What's a culotte steak?

That is, what part of the steer?
I cooked up another one last night. They're reasonably priced, and need a good long soak in marinade to tenderize them. I used Mom's ancient bourbon and soy marinade.
Flavor and texture similar to round steak or tri-tip, not the coarse texture of flank or hanger steak.

I think next time I'll braise one and make sort of a Swiss steak out of it.

John

John, had not heard of it myself, but found this on the internet: A Culotte steak is the premier cut from the cap of the top sirloin. Very few steaks can be cut from the top cap making this steak the filet mignon of the sirloin.

Based on that description don't know why it had to be marinated.

I've seen these before but never purchased one as I was a little suspicious of where the cut actually came from. Sounds like it might be pretty good, though, if handled right.

If it's top sirloin, the ones I've bought (several, over the last two or three years), it's from an elderly steer!
Actually, I usually marinate sirloin.
Cooking for one, I find it useful to poke around with cuts that you don't have to buy and hack into two or three pieces.

John

I've never had one, but a quick Google around suggests that it is a chunk taken off a tri-tip sirloin:
http://winnmeat.com/newsletter/archives ... ndex.shtml

So, good flavor but not a tender cut.

Ok, Jeff, that's the piece of meat. Bottom sirloin makes more sense than top sirloin.
The cut in the market is usually 8 to 10 ounces.

John

Here is what the Cooks Thesaurus has to say about the culotte steak. I am also posting what they say about a hanger steak and a flatiron steak. My favorite of the three is the flatiron. The thesaurus says that the flatiron has a lot of gristle in it, but modern style of cutting meat removes this when it is cut from the chuck.

Culotte steak = Coulotte steak = culotte steak = culottes steak = top sirloin cap steak Notes: This is a small, boneless steak cut from the sirloin. It's got good flavor, but it's a bit tougher than other steaks so you might want to marinate before cooking it. Substitutes: sirloin steak

Hanger steak = hanger steak = hanging tender = butcher's steak = butcher's tenderloin = onglet Notes: This is the part of the diaphragm that hangs between the last rib and the loin. It's often ground in hamburger (or butchers just take it home), but some people claim that its grainy texture and intense flavor make it a first-rate steak (if marinated first). It's better known in France than in the United States, so you'll probably have to ask your butcher to set one aside for you. Substitutes: skirt steak OR flank steak


Flatiron = top blade steak = book steak = butler steak = lifter steak = petite steak = top chuck steak = flat iron steak Notes: Though a lowly chuck steak, this cut is tender enough to grill, broil, or pan-fry, as long as you marinate it first. If you don't mind cutting around some gristle, this is an economical and flavorful steak. It's also great for making fajitas. Substitutes: eye of round steak OR top sirloin OR round tip steak.

[Jenise]

I've never had one, but a quick Google around suggests that it is a chunk taken off a tri-tip sirloin:
http://winnmeat.com/newsletter/archives ... ndex.shtml

So, good flavor but not a tender cut.

Interesting factoid there from Bruce Aidell: "Before the advent of boxed beef, the tri-tip was attached to bone-in sirloin steaks." I've personally never seen a bone-in sirloin, and I've been shopping for meat since childhood owing to my family circumstances.

I've personally never seen a bone-in sirloin, and I've been shopping for meat since childhood owing to my family circumstances.

Jenise, are you talking about a roast or a steak? I've had a zillion of the latter; probably my very first one at that.

Bob -
Ok, that's another good description of the culotte steaks I've been buying.
Hanger steak is a steak I see in the market and have had at several French-style bistro-ish restaraunts. Tasty and can be tough. The texture is much like flank steak or the dark, coarse, very tasty rim around a rib or rib-eye steak.
I've seen flatiron on menus and I don't think I've ever ordered it. I don't remember seeing it in a butcher shop in SillyValley or Sonoma County.
Jenise -
I can't remember seeing a bone-in sirloin steak or roast, either. Maybe it's an East-Coastian sort of thingamabob?

John