What is the difference between a porterhouse and a new york strip

Unlike the tenderloin, the short loin is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into larger portions. Delmonico's Restaurant, an operation opened in New York City in , offered as one of its signature dishes a cut from the short loin called a Delmonico steak.

Due to its association with the city, it is often referred to as a New York strip steak. Ash Catcher. Subscribe Today at Huge Savings! This only leaves the question: What are the best cuts of steak? Do you go for a melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon, or a hunk of ribeye that would draw the envy of your caveman ancestors?

Or perhaps the unsung flank steak would hit the spot in an unexpected way? The best cut of steak is ultimately going to depend on your personal taste.

Filet is lean and tender, but not quite as flavorful as other cuts. The filet is the first of what makes up the Holy Trinity of steaks—filet, strip and ribeye. When it comes to tenderness or toughness, think about how much the muscle a cut of steak comes from works. The less a muscle is used, the more tender the steak is going to be. It comes from a larger primal cut, explains Henderson. And if you see Chateaubriand on the menu, that just means an extra-large portion of tenderloin, usually enough to feed two.

Cowboy steak from St. Elmo steakhouse. Photo: Courtesy of St. First, a definition: Steaks are basically any piece of meat that falls under the category of "fast-cooking" cuts—cuts that are low enough in connective tissue that they don't require the long cooking times that "slow-cooking" cuts require. The difference between a steak and a roast essentially comes down to size—any good roast can be cut into individual steaks although, unfortunately, it's not possible to put together several steaks into a large roast without the aid of transglutaminase, or, at the very least, a reliable time machine.

While cheaper cuts like sirloin , flank , and skirt , or cheffy cuts like hanger and flatiron , are becoming increasingly popular and available these days my favorite is hanger , the kings of the steakhouse are still those cuts that come from the longissimus dorsi and the psoas major.

The longissimus dorsi muscles are a pair of long, tender muscles that run down either side of the spine of the steer, outside the ribs, all the way from the neck to the hip. The tenderness of a steak is inversely related to the amount of work that a muscle does during the steer's lifetime.

So, as a relatively unused muscle, the longissimus dorsi commonly referred to as the loin or the backstrap is extremely tender, making it an ideal candidate for steak and also quite expensive. The psoas major is one of a pair of shorter muscles that start about two-thirds of the way down the steer's spine and run on the opposite side of the ribs to the longissimus—the inside.

Commonly referred to as the filet mignon or tenderloin , they're by far the most tender pieces of meat on the steer. That coupled with their small size makes them the most expensive cut at the butcher that whole supply-and-demand thing, you know? Out of these two muscles come a number of cuts.

Here's what you'll find at the typical butcher shop. Where it's cut from : The front end of the longissimus dorsi, from the rib primal of the steer. The further toward the head of the steer you get, the more of the spinalis muscle you'll find in your steak—that's the cap of meat that wraps around the fatter end of the steak.

What it tastes like : The ribeye steak is highly marbled, with a large swath of fat separating the longissimus from the spinalis. Fat is where a lot of the distinctive flavor of beef comes from, making ribeye one of the richest, beefiest cuts available. The central eye of meat tends to be smooth-textured, with a finer grain than a strip steak, while the spinalis section will have a looser grain and more fat. Many people including me consider the spinalis to be the absolute tastiest quick-cooking cut on the cow.

The best way to cook it : Pan-frying , grilling , and broiling are all good options. Because its copious fat is prone to causing flare-ups, grilling ribeye steak can be a bit tricky.

Have a lid ready, and stand by with the tongs in case you need to rapidly spring into action and retrieve the steak from the depths of a fireball. This is my favorite cut for pan-searing. Sear them first on the hot side of the grill and then move them over to a low-heat side to finish off the cooking process before you serve them. Top with mushrooms, onions, and peppers, or go for your favorite steak sauce for a flavor boost. Try these grilling tips to get just the right cook.

Need some recipe inspiration for your porterhouse steak? Check out these articles:. As a steak lover, you probably already know the ideal internal temperature of steak to reach your desired doneness. Porterhouses are no different, so you can follow our guide to steak temperatures to get the perfect porterhouse cook. When a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reaches the temperature you need, you can take the steak out of the pan, oven, or grill, and lay it on a cutting board.

Let the meat rest for five to ten minutes to let each piece reabsorb the juices. You can then top with a little butter, sea salt, and black pepper, if desired, and enjoy! We want you to find the best portion of T-bone or porterhouse to fit your budget, so here are a few tips to help you do that. First, be aware that some T-bones actually contain more of a filet piece than certified porterhouses.

If you can find a T-bone with consistent filet thickness, you can get something close to a porterhouse cut without having to pay the porterhouse price. This is a code that notes what type of meat it is under USDA standards, which may also be followed by a description of the meat, like its quality, any added ingredients, etc. For porterhouse, look for code ; T-bone is Note: This also works with other steaks, like hanger steak or rib eye, so you can always have command over your red meat choices!

Finally, because T-bones and porterhouses are made of two kinds of beef, which cook at different rates and taste best at different temperatures, try the following cooking trick.