A T-bone steak is typically prized as one of the most valued cuts of steak. This is because the T-bone steak consists of two of the most valued cuts of meat. The T-bone steak is characterized by a T shaped bone in the middle that has a different cut of meat on each side. The larger side consists of a strip loin cut of meat while the smaller side of a T-bone steak consists of a tenderloin cut.
The two sides of a t-bone steak can both be kept as they are and served as a T-bone steak or they can be separated into a strip steak and a filet mignon steak. The existence of these two prized cuts of meats in one cut is what makes the T-bone steak such a commodity.
A T-bone steak cut is formed by cutting a lumbar vertebra in half through the vertical column. The downward portion of the T in a T-bone steak is actually the transversal of the vertebra. The spinal muscles surround the downward portion of the T and these muscles make up the flesh of a T-bone steak.
Although the butcher removes the spinal cord when preparing a T-bone steak, there is still the concern by some that the T-bone steak may transmit Mad Cow Disease. As a result of this concern there are areas of the world where a T-bone steak cut is avoided for fear of this disease.
Cooking a T-bone steak can be a tricky process. This is because the T-bone steak consists of two different cuts of meat that will cook differently over the same amount of time. Additional the existence of the bone presents a challenge in preparing a T-bone steak.
The bone material conducts heat so the meat that is closest to the bone in the T-bone steak will cook faster than the meat that is farther away from the bone in the T-bone steak. These unique challenges can make cooking a T-bone steak difficult and it is sometimes necessary to accept that some portions of your T-bone steak will be less cooked then others.
