Picking Perfect Steaks

Bill Fuchs, butchers, at Wagshal's market in Spring Valley, NW DC, with one of his New York strip steaks dry aged to perfection. (Bill O'leary - Twp)

If the word "loin" is on the label, or the butcher tells you that a steak is cut from the loin (a strip steak, porterhouse or T-bone), these will be the most tender. Same goes for the word "rib," as in rib-eye or rib steak. These can be cooked quickly -- on a grill, in the oven or on the stove in a pan.

· Know your grades. The lower the grade, the leaner and tougher the beef. Prime is the top grade, in terms of flavor, marbling and tenderness, but very little prime beef ends up in mainstream markets. As far as consumers are concerned, there are really only two grades: choice and select. Those two make up almost all the meat being sold at the supermarket. Choice is the higher grade, although it can encompass a wide range of quality ranging from close-to-prime to close-to-select. The leanest, least expensive meat is generally graded select and it makes up the lion's share of meat in the self-service case, according to the cattlemen's association.

Keep in mind that grading is voluntary. All meat must be inspected for wholesomeness by the U.S. Department of Agriculture before it's sold, but grading for quality is done at the request -- and cost -- of the packer. Because grade dictates price, many packers pay for it to be done.

· Be wary of fancy brand names. To help promote beef, the industry has introduced what it calls "branded beef" -- often special names that don't mention the meat's grade. Some of those names are developed for marketing purposes or to give certain cuts a cachet. Safeway recently introduced Rancher's Reserve, a specially tenderized line of leaner beef that falls into the lower end of choice or upper end of select. Some brands are breed-specific, such as Certified Angus Beef, which means the beef is prime or choice and had to meet other specific qualifications.

· Enhanced? Natural? Organic? Know the difference. "Enhanced" beef means meat that has been injected with additives (such as flavoring, tenderizer or a salt solution to increase moisture). Look at the label. It must indicate what percent of the meat's weight is from an injected solution.

"Natural" beef means it's been minimally processed without additives, colors or preservatives. That description fits most of the beef being sold; it has nothing to do, however, with what the animal was fed or whether it was given antibiotics or growth hormones.

If how the animal was raised is important to you, look for "certified organic" on the label. Certified organic beef must meet the USDA's 2002 national organic program standards, meaning cattle must be fed entirely with organic feed, must not be given growth hormones or antibiotics and must have access to pasture.

· Want a perfectly cooked steak? Buy a thermometer. Butchers and meat experts might quibble about which is the best cut of steak, but there's one thing they all agree on: There's nothing better than an instant-read thermometer for making sure that steak is perfectly cooked. Don Roden, owner of the new Organic Butcher in McLean, says the secret to a perfect steak is 125 degrees on the thermometer (for rare). "Doesn't matter how you cook the darn thing -- grilled or in a pan -- use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature," he says. "It does away with all the guesswork about timing."

· Try this two-step trick for cooking steaks. This is an old restaurant method and a practically foolproof way to make sure your steak is not overcooked. It works particularly well with a two-inch thick, boneless steak such as filet mignon. Sear the steak on one side in a hot, oiled pan on the stovetop over fairly high heat. This creates a nice brown crust. Flip the steak over, then place the pan in a 425-degree oven to finish the cooking. Roast to desired doneness (about 5 minutes for rare, 7 minutes for medium rare, 9 minutes for medium), depending on the thickness of the meat. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes to redistribute juices before serving.

· And the award for Best Steak goes to . . . the rib-eye. Ask a butcher what his favorite cut of steak is, and the boneless rib-eye gets the nod. In terms of juicy flavor and tenderness, the rib-eye has it all, says Bill Fuchs of Wagshal's. "It's not quite as tender as the loin, but it has a richer flavor. It's my favorite," Fuchs says. Adds Irion: "When they grade the beef carcass, it's the rib-eye they look at to determine the quality of the meat. You won't go wrong choosing a rib-eye."