The Cut Of Steak Anthony Bourdain Loved

A lot of people are going to try and give you advice on choosing and cooking a steak, but few people were more qualified to actually do that than Anthony Bourdain. The beloved chef, author, and travel show host was known for his strong opinions on food and food culture, and he wasn't afraid to let everybody know. From Bourdain's often harsh feelings about vegetarian food, to his lack of fear about slamming certain celebrity chefs, you always knew where he stood, for better or worse. But what always drew people to him was that his deep love of good food always shone through, and he was never more articulate and passionate than when he was talking about the food he loved. And if there was one thing he loved that he was known for when he was the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles, it was steak and beef.

At Les Halles the French classic steak frites, along with Bourdain's famously great French fries, was a signature dish. During an interview with Insider Tech before his passing, he made clear that one class of steak stands above all others: the rib cut. Unlike the tenderloin, which he claims chefs will never order, Bourdain says rib cuts have the perfect mix of fat for flavor, and lean, tender meat. As he explained, the rib cut isn't just prime rib, there is a whole family of rib steaks that share those delicious characteristics.

The rib is a primal cut of beef, which is a larger section of meat that then gets subdivided into smaller steaks. The rib primal is probably best known to most people as the section that produces two beloved, juicy cuts: prime rib and ribeye. Those cuts, and others from the rib, often have excellent fat marbling because the rib is an area of the cow that doesn't see a lot of muscle usage. But as Bourdain points out, there is a lot more to rib cuts than those two choices. He lists entrecôte and côte de boeuf as two other great steaks from the rib, with entrecôte being a more classic ribeye-like steak and côte de boeuf being similar to a standing rib roast.

As a fan of those already tender, perfectly fatty rib cuts, Bourdain knew the best way to cook them was simple: a good sear. Bourdain's two big tips here were simple. He liked his steaks well seasoned with plenty of good flaky sea salt and cracked pepper, and then he made sure to let it rest. A five to seven minute rest after cooking lets the moisture in these juicy cuts settle in the meat so it doesn't run out when you slice it. The man certainly understood that when you have a good steak, the last thing you want to do is mess with it too much.