WHAT IS A N.Y. STRIP?
This cut is known by many other names including strip loin, Kansas City strip, Omaha strip or ambassador steak. A favorite among food professionals, it’s a sub-primal cut taken from loin primal cut. The cut is about a foot long and yields about a dozen steaks. There is a trade-off here between the rich and beefy flavor (due in part to the marbling) versus the texture which is somewhat tough. However that’s also what makes this steak a popular choice for dry-aging. The connective tissue in the muscle breaks down while the already great flavor becomes more intense.
WHERE IS A NY STRIP STEAK LOCATED?
It’s located in the middle of the cow on the top part of the short loin (behind the ribs). The longissimus dorsi is a little used muscle resulting in a very tender cut of meat. The Ribeye cut also comes from this muscle, though that is the part closer to the neck and rib cage. The difference in location means that the ribeye will have marbling throughout the cut while a NY strip will usually instead have a thick rim of fat.
WHICH IS BETTER BONE IN OR BONELESS NY STRIP?
While this cut is usually served boneless, bone in is the better option. The bone helps to insulate and keep the juices inside the steak. And it also allows the meat closer to the bone to cook slower. So there is less of a risk of over-cooking your steak. Though the farther the meat is from the bone the faster it will cook.
WHAT RECIPES WORK WELL WITH THIS CUT?
Make sure to bring your steaks to room temperature before cooking! You can either grill or pan fry and in both cases cover liberally with oil and spices and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side. If you want to have some fun and are pan frying, add some additional ingredients (rosemary, shallots, etc) for more flavor. To see how to grill this cut indoors click here, or to pan fry click here!