SRF BLOG

Everyone knows popular and high-end steaks like the ribeye, filet mignon and NY strip, but there are other cuts a beef lover should know. Meet the butcher’s cuts, delicious steaks you might not know, like skirt, flank and flat iron steaks. See why they’re on our list of must-try cuts at Snake River Farms.

Let’s get into the juicy details about ribeyes, one of our most popular American Wagyu steaks.

Find Your Perfect New York Strip Steak  The New York strip is one of the most popular steakhouse cuts. Known for beautiful marbling, a firm satisfying texture and rich flavor, it's the first choice for many steak lovers. Take a bite out of Big Apple history and learn the origins of the New York strip and how to perfectly cook this famous cut. New York is renowned for many specialty foods. The clam chowder, cheesecake and pizza that bear the Empire City’s name are instantly recognizable. How did the strip steak take on the name of the city that never sleeps? Let’s take a bite out of Big Apple history and discuss this famous cut’s origins. Then we’ll get to pro tips for cooking up an impressive American Wagyu New York strip steak at home.   Find Your Perfect New York Strip Steak Moderate Marbling - USDA Choice Abundant Marbling - USDA Prime High Marbling - American Wagyu Black Label Highest Marbling - American Wagyu Gold Label   One Steak. Many Names. The New York strip has many aliases. You may see it incognito on menus as an ambassador steak, club steak, hotel steak or Kansas City strip. As this delectable cut became more popular, two names evolved as the front runners - the New York strip and the Kansas City strip. Delmonico’s Restaurant in Manhattan is credited with coining the name "New York strip".  Established in the 1830s as the country’s first fine dining restaurant with white tablecloths and a vast wine cellar, Delmonico’s introduced many culinary delights, including Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska. As the bastion of American fine dining, this venerable restaurant decided to menu this cut from the striploin as the New York strip. The name became the most commonly used monikers of the strip steak. That being said, you can still walk into a good steak house in Kansas City and order a Kansas City strip.    Cut From the Loin Region Boneless strip steaks are cut from the longissimus dorsi muscle in the loin primal. It’s the same muscle that produces delectable ribeyes, but it runs along a steer’s entire back, spanning the chuck, rib and loin regions. The section closer to the animal’s tail gets less use than the forward areas, which leaves the loin section awash with tenderness. That most tender of all steaks, filet mignon, comes from the tenderloin, a subprimal of the loin. Separating the tenderloin from the short loin leaves the beef strip loin, which is then portioned into New York strips. You may not realize it, but a T-bone comprises two steaks — a New York strip and a filet mignon with the intersecting bone left intact. The rare combination of a strip steak’s location and the superior marbling of American Wagyu beef make our New York strip an exceptional choice.    How to Cook a New York Strip Like a Pro Whether you’re a die-hard griller or an experimental home chef, the cooking method you choose can make or break your American Wagyu steaks. A fast and hot cooking environment, like your grill, is great for cuts that are less than 1.5 inches thick, like the Manhattan New York Filet. Thicker trip steaks benefit from a slower method, and we have two options. Season strip steaks with high-quality salt and pepper or your favorite seasonings before you start — and don’t forget to let them rest for five to 10 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain for the tenderest bite.  The Steakhouse Method - Watch Chef Hugh Acheson demonstrate this easy, year-round method with a cast iron skillet. > Learn More The Reverse Sear - Perfect for the 1.5-inch-thick Gold Grade New York Strip, this method slowly brings a thicker steak to your desired internal temp in the oven, then seals in flavor with a finishing pan sear. > Learn More Direct Grilling - See our pro tips for foolproof grilled steaks at home that look and taste like the most expensive item on the menu. > Learn More   Our Favorite Recipes Cedar Planked New York Steak with Rosemary & Honey Impress your guests with this haute BBQ recipe that will infuse a fantastic cedar flavor into your steak, accentuated with a bit of sweet and slight spice. This one is almost as fun to cook as it is to eat. > Learn More Tuscan-Style NY Strip with Arugula Here's a great way to serve a rich steak and lighten it up for summer's warmer evenings. Inspired by a lunch served during a bike trip through Tuscany, this simple salad has just six ingredients - steak, arugula, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. > Learn More Pan-Seared NY Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce An excellent way to make a steak more interesting is to make a pan sauce. This recipe uses a good-quality red wine to deglaze the sumptuous brown bits left after searing a steak. Add shallots, rosemary, broth and a few pats of butter to bind it into an ideal syrupy consistency. > Learn More NY Strip Steak Sandwich The best version of this portable meal starts with a fresh baked bun with the right amount of chew and soft bread inside. Add a spicy layer of horseradish and mayo, then top with slices of provolone cheese known for its smooth texture and a mild smoky profile. Sautéed onions and peppers add depth. Stack all this together and you've got a sandwich fit for royalty.  > Learn More    

 Learn more about the filet mignon, including where it comes from and how to cook it in this article.  

Not all sirloin steaks are created equal, so read on to learn about this cut, how to choose the best version and how to cook the perfect sirloin steak. 

What likely started out as two neighbors competing for the best 'que on the block has turned into one of today’s most spirited food competitions. While the art of smoking meat is nothing new, the last decade has seen competitive BBQ explode onto the food scene. Learn the basics of competition barbecue from SRF's own Meat Maven and BBQ expert Annella Kelso. She'll also fill you in on the KCBS, the SRF Challenge and the 180 Club.

If you’re a regular at the local butcher shop, occasionally you might see a cut of beef out of the ordinary. A steak in this category is the zabuton. Also called the Denver steak, this is a rich and tender cut that deserves your attention. Learn more about the zabuton, its tie to Japan, the best way to prepare it and more.

The hanger steak is a cut that’s often mentioned but is hard to find in grocery stores. This steak was relatively unknown in the U.S. until about 25 years ago. About that time, hanger steak popped up on restaurant menus and built a delicious reputation. You can purchase this elusive steak at Snake River Farms, but here are a few things to know before it arrives at your door.

Find out whether a bone-in cut yields better flavor than a boneless cut or it’s all just a myth with tips by the bone-picking beef experts at Snake River Farms.

Drink Pairings – Which Beverage is Best with Snake River Farms American Wagyu? Red wine and steak is the classic pairing.

Fire up your flavor experience by learning how gas, charcoal or wood pellet grilling can affect the taste of your Snake River Farms American Wagyu beef.

Denver Steak vs. Zabuton Steak: What’s the Difference? Zabuton? Denver steak? Have you heard of these unique cuts? Get the lowdown on Denver steaks vs. zabuton steaks, from where the names originate to which one makes the cut for superior dining, at Snake River Farms. Ever seen zabuton steak on a menu and wondered what it was? Or been perplexed by something called a Denver steak? What’s the difference between these two steaks and where do they come from? The pros at Snake River Farms love sharing our expertise on beef cuts and how to prepare an amazing meal with any of our American Wagyu beef cuts. Get the American Wagyu beef lowdown on zabuton vs. Denver steaks, where the names come from and more.   Zabuton in Japanese In the Japanese language, the word ‘zabuton’ means pillow. It’s the traditional Japanese cushion used for sitting on the floor, and it’s often used in Western circles for soft support while meditating. The name translates to a particularly rare cut of Japanese Wagyu beef that is cut and served in small, neat square cubes that resemble those sitting pillows.    A Surprising Source Zabuton is sourced from the shoulder or chuck primal. It is a unique cut and is a variation on NAMP 116E with the addition of the neck end of the 116D. It can also be described as the extension of the chuck tail flap/underblade. The zabuton is sourced from the chuck primal, part of the shoulder. This area is made up of three muscles, the primary being the serratus ventralis. Also known as the Beef Chuck, Under Blade Roast, this area below the shoulder blade continues to the ribs and backbone. Many cuts from the underblade area tend to be tough and are therefore relegated to ground beef or stew meat. But the highly marbled Zabuton is a shining exception. While the shoulder muscles get a lot more use than other areas of the animal — making them tougher — the specific area that yields a zabuton steak is more of a support muscle that is less used and comprises more intramuscular fat (aka marbling). That makes it a more tender and flavorful steak option. That also makes it a more difficult cut to achieve and as a result, it’s less common in butcher shops and on menus.   The Beef Checkoff Program Before about 2009, you would have been hard-pressed to find zabuton steaks offered in American restaurants. And no one had ever heard of a Denver steak. Enter the Beef Checkoff Program, established in a Farm Bill from the 1980s and overseen by the USDA and the Cattleman’s Beef Board (CBB). This program supports consumer interest in the beef industry through research, marketing and education initiatives aimed at elevating a consistently high-quality experience of buying and serving beef.   Mile-High Marketing Moniker One goal of the Checkoff program is to identify and promote “new” cuts of beef. Even though the profession of butcher has been around as long as humans have been eating meat — as in forever — some cuts fall in and out of fashion for the vaguest of reasons. In 2009, the program “unveiled” its latest “discovery”: The Denver Steak. Which is actually the zabuton but with a more American name that played better to focus groups.    Zabuton vs. Denver Steak: Rumble in the Rockies So, what’s the difference between a zabuton steak and a Denver steak? Or as Shakespeare would put it: What’s in a name? A steak by any other name would taste as juicy. That’s right: A Denver steak and a zabuton steak are essentially the exact same thing, just with two different names. The fully American invention of the Denver steak has its roots in Japanese culture, much as Snake River Farms American Wagyu beef owes its lineage to the Japanese Wagyu cattle we imported for crossbreeding. The next time you see a Denver steak on a menu, spark a little dinner table conversation about its origins, and look for it among the American Wagyu steaks from Snake River Farms.  

Get the lowdown on the surprising way Snake River Farms American Wagyu beef can be a heart-healthy addition to any diet, even if it sounds too good to be true.

You’ve likely seen USDA grade listed on meat labels at the supermarket. You may also have heard about meat-grading systems from other countries.What is beef grading? Who devised these systems? And why should you care about beef grading?

What Is American Wagyu Beef?  When you cook or order a steak, you want the best quality and flavor. You may have seen terms like “Wagyu” or “American Wagyu” on restaurant menus but had little idea what they actually mean — and how it’ll all translate on your plate.  Is American Wagyu beef better than other types of beef? What exactly does that word mean and where did it come from? The experts at Snake River Farms can help. We break down where the term Wagyu originated, what it means for the quality of beef you’re buying and why choosing American Wagyu can level up your next steak.   Japanese Wagyu vs. American Wagyu Beef The first point of confusion for many is the word “Wagyu.” This term simply means “Japanese cow” in the native language. It first became famous from cows bred near the city of Kobe on the main island of Honshu. Only beef from cattle that are 100% pure-bred in this way and meet additional strict requirements can be considered Wagyu. American Wagyu refers to beef from cattle that are crossbred in the U.S. Though the export of Wagyu cattle from Japan is now illegal, farmers could import Japanese pure-breed animals between 1975 and 1997. Those 100% Japanese Wagyu cows and steers have been crossbred with traditional cattle breeds here in America to create American Wagyu Beef.   Continental vs. High-Quality Breeds Most cattle breeds commonly found in the U.S. today originated in the United Kingdom. One example is Black Angus, native to Scotland. These are often referred to as either British or high-quality breeds. The term continental breed refers to any cattle originating outside of Britain. Some examples include the Belgian Blue from Belgium, the Charolais from the Burgundy region of France and the Piedmontese from northwest Italy. Any of these breeds can be crossbred in the U.S. with imported Japanese Wagyu cattle to produce American Wagyu beef.   Crossbreeding for Best Beef Quality The best beef presents several main characteristics, both in terms of how it looks and how it tastes. The first thing to look for when choosing beef is marbling. This refers to the white flecks and streaks of fat that run through the muscle tissue and resemble the distinguishing dark lines in a slab of high-quality marble — thus the name. Japanese Wagyu beef is renowned for marbling that makes it taste so rich it is generally consumed in very small portions. Robust, pronounced bold flavor is another mark of good beef, one that American-bred cattle bring to the table in spades. Crossbreeding 100% Japanese Wagyu animals with more traditional breeds like Angus produces choice beef with the best of both worlds. American Wagyu steaks feature the perfect blend of buttery marbling and rich, beefy flavor.   Why Buy Beef from Snake River Farms? Whether you’re looking for tips on how to cook the best steak or cuts of high-quality beef from a company with sustainable farming practices, Snake River Farms is your No. 1 choice. We’re a family-owned business with deep roots in our community and deep respect for our animals and our land. Since the late 1980s, we’ve been dedicated to refining and innovating American Wagyu crossbreeding to deliver some of the best beef products available in the U.S. We control the entire process, from ranch to table, including a humane processing facility and world-class customer service.   

One question we hear a lot is: What is the difference between SRF Black® and SRF Gold® beef? The short answer is marbling. Our SRF Gold cuts include much more marbling than our SRF Black cuts. But even our Black steaks and other cuts have marbling superior to USDA Prime beef.  Here’s your primer on American Wagyu beef, domestic and international meat grading systems and what it means to choose SRF Black or Gold cuts.

What’s the deal with beef marbling? Is it a real thing or a marketing gimmick? And what, exactly, does it have to do with the quality of meat and how your steaks taste?  At  Snake River Farms, superior beef is our bread and butter. Here’s the lowdown on what beef marbling means and how it impacts the flavor of your SRF steaks and roasts.

Deciding which steak to buy is sometimes easier said than done. Here's a guide to help you learn about the different cuts of beef, where they're sourced, and facts about marbling and tenderness. Get answers to your burning (grilling?) questions about beef cuts from the pros at Snake River Farms.