Pan-fried steak was always a "heresy to me"....however.....

[Mind_your_head]

even though our family (through my youngest daughter) are moving towards a vegetarian diet. I was really jonesing for some beef meat tonight. $9.98/lb. *yikes!* $6.98 for two 'eight-ounce' portions (meaning almost $14/lb. *more yikes*) wasn't 'attractive'.

So I saw something called 'beef chuck eye steak" with a BIG 'pan-fry' sticker on it.....

Long story short. I googled. Got out my cast iron skillet, pan-fried like I've never pan-fried before (smoke & all).....and that inexpensive beef/steak was among the best I've ever had!

(Maybe the vegetarianism has made me a 'bit crazy'.....but maybe I can recognize a "good thing" when I see/taste it!) ;-)

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. I do pan fried steaks

when we have the red meat jones - like you , we have cut WAY back. What I do usually is sautee some sliced onion first until they are very well done and then I remove them and pan fry the steaks. Then I put the onions back in the pan and degalze with red wine until reduced but with still a little pan juice and then put that over the steaks. Yum!

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Congratualtions on discovering the best value in beefdom - the chuck eye steak

It is the end of the rib eye that extends into the chuck. As chuck, the price goes down. It also has that ugly seam running diagonally through it. None of that matters. It is tender and flavorful ...... and very cheap.

It is the only steak I buy.

Truly, the best value in steaks.

Keep it a secret. They can only cut six of them from a cow. If demand goes up, it will get as spendy as tenderloin.

edit to add: Link to an earlier post of mine on this very steak: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=48209

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. Remember when I found those discounted?

And we had that great thread about secret cuts of meat and marked-down deals?

It was that exact cut, and I've never seen them again. They were marked down to an absurd price, and they were terrific.

Our friend, catnhatnh, posted about the schedule for marked-down foods in markets. He knew all kinds of neat stuff.

Remember?

[hobbit709]

4. That's why I look to see what's on sale

And have a 20 cu ft chest freezer in the garage. Lately there's been price wars in the local natural food stores here. I got fillet mignon for $3.99/lb 100% natural beef if you bought the whole chunk-$24 got me 16 nice steaks. Recently they had whole rib roast for the same price-$40 got me about 2 dozen nice ribeyes and a couple racks of ribs.
30 years ago someone gave me a copy of Merle Ellis' Cutting Up In The Kitchen-best book ever on how to buy one cut and turn into a more expensive cut with a little knife work.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I *do* remember that thread

I don't know why they don't sell them where you are (about an hour south of me). All the stores here sell them. And (so far - knock wood) they're still cheap.