A butcher talks steak

Often people come to a butcher shop looking for advice on what type of steak to purchase. Here is a primer of the most popular steaks in our counter at Casey's Foods in Naperville.

Tenderloin aka filet mignon: The leanest, most tender, and usually the most expensive cut. Best done medium-rare to rare.

Rib-eye aka Delmonico: This steak is from the heart of the prime rib. A good combination of tenderness and rich beef flavor. This steak will contain a little more fat and marbling in it.

New York strip: My favorite! I like it because it is more consistently tender than a rib-eye steak and less fatty. Some places will sell or serve a Kansas City strip, which has a bone in it.

Porterhouse and T-bone: Bone in steaks that have both the strip and tenderloin. A larger steak that can be shared.

Sirloin: A flavorful steak that is a more moderately priced. When cut with the bone in, it contains a small piece of the tenderloin. Sirloin can also be boneless and can feed three to four people.

Flank steak: A leaner, denser steak that tends to be tough without some sort of marinade. Excellent on the grill after marinating. Best to cut thin, across the grain after grilling.

Skirt steak: A long flat cut that also is a little tougher than the other steaks but excellent marinated, grilled and made into fajitas. Served in steak tacos on our weekend grill in front of the store.

Cooking: With the exception of the flank and skirt steaks, I generally like to use a basic steak seasoning of kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic. I will sear the steaks over high heat for 2 minutes on each side and then turn the grill down to medium. The average thickness steak will take another 4 to 6 minutes per side to finish cooking, depending on your desired doneness.