INGREDIENTS
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By Laura Dolson
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Updated April 06, 2016
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Is there such a thing as a good, cheap steak? A superior rib-eye, New York strip, or T-bone steak is a wonderful thing, no doubt about it. But few of us can afford to indulge in them very often. What about all those other cuts of beef, many of them f
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Turns out it's possible to make cheap cuts of steak tender and tasty, while avoiding that "liver-y" taste and texture that sometimes results.
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(That livery flavor comes from muscles that are active and have a lot of a protein called myoglobin, which is rich in iron.)
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A bonus for those who watch their saturated fat intake: cheap cuts of meat tend to have the least amount of fat.
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Flank Steak and Skirt Steak
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Both flank steak and skirt steak are best cooked medium-rare, or, at most, medium. Because they're both thin cuts of steak, you need to watch them closely to not overcook them. Flip them often --once every minute or so -- to ensure they cook evenly.
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Top Sirloin
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Top sirloin is one of the least expensive steaks, but it can easily get that livery flavor.
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In one experiment, I tried a side-by-side comparison: I got four different pieces of top sirloin, in two identical pairs. In each pair, I marinaded one of each for 4 hours in a standard steak marinade and salted the other one in a technique I found o
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They were delicious.
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To do the salt technique, take the steaks out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking, and heavily salt them with kosher salt. If you'd like, you can rub other seasonings on as well. Some juice will be pulled out of the meat -- don't worry a
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All Inexpensive Steaks
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Make sure steaks are at least room temperature before you cook them, as fast cooking makes them less likely to develop the myoglobin. Warming the meat before cooking produces the best results. You can either by put the meat in a zippered-type bag whi
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Following these tips will turn inexpensive steaks into delicious meals.