New York strip steak substitutes

The most popular alternative and the easiest to find, cut from the rib section right next to the strip. It has considerably more intramuscular fat, so it eats richer, juicier and softer, and it tastes more buttery and less cleanly beefy than a strip. Two practical consequences: it flares up much more on a grill, so keep a cooler zone ready, and it is more forgiving if you overshoot medium-rare because the extra fat keeps it moist. People who prefer strip usually do so because they like a firmer bite and less grease.

Best for

grilling, pan-searing, rich steak dinners, forgiving cooking

Pull it at the same 130-135F. The fat means it drips, so use a pan with sides indoors.

The value swap most steak cooks should make more often. Top sirloin is leaner and firmer than strip, with a straightforward strong beef flavor that some people prefer, and it usually costs a third to a half less. Because it has less fat, it goes from juicy to dry quickly, so cook it to 130F and not a degree further, slice it against the grain, and finish it with a knob of garlic butter to make up the difference. Do not cook it well done, which is where the gap between sirloin and strip becomes obvious.

Best for

everyday steak dinners, grilling, steak salads and sandwiches, budget cooking

American top sirloin is not the same cut as British sirloin. British sirloin is the strip itself.

Cut from the shoulder, well marbled, remarkably tender for the price, and the best-kept secret at the meat counter. It has a deep, almost sweet beef flavor and a texture close to a strip's, though the grain is looser and it eats a shade softer. It is thinner than a strip, usually three quarters of an inch, so it cooks fast: two to three minutes a side over high heat. Slice it across the grain and it holds up alongside steaks costing twice as much.

Best for

pan-searing, grilling, steak tacos and salads, cheap steak night

Check for a line of gristle down the center and buy pieces where the butcher has removed it.

A T-bone is a strip steak with the bone still attached and a piece of tenderloin on the other side, so this is not really a substitute so much as the same steak plus extras. Flavor is identical on the strip side, and the bone slows cooking slightly near the center. Because the two muscles cook at different rates, position the tenderloin side away from the hottest part of the grill. Buy about a third more weight than a boneless strip to allow for the bone.

Best for

grilling, sharing, restaurant-style presentation

A porterhouse is simply a T-bone with a larger tenderloin section. Both eat like a strip.

Both are cut from the sirloin area and both deliver assertive, satisfying beef flavor with a firm chew, which is exactly what strip fans want. Picanha comes with a thick fat cap that you leave on and render, giving a richness closer to ribeye, while tri-tip is leaner. Both are usually noticeably cheaper. The catch with tri-tip is that the grain changes direction partway through, so cut the piece at the bend and slice each half separately, or it will feel tough regardless of doneness.

Best for

grilling, Brazilian and Santa Maria style, feeding several people, good value

Cook picanha with the fat cap down first to render it, then flip.

Sometimes called the poor man's ribeye, this is the first couple of inches of the chuck adjoining the rib, so it carries real marbling and a rich flavor at a fraction of the price. It is the cheapest cut here that can honestly be grilled to medium-rare. The honest caveat is consistency: some steaks have a seam of gristle or a tougher patch, so it is less reliable than a strip. Cook it fast and hot to 130F, rest it, and slice it thin against the grain.

Best for

cheap grilled steak, pan-searing, steak and eggs, weeknight cooking

Only the first two steaks off the chuck are chuck eye. Regular chuck steak must be braised, not grilled.