There are a whole lot of mail-order steaks out there. Even Donald Trump has gotten into the act with his Sharper Image beef. But at their best, like at Peter Luger's or Lobel's, mail-order steaks are really good and really expensive. But a few weeks ago I had a flat-iron steak from Lobel's that was killer and downright reasonable. The flat-iron cut is also known as top blade steak, and it's both very beefy and very tender, an usual combination in a moderately priced piece of beef ($15.98 plus shipping). Lobel's never freezes its meat, they only ship meat that is at least prime-graded, and if you've never had a flat-iron steak before, it will be a revelation.... More

With all the talk today in the nation's various food sections about grilling and steak, I thought it would be fitting to feature a steak-related tip from What's a Cook to Do?, James Patterson's extremely useful book of kitchen tips that explains almost everything. After the jump, Steaks, by Cut. And, thanks to the good folks at Artisan Books, we're giving away five (5) copies of this enormously helpful book.... More

"Everyone's going to assume you know the drill, so just be careful and watch for sides of beef as they roll by on the overhead track." That was my guide's advice before we stepped into the chilled processing facility at Master Purveyors, a meat distributor at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market in the Bronx. The journey actually started a few weeks ago, when my guide on this recent early morning adventure, Adam Perry Lang (Daisy May's BBQ and Robert's Steakhouse), floated the idea of dragging me out to Hunts Point at 1:30 a.m. as part of a multipart series of burger posts—"burgers, from butcher to table," as I came to think of it.... More

If you want to talk about the importance of knowing where the ingredients you cook with come from, it turns out that at the restaurants owned by David Burke, all the steaks are from cows sired by a bull named Prime that he bought in 2005: "The purchase made perfect business sense, he said, because by breeding the same bull, the restaurant guarantees its steaks are of the highest quality. 'We bought his genes, basically,' said Burke, whose customers tell him his steaks are the best they've ever eaten."... More

Donald Trump, billionaire, owner* of the world's most famous combover, and now purveyor of over-priced meats? He recently launched his latest venture, Trump Steaks, selling USDA Prime Certified Angus Beef filet mignon, New York strip, rib eye, porterhouse, and steak burgers, to be distributed exclusively through his website and, as Grub Street said, the "appropriately eighties" Sharper Image. The meats are packaged in four collections: Classic, the cheapest, includes four steaks and twelve burgers, and costs $199; the priciest is Connoisseur, which has sixteen steaks, twenty-four burgers and will set you back a whopping $999—and that's before shipping, which is presumably not free. Trump touts the fact that his steaks are "selected so that their beef meets nine additional... More

Good Kobe beef is surprisingly difficult to find in its namesake city, at least according to Japan-based food blogger Rameniac. But here's his tip: Look for the old, graying guy in the business suit, the one that’s perfectly at ease and carries himself like he owns the town. He’s smoking a cigarette, waiting for a cab perhaps, but definitely not behaving like a drunken ass or brown-nosing superiors. You don’t want middle management and you don’t want the underlings after all. If you’re lucky, you will have chanced upon a vice president or even a shachyo, the big boss, a higher up for a major electric power or heavy industries conglomerate. He might then give you his card and... More

Value Pack is an alphabet made of raw hamburger. Each letter character is hand-shaped, packaged, and photographed by Robert Bolesta. [via swissmiss]... More

A couple months ago, we commissioned filmmaker George Motz to go filmmakin' for us. Today, he sends us this piece, which details a trip to the butcher to get some freshly ground beef for—what else?—hamburgers. (He is George "Hamburger America" Motz, after all.) More