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close to a high-priced super-tender porterhouse, and at the other end it is just a hairline away from rump or round. If a bone is present, you can tell roughly where in the sirloin your steak came from by the shape of the bone. At the porterhouse end the bone will look like a broken T-bone (see the steak labeled 1 below). As you move deeper into the hip, the top of the “T” will thicken into a square, and the tail will become wider and curvy (see steak 2). Eventually, at the opposite end, the sirloin will have a circular bone, which is a cross-cut of the leg bone (see steak 3), indicating that the steak comes from the most exercised part of the cut.

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SIRLOIN STEAKS:

From loin end to round end

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Because of this variety, sirloin is usually priced to sell, and for the most part it is a good value, with little waste. Since some pieces of sirloin can tend toward toughness, it is a good idea to look for visible marbling in the lean, and if you purchase sirloin that is very lean, try not to overcook it.

PLATE AND FLANK Of the tough cuts, the ones that can be grilled most easily come from the underside of the cattle, in the plate and flank primal cuts. The retail cuts from these sections that are best for grilling are skirt steak, hanger steak, and flank steak. Unlike meat from the shoulders and hips, these muscle groups are not used for movement; rather they support the internal organs. Accordingly, they have long, thick muscle fibers running parallel to one another (similar to a hammock), which are easier to chew when cut in thin slices against the grain.

Flank steak was the original London broil, named because it was a tough, flavorful cut that could be grilled (or broiled) like more expensive steaks. Now it’s more common to see London broil cut from the round. However, because the muscle fibers are not parallel in a round steak, it is impossible to make every slice against the grain of the meat, which is why London broil made from the round is always inconsistent in texture (see page 143 for more on London broil).

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TOUGH CUTS: CHUCK, BRISKET, AND ROUND Roasts and steaks from the tough cuts need special attention on the grill. They can be partially tenderized through marinating (see page 86), but this will not soften them completely. The chuck and brisket must be cooked slowly over indirect heat, and they benefit from frequent basting with a mop sauce or marinade (see pages 84 and 86).

A round of beef is huge, composed of four large muscle groups that vary greatly in tenderness. Only the top round, which comes from the soft inner thigh, is suitable for grilling, and only if it is marinated and cooked slowly via indirect heat.

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AGED BEEF Like cheese and wine, beef benefits from a period of aging, during which it becomes more tender and more flavorful. Although most meat is aged only incidentally for the few days it takes to ship it from the packing plant to the butcher’s counter, a small amount of prime grade beef is aged for a month or more. Dry-aged beef is rare, usually found only in expensive steak houses and at specialty butchers, but it is distinctive enough that you should be aware of it.

Dry aging is done with a combination of refrigeration (at 34° to 38°F/1° to 3°C) and high humidity (70 to 80 percent). Under these conditions, muscle enzymes in the meat remain active, breaking down large proteins into smaller, more flavorful amino acids, and breaking down glycogen into sweet sugars and fat into aromatic fatty acids. Other enzymes attack the connective tissue and contracted muscle fibers, causing them to relax and tenderizing the meat. This has two effects: It makes the collagen gelatinize more quickly during cooking, allowing the meat to be more tender at rarer temperatures, and it decreases the pressure of the connective tissue so that it squeezes out less juice as the meat cooks. The result: tender, juicy meat that can be served quite rare.

During the aging process, a substantial amount of dehydration takes place, which concentrates the meat’s flavor. Mold also grows