If you ask people what their favorite meat is you can bet your bottom dollar that the majority of them will say steak. It can make your mouth water just thinking about it! But what type of steak is your favorite? Do you love a nice bit of sirloin? Or, maybe you can’t resist rib-eye? Or is it Black Angus steak that really gets your taste buds going?

What is the best steak? It is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? The truth is; it all depends on personal preference. Nevertheless, by looking a bit further into the different types of steak cuts available you should be able to get a good idea regarding what you are more likely to prefer. Let’s take a look at three of the most popular cuts…

T-bone – T-bone gets its name because there is literally a bone-shaped like the letter ‘T’ separating the meat. The great thing about this type of steak is that it includes two types; you have the fillet on one side and the sirloin on the other. This allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds and is the main reason why T-bone is such a popular choice of steak.

Sirloin – This tends to be a favorite amongst many because it is bursting with bold flavors, making it a great choice for a party. A lot of people find the cut to be somewhat less tender than the other options. However, if you purchase top sirloin you won’t have to worry about any of this. A lovely marinade can work beautifully with a piece of sirloin as well. 

Rib-eye – There is one word that can be used to described rib-eye steak, and that is; juicy. It is full of flavor and tends to be a popular choice at barbeques because people most commonly like rib-eye steak the best when it has been grilled.  

Aside from a selection of different steak types, what makes a good steakhouse is one that gives you the choice of rare, medium or well done. This is of course in relation to how long you would like your steak to be cooked for. Rare meat does not mean raw! The meat is cooked however the center will be red and will be warm rather than piping hot. Medium is the most popular choice. This is when there is a more pronounced band of pink in the middle. And finally, well-done meat is whereby there is no pink in sight at all!  

You also need to make sure that you serve your steak meal with a great bottle of wine. Most people tend to prefer red wine with steak, as it complements the meat much better. There is a huge collection at The Bottle Haus if you are interested in purchasing some quality wine for your steak or you want to get an idea of the options available.

The benefits of dry-aged steak compared to wet ageing

Most people will be familiar with the concept of “ageing” meat but not many will know how it is done.  As with many aspects of food production, particularly meat production, the cost has a big part to play in the methods used.  It is generally accepted that, for example, a piece of beef needs to be aged before being sold to a consumer who will quite possibly be cooking it for their evening meal that same day.  The period of time between slaughter and being placed on the shelf for sale could be about one to two weeks but it can be considerably longer.

What does dry-aged meat taste like? 

A well-aged piece of meat will both taste different and have a different texture.  Many will say that a properly matured piece of meat has a stronger, gamier flavor than the wet-aged variety.  It is really only in the last thirty years or so that plastic packaging techniques have infiltrated meat production so you could say that dry ageing is the old fashioned, the traditional method of keeping fresh meat.  All over the world cold storage rooms in butchers shops or supermarkets will, in some cases, have great big sides of meat hanging from hooks for however long is deemed necessary.  This, for obvious reasons, is called dry ageing and the meat connoisseur will always argue that the tastiest meat is produced this way. 

If dry-aged meat is so tasty, why do so many restaurants use the wet ageing method?

Most restaurants will however adopt the wet ageing method.  Why is wet ageing used? It is probably more down to cost than anything else.  A piece of meat bought on a polystyrene tray covered in plastic is going to be cheaper than one left to mature in the open.  Higher profit margins for the restaurant, but the taste and quality of that product will be debatable. In the end, though you have to go by the old saying “the customer is always right”.  

Dry ageing allows the meat to breathe and this surely is better.  Better taste, better texture, better-eating experience all round in fact. Plastic-packed joints of beef will retain water and thus remain at a fairly constant weight so they naturally become a better value for money as far as the retailer is concerned.  But surely, for the consumer, the opposite is true. This is why the best restaurants use dry ageing. They are more concerned with offer quality than lowering costs.

During dry ageing, water is lost and the microbes working inside the muscle fibers actually digest the meat giving, for example, a loin of beef, a distinctive flavor, aroma, and a pleasingly fuzzy exterior.  

What about delicious Wagyu beef?

The difference between high quality and poor quality beef is monumental. When you put that first piece of meat in your mouth you want to be met with something that is juicy, tender and flavorsome – not tough and flavorless! Wagyu beef definitely falls into the former category.

What is Wagyu beef from Australia?

Wagyu beef is extremely tender and has a uniquely, deliciously sweet taste. This is created by high levels of white flecks of fat weaving throughout the joint of textured meat, known as the marbling effect. Wagyu are a type of cattle in Australia that are kept in a feedlot from between 300-600 days to create a higher amount of marbling, the more marbling than overall the higher grade of meat. Wagyu beef demands a premium in the market due to it taking significantly more time and effort to produce but is often likened to butter melting in your mouth when it is done correctly. It is not hard to see why Wagyu beef is popular.

What is unique about Mayura full-blood Wagyu beef?

Mayura full-blood Wagyu beef was first imported to Australia from Japan in 1988 with the vision of being able to produce and market consistently premium quality Wagyu beef by drawing on the knowledge of the highly experienced Japanese producers. 

Wagyu cattle have a pedigree line which is followed just like that of a prize-winning racing horse, with the herds ancestry, bloodlines and pedigree being major distinguishing factors in producing the finest quality of beef. Fed on a diet of natural pastures with an abundance of clean, sparkling waters and given acres of land to roam this produces consistently top-quality cuts of beef from the animal and has received many gold awards, from around the world. 

When you consider all of this, it is not hard to see why Wagyu beef is the best steak.. Once you experience it for yourself you will immediately notice the difference.