A Steak By Any Other Name

Ever hear of a flat iron or tri tip steak?What about a porterhouse chop?If you haven"t then don't feel so culinary clueless.These are all pieces of beef and pork that have been rebranded or renamed.Butcher shops and grocery stores are giving ordinary cuts fancy new names in order to make them salable and tempting to consumers.Think about that as you're grilling your bavette more on that later. Kim Severson got the confusing job of untangling and deciphering these new meat names and where they originated in her article in today's Dining section of The New York Times. She herself had been on a quest for the tri tip, a triangular cut of beef that resembles a large ,fat marbled liver.It is hugely popular in California where it's turned into sandwiches or barbecued by just about everyone.However it's only native to the Golden State.She has tried to find it on the East Coast and the South but to no avail.It just isn't offered..Certain butchers ,depending where they're located stick to certain cuts that sell well..Also different joints of meat are called by different names also. A chuck might be labeled as pot roast.A pork chop is now called a porterhouse chop(and not to be confused with a porterhouse steak).The US Meat Council realizes those disparity and will issue a more uniform method to accurately naming cuts and chops.The flank or skirt steak you always order in your favorite,local steak house will now be the same kind you put on your grill.The new labels will have the common name for the cut followed by the type of animal it came from along with the meats characteristics.It is then followed with the barest of cooking instructions such as grill for best results. Ms .Severson also writes about the clever ploys meat sellers use to sell less manageable tougher cuts.That cut, the bavette is really a fancy moniker for flap steak.The inventor, CoryCorman who runs a grass fed beef farm in Oregon wante to give the difficult cut a name that would be both fancy and intriguing.It is a chewy piece, hard to cook into tenderness and hard on the gums to eat.Once it was renamed, it became a must have for chefs in Portland,this practice is common in artisinal butcher shops where simple parts are renamed to attract trendy home chefs.Another problem is that they cut the meat using Europeans or their own standard.Yes, this results in meat lovers trying cuts they normally would not but it does put strain on the pocketbook.What they don't tell buyers is that the meat is going to be tougher or chewier and may need an extra kick in marinAting or a certain way of cutting it up.Even large scale meat purveyors have succumbed to this ,despite the problems that it has caused.Look at the porterhouse chop.The beef people don't like this and how the pork industry have stolen the name from them. re naming also gets people to try different cuts other than the widely popular skirt and flank types. It opens up a home chef's range , letting them experiment with different methods, rubs and marinades. A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. Will a flank steak renamed taste just as delicious? Probably, if the home chef knows what to do with it.