Choose A Good Steak Without Any Help Besides This One Pro Tip

Investing in a great steak that will impress is no small task. When you're shopping you may find yourself alone with no butcher or staff member to guide you towards the right cut of meat, so we reached out to an expert and procured the one pro tip you need to shop smart and buy the perfect cut of steak for your dinner party. Jamie Waldron, owner and operator of J. Waldron Butchers in Ontario, Canada, lent us his expertise in choosing the right steak. "The public will always shop with their eyes and normally that'll be the best way in vetting a cut of meat," Waldron explained. "Beef should be an even, deep red."

He elaborated that shopping for good steak may require "some flexibility," but that going into your shopping experience with a game plan is key. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed if there's no butcher to help you. It's important to be mindful of what kind of steak you're buying, how many people you're feeding, and what a good portion size is. A standard serving size for steak is around six to eight ounces per person, but Waldron doesn't suggest using this is a hard and fast rule when serving a larger group. Don't shop to have the exact right amount of beef for one serving per person, especially if you're cooking up other main proteins or a huge spread of side dishes. If you have a solid outline for the meal as a whole and stick to it, you're on the path to success.

That deep red hue that Waldron says is a good indicator of fresh steak is due to the myoglobin. Myoglobin is a pigmented protein that is sensitive to air exposure and changes color over time. According to the USDA, steak is dark and almost purple before it is exposed to oxygen, and turns the bright red color we're used to seeing in steak after around 15 minutes of air exposure. Eventually, the myoglobin changes color and gives beef a dull brown coloring. That's why looking for a bold and uniformed red color in your steak is a great rule of thumb for selecting meat that is freshest, even without a butcher's guidance.

If you're able to smell the meat before buying it, do so. That can also be a quick indicator of how fresh beef is. A fresh cut of steak should have a very neutral smell or no smell at all. Anything that is slightly sour, funky, tangy, or anything more than a mild metallic smell is a sure sign that something is off. If you're following Waldron's advice to shop with your eyes and remain organized yet flexible when choosing a steak, you're well equipped to shop solo and with confidence.