The 10 Best Cuts of Steak to Grill

Few things are better than a properly grilled steak. Smoky, juicy, with a lightly crisp crust, it's an entrée worthy of a celebratory meal but quick and easy enough for a weeknight. Before firing up the grill, you'll need pick your cut of beef.

For the most part, the best steaks to grill will come from the beef primal cut called the short loin, but we've included standouts from some of the other cuts of beef as well. We've included pricy cuts as well as cheaper but no less delicious steaks for the barbecue. Any of the steaks below will make a great, drool-worthy grilled steak. To help you get the most out of your steak, we've also included a number of specific recipes for the various cuts. Read on, and then get your grill on!

illustration showing best steaks for grilling — The Spruce / Brianna Gilmartin

01 of 10

Rib-Eye Steaks

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The rib-eye steak is perhaps the finest of all steaks, offering a combination of luxurious tenderness plus big, beefy flavor. Whether you opt for the boneless or bone-in version, rib-eye steaks are ideal candidates for the grill. Sometimes you'll hear it called a rib-eye, other times a rib steak, but for all practical purposes, the two terms are synonymous. Rib-eye is great with a spicy dry rub but it's also lovely with nothing more than salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until it reaches the desired doneness.
02 of 10

Strip Steaks

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Alternately called a New York strip, Kansas City strip, strip loin, or top loin steak, the strip steak is every bit as magnificent as the rib-eye. Strip steaks might pack more intense beef flavor than a rib-eye, possibly at the expense of tenderness, but there are so many variables—including grading, aging, and marbling—that it's a draw. Plus, you can always add moisture by serving your strip steak with a compound butter. The bone-in version, while less common, is sometimes called a club steak.
03 of 10

Tenderloin Steaks

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Beef tenderloin is the most tender and expensive cut of beef. This long, pencil-shaped muscle resides deep within the beef short loin where it avoids most of the heavy lifting that can make a steak tough. The downside? It's not particularly flavorful. Cuts from the pointy part of the pencil are where we get filet mignon (beware of butchers who call any tenderloin steaks filet mignon). Lower fat content can make tenderloin dry if overcooked so take care to not leave it on the grill too long. Grilled filet mignon with bearnaise sauce is a classic and delicious pairing.
04 of 10

Porterhouse Steaks

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The porterhouse steak is a cross-section of the beef short loin taken from the rump end. It features a cross-section of the backbone with a portion of the rib-eye muscle on one side and a slice of tenderloin on the other side. These will cost you an arm and a leg at a steakhouse, but you can grill porterhouse steaks at home for a fraction of the cost.

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05 of 10

T-Bone Steaks

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T-bone steaks are a lot like porterhouse steaks, only they are cut slightly forward on the short loin and thus have less or even none of the tenderloin muscle attached, so they lean more towards the rib-eye end the steak spectrum. Conversely, because they come further away from the rump, the rib-eye muscle in the t-bone is slightly more tender than in a porterhouse. Serve these juicy steaks with buttery sautéed mushrooms—the earthy flavor of the mushrooms complements the bold flavor of the t-bone perfectly.
06 of 10

Skirt Steaks

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Our first selection to come from somewhere other than the short loin section of the cow, skirt steak comes to us from the beef plate primal cut, specifically from the inside of the chest and abdominal cavity. Thick-grained and bound with chewy connective tissue, the skirt steak is nevertheless extremely flavorful. If you cook it very fast on a very hot grill (even directly on the coals), it will make a splendid dinner. Be sure to slice it against the grain and try it in fajitas and tacos.
07 of 10

Top Sirloin Steaks

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Top sirloin steaks represent a compromise between cost, flavor, and tenderness. Taken from the beef sirloin primal cut, which runs from the lower back to the hip bone, top sirloin steak is much less tender than its counterpart in the short loin, but still tender enough to grill. It will be drier and tougher, so take special care to avoid overcooking. The top sirloin cap, the most marbled part of top sirloin, is also called picanha and is the specialty of the churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse).
08 of 10

Flank Steaks

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Flank steak comes from the beef flank primal cut or the belly, and like the skirt steak, it is both flavorful and tough, with fat bundles of muscle fibers that make up its thickly grained texture. As with the skirt steak, flank steak needs to be grilled quickly over very high heat and sliced against the grain. A good marinade will add flavor (but marinating does not tenderize the meat).

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09 of 10

Chuck Eye Steaks

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Chuck eye steaks are the very first or maybe first two steaks cut from the beef chuck primal cut, right where it joins the rib primal. Since the precise location of the division is arbitrary, the first chuck eye steak is basically a rib-eye. But because it came from the chuck rather than the rib, it can't be called a rib-eye and costs a lot less. Cook them quickly over high heat, and be careful not to overcook them.
10 of 10

Flat-Iron Steaks

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Flat-iron steaks are taken from the beef chuck primal and are basically a top blade steak that's cut lengthwise rather than crosswise. This avoids the thick seam of gristle that traverses it, making it more tender. Cook it quickly over high heat until medium-rare for the best flavor and texture. Marinating the flat-iron steak in a simple mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive, oil, salt, and pepper will also boost its flavor.