this is quickly becoming my favorite cut of beef to grill. i just had one that i literally cut with a fork. i used wolfe Rub Bold(for the 1st time) and grilled indirect for 12 minutes next to RO lump and 1 small chunk of pecan. then i seared it about 3 minutes per side to a perfect medium rare. I was pretty impressed with the WRB too, very good seasoning for the beef. i think i may do a brisket with it for Smoke Day!!

It is a favorite cut of mine too.

I tried a flatiron steak last night for the first time ever - I just haven't seen them before. I was really surprised at how tender it was, especially considering the price. They were on sale at Publix. I'll definitely keep my eye out for them in the future.

We probably shouldn't tell anybody about these or we will be paying skirt steak/flank steak prices for them soon...

They are more than they used to be but still a good value. Since they come from the chuck the flavor is great. But the finer grain and good marbling make them winners, as well, in texture/tenderness terms.

Love me some flat iron.

Hanger steak becoming a favorite of mine. Never found flatiron around here. Just grocery store butchers unless you drive 30 miles.

Flat iron is more often called by its real name, chuck top blade or top blade.

quote:

Flat iron is more often called by its real name, chuck top blade or top blade.

I'll keep my eye out for that. I've read about the elusive flat iron but have yet to spy one with my own eye.

exactly, there ussually "top blade steak" around here, too, except for about one store that I know of, that fooled me for a while until I asked the employee. hope it helps. I wander if it has any other names..

I wander if it has any other names..[/QUOTE]
This might help ya..
Tim

Except, has anyone ever actually seen a top blade/flat iron steak called or sold by any of the purported 'other names' in the link? I haven't. In thirty years of cooking them and twenty of buying them all over the country --never.

The pic of the steak is instructive though, and I've written about this, here, in other threads. The steak pictured is not a flat iron. The pic is of a steak crosscut from the chuck top blade roast. Note the gristle line at center. The=is gristle is virtually inedible --but one sees these steaks often, my guess is because they are so easy to cut. (One pretty much has to eat around the gristle line if cooking as a steak; the flesh can be sliced away from the line pre-cooking, for stir-fry or fajitas.)

I often buy whole roasts and cut the steaks myself because, when home, the Publix guys are too lazy to cut them correctly. One cuts horizontally, above the gristle line, then horizontally again below it, removing the gristle. Because of the way the grain runs, when the steak cooks it will contract and become thicker. Note the pics in this thread: the first is like the steak in the pic in the link timothy posted. It is a crosscut top blade steak. The second pic is of flat irons, properly cut.

Good thread on the cuts. LOTS of odd names for some of the more common cuts out there. The only one I think looks a little off (to me, and I'm no butcher) is the Tri-tip. The one in the pic must be more trimmed than the ones I usually get. Mine look more triangular usually.

as a reply I guess I havn't seen them by any of those other names yet unless I've missed them. Why every cut cant have one name is beyond me, I may be missing out on some deals if I don't recognize the name!

Hi,

The top blade and flat iron are different cuts of the same muscle. The muscle is a long cross cut cut section with a tendon across the middle inside of the seven bone roast. It is at the top of this picture.

http://aggiemeat.tamu.edu/judging/id/044B.jpg

The top blade steak is that specific muscle removed from the chuck 7 bone and cross cut. It is sold under many names including ranch steak. Here is a picture; notice the center tendon.

http://www.beefretail.org/deIm...rTopBladeStkBnls.JPG

The muscle is structured like a salmon. Think of the top blade steak as cut like a salmon steak; the tendon across the middle is comparable to the bones on a salmon.

Now think of cutting the same muscle like a salmon filet; that becomes a flat iron.

http://thediningdiva.typepad.c...flat_iron_before.jpg

The flat-iron steak is cut along the grain, removing the tendon. The two flat steaks may be portioned into individual cuts or cooked whole. The longitudinal graining allows the steaks to puff up during cooking, becoming much thicker.

This is a wonderful cut of beef. Only the filet mignon is more tender.

If cooked from a cryovac'd package in your refrigerator they may have a slight liver flavor. This is eliminated by a little air aging or allo0wing to come to room temperature.

Tim

Here's an interesting article on "new" cuts of beef the beef association is trying to promote to the public. It's market, but hey, I like variety (even though I'm in Canada and probably won't see this stuff).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04...ing/29beef.html?_r=1

I could never find flatiron steaks in the St. Louis area but looking at a picture of one I now know they just call them a different name. They've been selling as Ranch blade steaks. They are usually cut fairly thin but have great flavor.

I picked up a couple of these last night and grilled them up. This is nothing new but I just want to second what everyone has been saying. This is an excellent cut of meat. I still prefer a rib steak. That's about it though I definately like it better than a strip steak.

G Dechaine, there must be a specialty butcher in Toronto! I can find the cut on the island!!!!

Clark

Clark,

I was talking about the stuff in the article I linked to, which described new cuts from a chuck roast, basically.

Generally, though, the butcher shops in Toronto hardy ever carry the less pricey cuts, which I find quite annoying. To get a flatiron, I'd have to order in advance.

My meat market has Prime Grade
Flat Iron Steak on sale for $6.99 a lb. I assume this is a good price. What's the best method to prepare this, similar to a NY or Rib Eye or more like flank?