The Cut Of Meat Andrew Zimmern Loves For Budget-Friendly Grilling

Nearly every chef has a favorite steak cut for each situation they find themselves in. While Anthony Bourdain found that sirloins and rib steaks were the best steak cuts overall, buying steaks on a budget will likely lead you in a different direction. Luckily, Andrew Zimmern knows exactly how to get more bang for your buck when it comes to choosing your steak, and he says that the tri-tip is the best option. 

Zimmern offered his advice during an exclusive interview with Mashed in 2021 and prefaced it by noting that the key to utilizing tri-tips to their fullest potential is only possible if you find them well-produced. "A tri-tip, when it comes from an average producer, is good, not great," Zimmern admitted. "A tri-tip that comes from a really good animal and a really good butcher shop, a really nice, nice tri-tip that's well-marbled, I think is one of the most flavorful and delicious cuts." Beyond buying an optimal tri-tip steak, the cut is one that benefits from being marinated before grilling and, according to Zimmern, is cooked past medium rare but not quite to medium. This allows the connective tissue within the meat to break down properly while still maintaining its juiciness.

While Zimmern joins the likes of Guy Fieri as an advocate for tri-tip steaks, the budget-friendly steak is far from the only unique cut of steak that Zimmern enjoys to cook with. Zimmern also appreciates cuts from the chuck and the plate of the cow, which are generally less sought-after than the ribs, sirloin, and tenderloin. As he explained to Mashed, "I know that's a real sort of popular thing to say these days to pick one of those arcane things, like the outside skirt, like the flat iron, like the tri-tip, but I really do think they have superb value."

Otherwise, Zimmern generally isn't a big fan of the tenderloin, which isn't too much of a surprise considering his aforementioned love for a well-marbled cut of meat. However, he affirmed that just having an abundance of fat doesn't make a steak cut great. "I love ribeyes and porterhouses and New York strips as much as the next guy," Zimmern prefaced, "Oftentimes, there tends to be too much fat in them, especially if they're corn finished."

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