Last Updated on March 4, 2024
Chicken breasts, ribeye, pork chops: These familiar cuts grace our tables every week, and we love them.
But if you’ve ever felt the urge to branch out, and try some of the cuts you see on restaurant menus, we have you covered. ButcherBox offers a variety of cuts of meat difficult to find in typical grocery stores, from steaks to ribs to roasts.
Here are 8 less-common cuts and how to make the most of them. Add one to your next box and get ready for a whole new experience.
Beef Flanken Short Ribs
With all the flavor of thick beef short ribs, beef flanken short ribs are unique in that you can grill or braise them and they won’t grow tough. This is because they’re cut thinly from a cross-section across the bones.
Bavette Steak
True bavette steak, also called flap steak, can be tricky to find in the U.S. (you’ll have better luck in the U.K., where it’s quite popular). It’s a finely textured, flat steak cut from the bib of the sirloin.
With a distinctive grain and tender meat, bavette is similar to skirt steak and flank steak. In fact, it’s often confused with hanger steak. For best results, cook your bavette hot and fast; flash-fry it, sear it, or grill it. Be sure to cut it into thin slices against the grain.
Flat Iron Steaks
Flat iron steaks used to contain a tough sinew that made them less appealing, but researchers found a new way to cut them from the shoulder. Now these steaks are very lean, yet rich with marbling and deeply flavorful.
Flat iron steaks are best grilled or seared. They pair well with full-bodied sauces like a red wine glaze, or you can season the steaks simply and serve with a rich side, like this seared flat iron steak with asparagus gratin.
Coulotte Roast
While you may not have heard of it, the coulotte roast (also known as sirloin cap) is one of the more tender cuts from the sirloin. You’ll probably notice the thin layer of fat on top of this large, boneless cut, which keeps the roast moist and delicious.
You can roast it whole or slice it into smaller steaks. As always, be sure to slice against the grain. If you have company coming over, serve this smoky chili-rubbed coulotte with fancy red pepper salsa, and watch it disappear.
Denver Steak
The Denver steak comes from the same muscle as the ribeye, so it’s no shock that it’s amazingly marbled and rich. In fact, the Japanese—who call it the “zabuton” — liken it to a plush sitting cushion.
We recommend searing it or grilling it; high heat, fast-cooking preparations work best. You can stick with the Japanese theme and serve it with a miso-based sauce, as in this recipe.
Ranch Steak
Cut from the shoulder muscle and typically trimmed of all fat, ranch steak is very lean, but still deeply flavorful. In fact, ButcherBox’s grass-fed ranch steaks boast a distinctive earthy flavor. They’ll cook up tender as a filet, but carry a deep, almost pot roast-like beefiness.
Grill or sear these lean steaks and serve them medium-rare. They’ll hold up to whatever flavor profile you want; we love the freshness of this seared ranch steak and green bean salad with Parmesan.
Boneless Country Style Ribs
You know your baby backs and spare ribs, but have you tried boneless country style ribs? Cut closer to the shoulder of the pig, these ribs have denser marbling (read: more flavor and richness) than other cuts.
They respond well to a variety of cooking methods, including low and slow as well as high-heat and fast. You can simmer them in a slow cooker with your favorite sauce, sear them in a cast iron pan and finish them off in the oven, or grill them. These boneless country style ribs with chimichurri pesto and jicama slaw are full of bold, bright flavors.
Shaved Steak
Though you’ve surely seen thinly-sliced steak before, ButcherBox shaved steak is trimmed from the rib section, so it’s consistently tender and full-flavored, unlike other thin-sliced beef you can buy at the store.
Shaved steak cooks fast on the stovetop, so it lends itself to things like stir-fry, beef gyro meat, and sandwich meat. Philly cheesesteak, anyone?
