The goal with marinating is to maximize contact between the meat and the marinade To this, marinate your meat in a plastic zipper-lock bag with all the air squeezed out (I this by leaving a small air hole along one edge of the zipper lock, squeezing all the air towards it, then sealing it at the last moment before juices start leaking out), or, even better, seal the steaks in a Cryovac-style bag with a vacuum sealer Timing-wise, you should marinate for at least 1 and up to 12 hours Less, and the marinade simply doesn’t stick as well More, and the meat will start to get a bit too mushy and chalky around the edges, having a slightly cooked appearance from any acids or proteases present THE SIX INEXPENSIVE STEAKS YOU SHOULD KNOW There are dozens of cuts sold in supermarkets as cheap steak options, but here are my six favorites These are the pieces of the steer that chefs love to use because not only are they less expensive, but they’ve got character The high-end steaks are all cut from the same general region of the steer—along the ribs and spine Why? Because the muscles in that area—the longissimus dorsi and the psoas major—do little to no work during the steer’s lifetime They are large, tender, and remarkably easy to cut into big, juicy, meaty steaks The so-called butcher’s steaks, on the other hand, come from all over the steer, and they’re not always quite as easy to extract Many of them are whole muscles that must be trimmed just so to be tender enough and large enough to cook as steaks There are also not many of them on a steer For every 20 pounds of rib-eye and T-bone steaks you can get from a steer, for example, you’ll get perhaps to pounds hanger steak These butcher’s cuts tend to be more flavorful because of the work the muscles do, but because they’re not as marketable to the general public and require a bit more skill to cook and serve, they remain much cheaper than their mainstream counterparts This is good news for you! Here are the six steaks worth knowing Some of them— like flank—are edging up in price to the not-so-inexpensive range, but no matter where you shop, you’re bound to find one of them at a reasonable price ... are they less expensive, but they’ve got character The high-end steaks are all cut from the same general region of the steer—along the ribs and spine Why? Because the muscles in that area? ?the longissimus dorsi and the. .. psoas major—do little to no work during the steer’s lifetime They are large, tender, and remarkably easy to cut into big, juicy, meaty steaks The so-called butcher’s steaks, on the other hand, come from all over the steer, and they’re not always quite as easy...YOU SHOULD KNOW There are dozens of cuts sold in supermarkets as cheap steak options, but here are my six favorites These are the pieces of the steer that chefs love to use because not only are they less expensive, but they’ve got character