Cut from ribs 6 through 12, the ribeye is the most marbled steak on the cow. That intramuscular fat melts during cooking, creating an intensely beefy, buttery result that needs almost no seasoning. Bone-in adds even more depth.

• Pan-sear
• Grill
• Reverse-sear
• Broil

From the short loin, the strip is leaner than a ribeye with a firmer bite and bold beefy flavor. The fat cap on one side crisps up beautifully. The go-to steakhouse cut for good reason.

• Grill
• Pan-sear
• Broil

Cut from the shoulder — well-worked, flavourful, and tough raw. Slow cooking transforms the collagen into silky gelatin. This is the foundation of pot roast and the best beef stew you'll ever eat.

• Braise
• Slow cooker
• Dutch oven

The chest muscle — heavily worked, loaded with collagen, spectacular when cooked properly. Texas BBQ is built on this cut. The flat is leaner; the point is fattier and more forgiving.

• Smoke
• Braise
• Slow roast

From the tenderloin — a muscle that does almost no work. The most tender steak you can buy. Lean and mild in flavour, so the butter baste and any sauce matter more here than they would with a ribeye.

• Pan-sear
• Broil
• Grill

Loaded with connective tissue and fat. The long braise extracts everything from the bones and creates a sauce that's almost impossibly rich. One of the most rewarding things you can cook on a Sunday afternoon.

• Braise
• Slow cooker
• Pressure cook

Long, flat cut from the abdominal muscles. Lean, flavourful, budget-friendly. Marinade is key. The absolute rule: always slice thin against the grain or it will be chewy regardless of how well you cook it.

• Grill
• Broil
• Stir-fry

From the rear back, between the short loin and the round. Good beefy flavor, less marbling than a strip or ribeye, and a more affordable price point. Best kept to medium-rare and sliced against the grain.

• Grill
• Pan-sear
• Broil

A triangular roast from the bottom sirloin. Beefy and reasonably tender with a distinct grain that changes direction in the middle — slice each half separately, against its own grain, for the best bite.

• Smoke
• Roast
• Grill

From the diaphragm, long and thin with intense beef flavor and visible loose grain. Cooks in minutes over very high heat. Like flank, must be sliced thin against the grain.

• Grill
• Sear
• Stir-fry

Hangs from the diaphragm near the kidney — historically the cut butchers kept for themselves. Deep, almost livery beefy flavor with a loose grain. One per animal, so it's harder to find but worth seeking out.

• Grill
• Pan-sear

The top sirloin cap, traditionally cut with a thick fat layer left on and skewered into a C-shape for churrasco. The fat bastes the meat as it slow-roasts over open flame, rendering crisp on the outside.

• Grill (skewered)
• Roast

Heavily worked muscle, dense with collagen. A long braise turns beef cheeks into something almost custard-soft, with a deep, gelatinous sauce. An underrated cut that punches well above its price.

• Braise
• Pressure cook

From the rear leg — extremely lean, with almost no fat or marbling. Best treated like a roast beef for sandwiches: cooked low to medium-rare and sliced paper-thin, never cooked past medium.

• Roast (low & slow)
• Slice thin

Cross-cut sections of the tail, full of bone, marrow, and connective tissue. A slow braise yields a thick, deeply flavorful, almost sticky sauce — the backbone of Jamaican oxtail stew and Korean kkori-gomtang.

• Braise
• Pressure cook
• Slow cooker