Cut highlight: Steak tips

I grew up with steak tips. Steak tips are a classic staple of the East Coast. However, steak tips are not tips of steaks.

They're actually... Get ready for it...

Flap meat.

It was a good idea to rebrand it as "steak tips," amirite?

Flap meat or flap steak is a thin cut of meat that comes from the bottom sirloin butt, similar to flank, hangar or skirt steak. It is generally cut into chunks or strips and marinated for hours, in a vinegary marinade with lots of spices and mustard seed (basically Italian dressing + mustard seed). 

So technically, it's not incorrect that it is the "tip" or bottom steak of the sirloin, but it is not the tip of a beef filet or stew meat like some people mistake it for. 

Because of its popularity, you may find steak tips that are the entire sirloin cut into chunks (you might see them as "sirloin tips"). On the East Coast at least, steak tips are more popular than sirloin steaks, so it makes sense to sell them this way. You may also see "chicken tips," which is basically just chicken breast in the same marinade.

If you're not on the East Coast, you may see it in your market as sirloin flap meat, flap steak, faux hanger, or bavette. You can buy it whole and cook it as you would a London broil, or prepare it like steak tips by cutting it into chunks and marinating. 

The longer it marinates, the better (try 24 hours). 

If you're on the East Coast, try it out with your customers and make sure your marinade is on point. If you're on the West Coast, your customers will know flap meat, when butterflied thin as carne asada. You can try introducing your customers to steak tips as a special (maybe you'll become known for it in your area) or sell it as a cut steak. It grills up surprisingly well when cut as a steak. 

My favorite way to prepare steak tips: 

Take 2 lbs of steak tips, dump a bottle of Italian salad dressing (the cheap kind with the little bits of red pepper and spices) and add 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire and 2 tablespoons of mustard seed. Mix it up, pop it in the fridge, grill them up the next day with some grilled peppers and onions.  Fahghetaboudit. 

Keto/lchf version: 
Makes 4 servings

Meat: 2 lbs of steak tips

Marinade:
1 TBS worcestershire sauce (use sparingly - and no HFCS - I use Lea & Perrin's)
1 TBS mustard seed
1 TBS red bell pepper, finely minced
1/4 cup EVOO
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TBS white vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 TBS dried parsley

Macros for the marinade:
Net carbs: 12.6g / 3.15g per serving
Fat: .1g
Protein: 2.2g / .55g per serving