rare exceptions. Steve Ozbolt from Emerald City Catering puts it even more bluntly: there’s virtually no fat, which means no real taste. If you want a large piece of unmarbled meat, buy a sirloin for half the price. Better yet, get a ribeye with beautiful marbling that’s both tender and packed with taste.
London broil isn’t actually a cut of meat
Here’s something that confuses almost everyone: London broil isn’t a cut of beef at all. It’s a cooking method that somehow got turned into a label for whatever tough cut the butcher couldn’t sell under its real name. Originally, London broil referred to marinated flank steak that was broiled and sliced thin. But over time, butchers started slapping the London broil label on bottom round, top round, sirloin tip, and basically any chewy piece of meat they needed to move. Each of these cuts requires different cooking techniques, but they all get lumped together under one confusing name.
Chef Gabriel Glasier, who used to run restaurants, says London broil is the worst because it’s so unpredictable. You might get a portion of bottom round that needs to be marinated perfectly, cooked exactly right, and sliced properly just to be edible. The texture is tough and chewy with no marbling to save it. Kids have nightmares about being forced to sit at the dinner table trying to chew through London broil. If you see a steak cut with a name you’ve never heard before, like baseball steak or oyster steak, skip it and buy something you know will taste good.
Buying from the meat counter beats prepackaged every time
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay has strong opinions about where to buy steak, and it has nothing to do with which cut you choose. He tells people to avoid prepackaged steaks wrapped in plastic at all costs. The plastic wrap traps moisture against the meat, which is terrible if you’re planning to grill it. Meat needs to go on the grill dry, not wet, because moisture is the enemy of getting a good sear and crispy exterior. When you buy from the meat counter instead, the butcher can cut exactly what you need and it hasn’t been sitting in its own juices for days.
Beyond avoiding prepackaged steaks, Flay recommends looking for USDA Prime or Certified Black Angus if your budget allows it. Choice grade works as a less expensive alternative that still delivers quality. He’s also particular about marbling, those thin white streaks of fat throughout the meat. Marbling keeps steak juicy during cooking and adds tons of taste. The fat is also more tender than muscle, so you get better texture. Talking to an actual butcher lets you ask questions about where the cut comes from, how to cook it, and what to look for. Most butchers love sharing their knowledge, and you’ll learn way more than you ever would reading labels on plastic-wrapped meat.
The beef industry has been trying to get people to eat different cuts for decades, but old habits die hard. Most shoppers grab the same familiar steaks every time because they know how to cook them and what to expect. But those underused cuts sitting in the case offer better value, similar quality, and sometimes even better taste than the expensive options everyone fights over. The key is knowing what to look for and not getting confused by all the different names. Ask your butcher questions, try something new, and don’t assume that expensive automatically means better. That chuck eye steak costs half as much as a ribeye but comes from right next door on the same cow.
