When creating steak dishes, there are lots of different cuts to choose from. Often this can become a sticking point as it’s difficult to know which cut is best for which dish.
In this post, we’re going to find out what is the best steak to use for pepper steak?
To ensure that when you whip up this dish, it is as tasty, delicious, and tender as possible.
In short, the best steak to use for pepper steak is the flank steak!
Let’s find out why…
Contents
What Is Pepper Steak?
Pepper steak is a Chinese-style dish.
It is made by stir-frying beef and vegetables in a peppery sauce and often topped with chopped green onions for added texture and flavor.
The dish is attributed to the American-Chinese cuisine scene, as it has been served at Chinese restaurants throughout America since the 1940’s.
Pepper steak is a dish that many Americans enjoy and treat themselves to from a takeaway restaurant.
This dish is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. If you’ve never tried it, I would highly recommend giving it a go.
The Best Type Of Steak To Use For Pepper Steak
The best type of steak to use for pepper steak is flank steak, as mentioned above.
This is because it is a lean cut of meat, which means it has less fat.
Leaner cuts of steak tend to dry out when cooked for prolonged periods of time.
Fast cooking times are vital, as we want to avoid tough meat.
Another benefit of using the flank steak is that it is marbled with fat throughout. Fat equals flavor, and this cut of steak will also be incredibly juicy when cooked for a short time, as there are little pockets of fat dispersed throughout each strip of meat.
Flank steak is perfect for adding to pepper steak as it has a lovely texture, and the fat helps to keep it moist.
That being said, you can use any other steak cut suitable for stir-frying.
For example, a top sirloin steak would be a great substitute if you can’t get your hands on flank steak.
Other Types Of Steak That Can Be Used For Pepper Steak
Flank steak is not the only option for cooking pepper steak.
Any steak you have easy access to at home will work, and this includes options like top sirloin steak, skirt steak, or even rump steak.
As long as it is a thin cut of meat that can be cooked quickly, you should be fine to use it.
Try some different cuts to find out which works best for you, and stick to that one.
There is no harm in experimenting with different cuts when creating pepper steak for yourself at home.
What Steak Do Restaurants Use For Pepper Steak?
Pepper steak is a dish that is most popular in America.
It was very much an American-Chinese restaurant meal, and it is often associated with the name ‘Mongolian beef’.
However, it has become popular in China itself in recent times too – so many restaurants are serving their own take on this dish.
They would use whatever cut of steak is most readily available to them.
Generally speaking, they would use a lower grade cut of meat.
For example, restaurants in China may use flank steak for their pepper steak dishes.
However, top sirloin steaks will also be used on occasion too.
It depends on the restaurant and where they source their meat from. Restaurants that serve higher quality meats would use a more expensive cut of steak, such as sirloin or ribeye.
Other Considerations
It’s worth keeping in mind that making pepper steak at home is a lot easier than you may think.
The whole dish only takes around 10 minutes to make from start to finish.
However, if you don’t have time for cooking steak at home, it is easy enough to go out and pick up a takeaway or call in some delivery.
That way, you can still enjoy your favorite Chinese-style dish without having to put in much effort.
This dish is traditionally topped with green onions, a nice splash of soy sauce, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
However, you can also add your favorite vegetables to the mix.
Bell peppers make a great addition as they are often served in the same restaurants too.
If you want to experiment with something different, go for it! Once you find the ingredients and steak cut that you enjoy best, you’ll find yourself making pepper steak regularly at home instead of buying it from takeaways.
Conclusion
As a whole, the most popular steak cuts to use for pepper steak are flank steak and top sirloin steaks.
As a general rule, you want to go for a cut that is lean, relatively quick-cooking, and has good marbling throughout.
This is because the fat will help to keep the meat moist, while also imparting great flavor.
Flank steak is a very popular choice because it has all of these properties, plus it cooks in around 10 minutes.
However, top sirloin steaks are not far behind at all! They have an amazing texture and are perfect for cooking pepper steak.
Try a few different cuts out to see which you prefer. You may even want to try cooking up a dish that uses multiple types of steak!
When it comes down to it, pepper steak is a dish that works because all steak cuts can be used for it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I hope you now know the best steak to use for pepper steak.
