'Garbage' Was How Anthony Bourdain Described This Type Of Steak

Anthony Bourdain was not shy about sharing his opinion about food and how it should be prepared. The late chef even took to penning a piece for The New Yorker to share his thoughts on well-done steaks. He wrote, "People who order their meat well-done perform a valuable service for those of us in the business who are cost-conscious: they pay for the privilege of eating our garbage." What exactly did he mean by that? 

Bourdain went on to explain that restaurants get cuts of meat that are less than perfect and cannot be served because they have too much connective tissue or are a little on the older side and feel sticky to the touch. 

These subpar cuts of meat are the ones that belong on your list of steaks to avoid. While the chef could throw these pieces of steak in the trash, that's money down the drain for a restaurant working on tight margins. So, instead, they reserve these pieces of beef for those patrons who order their steaks well-done. It may seem a little bit like a "haters gonna hate" mentality against people who don't like to see pink or red juices when they eat a steak, but is it?

What Anthony Bourdain was trying to convey to diners is not to throw their money away. If you want a well-done steak, more power to you. Just buy it at the grocery store and prepare it yourself, or you will literally get the piece of meat that would otherwise be tossed in the garbage. If you are spending your hard-earned dollars, you deserve a cut of steak that isn't subpar. 

Just remember, heat and meat can be a beautiful thing until the temperature is left unchecked, and it transforms a succulent, tender steak into a dry, tough, and chewy bite. This is because all of the juices get squeezed out. Of course, that doesn't mean you need to leave it raw and bloody. You need only to cook your steak to a medium temperature to have the fat melt and the collagen loosen up to produce a yielding consistency that your teeth will want to sink into.

When it came to steak cuts, the "Parts Unknown" host shunned the tenderloin. In fact, Bourdain's favorite cut of steak was from the rib primal. He felt that it was the perfect balance of lean and fat, producing the best flavor and texture for the consumer. But if you are going to cook a steak past the point of no return, then choose wisely. A fatty porterhouse or ribeye is perfect for this undertaking.