What Is A Deckle Of Beef, And What Can You Do With It?

Here's a word we bet you've never heard before in all your time buying and cooking beef: deckle. Don't worry if you haven't — this lesser-known term is mostly familiar to butchers and serious meat enthusiasts. Nonetheless, it's worth adding it to your vocab for one reason: a deckle represents some of the most prized cuts of beef you can find.

Interestingly, depending on who you're asking, a deckle can be one of two parts of the cow. For steak lovers, a deckle refers to the ribeye cap — that special cut at the top of the ribeye separated from the filet by a thick strip of fat. The tender meat combined with the juicy marbling makes the ribeye cap one of the best (and also most overlooked) parts of a full ribeye. Some even go as far as saying it's the best part of the cow overall (yes, even better than filet mignon)!

If you ask someone who takes their briskets seriously, though, the term deckle takes on a different meaning. Here, it refers to the "point" of a full brisket, where the meat connects to the ribcage. Unlike its ribeye counterpart, this deckle is far less popular. Some people hate the mushy flavor that all of the extra fat adds to their brisket, while others say that the hard fat makes it harder to cook. Either way, that has led to butchers making what's known as "deckle-off briskets" — true to the name, the deckle is sheared off in this super-lean brisket cut.

Now that you know what a deckle is, let's take a look at what exactly you can do with it. If you're working with a ribeye cap steak, the good news is that you don't need to do anything special — sear on each side for two minutes on a buttered skillet. As the steak cooks, the rich fat of the deckle slowly melts, naturally basting the meat while developing a beautiful golden-brown crust. People will have a very hard time believing your steak was cooked at home and not in a professional kitchen!

If you have a packer brisket on hand, instead of slicing off the deckle, keep it on as you go through the motion of rubbing the brisket with your favorite spices and herbs, then put it in the pot to slow-cook. The deckle's marbling will keep the meat succulent throughout the lengthy cooking time and will also give the meat a richer flavor.

In case you've already trimmed out the deckle on your own, put all that extra fat to use! Render it down to make beef tallow and you'll have a versatile cooking fat that can lend extra flavor to anything from your frozen french fries to morning eggs. Before long, not only will you find "deckle" in your regular vocab, but you'll actively seek it out every time you drop by your local butcher!