Today I was motivated to unravel the history of Denver steak: what is it, where is it cut from, and why is it suddenly everywhere?
It’s possible that Denver steaks had been languishing in butcher cases near and far, and I just hadn’t noticed their gradual ascent to everywhere-ness. Maybe? Doubtful. No one loves reading butcher labels more than I do. Once the Denvers were dominating, I started to suspect that the Coloradan term was just a marketing trick—a new name for an old thing, chosen to capture our attention. You know: calamari sounds so much sexier than “squid.” Non-alcoholic beverage infinitely cooler than “soda.”
I started with some online research, which revealed that the Denver steak is cut from the chuck, or shoulder. You might recall that one of the secret unlocks for The Coppa Burger recipe came when I tried it with chuck—it’s a cut prized for beefy flavor, good fat/lean ratio, and relative affordability.
The Denver steaks are cut from beneath the chuck roll, an area some sites referred to as an “under flap.” That’s another phrase that could use a rebranding due to unnecessary under-boob associations. But no one asked me.
Okay fine, Denver steaks are cut from the shoulder, but I still had not found anything about when, why, or how this steak earned its evocative cowboy name. My next move was to call a butcher: Brenton Young from The Meat Hook. Boy, did he have a story to tell! I recap Brenton’s 11-year-old origin story—a tale of hard-partying French butchers who taught some young whippersnappers a thing or two about under-flaps—in the video, so go watch it. Tl;dr, the key quote from Brenton:
To my knowledge, Denver steak has never been marketed as anything at all.
Well there you have it! Denver steak just … is. Comparable in flavor to a NY Strip, as tender as a ribeye, and about the same price per pound as London broil. If you don’t see anything called Denver steak at your butcher, ask them about it! And if they look at you crazy, go with boneless chuck ribs instead (I cooked both on camera so we could compare.) Truly cannot go wrong.
To go even more right, pair it with the no-recipe tomato and onion salad I made on camera while the steaks were resting:
Beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
Kosher salt
Thinly sliced red onion
Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic, chili crisp, or sambal oelek
Black vinegar or sherry vinegar
Mirin
MSG
Season the tomatoes with kosher salt and turn gently to coat. Let tomatoes sit until they start releasing juices, about 5 minutes. Add a thin stack of onion slices (for 1 beefsteak, I used about 1/4 of a small red onion). Drizzle some Hot Garlic over, then season with a few dashes each of black vinegar and mirin. Add a few shakes of MSG. Toss gently again to disperse seasonings. Taste and adjust spicy (Hot Garlic), sour (vinegar), sweet (mirin), and salty/enhancing (kosher salt, MSG) ingredients to suit your palate.
The hot steak with the spicy juicy tomatoes? Get OUTTA HEAHHHHH.
Other topics covered today:
Splatter screens, and what to do if you don’t have one
Emu and ostrich steaks!
What to look for when choosing a butcher, and where I buy meat in Brooklyn
Plus!
Competitive weight lifting
The joys of HEB in Texas
What the pressy downy had to do with Olivia Newton-John’s demise
My new work journal, which is going to solve all of my problems
To source the tools, ingredients, and equipment in this video, head here! (I earn affiliate income on some, but not all of these products, just fyi. Regardless: I’d never recommend something that I don’t actually use.)
Pop any steak, tomato, or butcher questions below!
