L&B Guide to Beef

If you’ve always dreamed of making steak at home, or if you already cook steak at home but feel like you’re kinda winging it when it comes to choosing a cut at the store — tenderloin? porterhouse? New York strip? And what in the world is Wagyu? — we’re here to help.

First things first, where does steak come from? Cattle, yes. But more specifically, steak cuts come from an area near the top and back of the animal where there’s more fat and less connective tissue, so the meat is tender and cooks up quickly. Some steak cuts include the bone; some don’t.

We source most of our beef exclusively from the family-owned Double R Ranch® in Washington State. Double R Ranch beef is hand sorted and includes only USDA choice grade or higher — and they’re committed to only working with ranchers who make certain the cattle are well cared for and the beef is always robust, juicy and tender. 

Steak tends to be pricier than other cuts of meat, in part because it comes from a relatively small area of the cow. Prime real estate equals prime prices. So when buying steak, it helps to know what each cut offers in terms of tenderness and flavor. Here’s what you need to know:

Double R Ranch® Premium Choice Porterhouse Steak. When you want a meal that makes a statement, reach for a porterhouse steak. It’s an impress-your-date, celebrate-finishing-your-dissertation, congrats-on-the-big-promotion cut of meat because it combines two choice cuts — the tenderloin and the New York strip — into one weighty chunk of beef. It’s often served in restaurants as a meal for two, but some gourmands like the challenge of eating an entire one themselves. A note on cooking porterhouse steaks: the tenderloin side cooks faster than the New York strip side, so keep the tenderloin side further away from the direct heat when grilling or broiling. 

L&B Reserve Aged Beef® Choice Boneless New York Strip Steak. People love New York strip steaks for their rich, robust flavor and big, bold bite. It’s a steak you can really sink your teeth into and, when you do, you’re rewarded with an endlessly meaty flavor. We use a proprietary process (developed in house) to age our New York strips with activated charcoal and alderwood salt in cedar paper for a minimum of 28 days to deepen the flavor, add richness and bring out its full tenderness. We like to cook our Reserve Aged Beef by searing it in a cast iron pan with some garlic and rosemary, then put it in the oven at 425 F convection (middle rack) for 5 to 7 minutes for medium to medium-rare.  

Snake River Farms® 75% Lean American Wagyu Ground Beef. Also known as American-Style Kobe Beef, American Wagyu Beef comes from Japanese Wagyu cattle that have been crossbred with continental cattle breeds. The intense marbling of Wagyu beef makes it juicier and gives it more umami flavor; umami is a “pleasant savory taste” or deliciousness that is found in foods like mushrooms, tomatoes and aged cheese. Making burgers with American Wagyu elevates burger night into something truly special. Prep them however you prefer your burgers. 

American Wagyu Beef Boneless Eye of Rib-Eye Steak. American Wagyu beef is known for its marbling and high percentage of intermuscular fat, which gives it a rich flavor, juicy texture and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Rib eye is the center cut of the rib and you can grill, sauté or broil it. 

Double R Ranch® Premium Choice Beef Tenderloin Steak. Often referred to as filet mignon, tenderloin is the leanest of all the cuts and the most tender. Like our porterhouse, our tenderloin comes from Double R Ranch in the Okanagan region of Washington State, where they hand-sort all their cuts of beef and select only USDA choice grade or higher. Tenderloin steaks tend to be quite thick, so we like to pan-sear them and  finish them in the oven.