Tiger Mike On Beef Steaks

Grilled Strip Steak with Compound Butter

The strip steak — sometimes called a New York strip, a Kansas City strip or a strip loin steak — is one of the most highly prized cuts of beef. Tender and flavorful, it's ideal for high-heat, dry-heat cooking methods like grilling and broiling.

This recipe for broiled or grilled strip steak topped with compound butter is one of the classic steak preparations, and one of the simplest.

Traditionally called Maître d'Hôtel butter (or simply "hotel butter"), compound butter is butter that's had some sort of flavoring ingredient added — in this case, lemon juice and fresh parsley. But see below for variations on the classic compound butter. Alternately, you can serve this steak with a classic Béarnaise sauce. Also see:

What is the Best Steak?

The first step in cooking a perfect steak is choosing the right cut of beef. You want to select a cut of meat that's tender and has plenty of marbling. In general, the best cuts of beef for steak come from the rib, short loin or tenderloin primal cuts. Examples:

• The strip steak (sometimes called a New York strip or Kansas City strip), which is from the short loin;
• The Porterhouse and T-Bone steaks, which are comprised of meat from both the short loin and the tenderloin;
• The ribeye steak, which is from the rib primal cut;
• Filet mignon, which is a steak from the pointy end of the tenderloin.

Tenderloin steaks can also be taken from the butt or back end of the tenderloin where a small seam of connective tissue may run through the steak, making it less desirable than the filet mignon. Chateaubriand comes from the center cut of the tenderloin.