Steaks can make the cut for thrifty cooks

Nothing sets my taste buds on fire like a good cut of meat ““ and I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.

Steak is one of those things that a lot of people are afraid to cook because it’s just as easy to mess up as it is to do really well.

But fear not, beef eater, you will learn how to choose and cook your meat.

The first thing you need to know when going out to buy a steak is what the different grades mean: prime, choice and select.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture grades beef based on how “marbled” the meat is.

Marbling refers to little flakes of white fat that appear throughout the cut ““ and the more there are the better the flavor and tenderness of the meat.

Prime is fantastic, but according to the USDA Web site only about 2 percent of steaks are rated prime, and the rest are relegated to choice or select status.

While on a college budget, I suggest going for the middle road and pick an inexpensive “choice steak.”

The other thing to consider when buying steak is the cut of the meat, and there are a lot to choose from: chuck, rib, brisket, plate, shank, short loin, frank, sirloin, tenderloin, top sirloin, bottom sirloin and round.

The tenderloin is the most tender and expensive part of a cow, and it is the cut that filet mignon comes from.

You will probably not be buying that.

Some inexpensive steaks are skirt steak, which comes from the plate on the underbelly of the cow; London broil, which comes from the flank on the rear underbelly of the cow; and tri-tip, which comes from a triangular muscle in the bottom sirloin section toward the rear of the cow.

All of these cook a bit differently, and for this column I chose to buy a choice tri-tip from Costco.

I spent a little over $20 for about five good cuts of meat ““ a very small fraction of what you would pay at a restaurant.

While I was at Costco I also bought a huge container of dry rub ““ a mix of seasonings designed for use with a steak, and in my opinion the best way to go for a quicker meal.

There are a lot of different brands, and it may take time to pick one you really like, but most all of them will offer a great mix of seasonings.

The other way to flavor meat is with a marinade, which involves bathing the meat in a mix of herbs, spices and oil.

But that takes a long time ““ at least a few hours, which is time I don’t have.

The USDA is great at rating meat, and they offer a plethora of wonderful suggestions about storage times and temperatures that you might want to check out on their Web site.

However, I think they tend to be overly cautious about bacteria and cooking times.

A lot of people think meat and poultry have the same risk for bacteria, and therefore apply the same philosophy for cooking and handling a piece of chicken to a steak.

That’s just plain wrong. There are a variety of cooking times and temperatures that suit a steak. I like mine practically still mooing ““ not a philosophy I apply to cooking chicken.

When you finally find a piece of meat that suits your budget, cover it in a layer of dry rub, and let it sit out for at least half an hour so it can get down to room temperature, which is ideal for cooking.

I like to cook it on a gas grill over low heat for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the cut.

Start the grill off hot, and then turn the temperature down all the way once the steak is on the grill.

Resist the temptation to keep flipping and turning it, only turning it over once halfway through.

Buy a meat thermometer, because the only way to tell if it’s done is by the temperature at the center. I like to pull the steak off the grill with an internal temperature of about 120 degrees.

That number will climb a bit when you take it off the grill because of carryover heat, and make sure to let your steak sit under some tin foil for about 10 minutes before you cut into it so the juices can distribute throughout the meat.

If you prefer your meat completely dead, e-mail Pesce at [email protected].