Here we will cover the hangar steak cut, where it is on the cow, the best ways to prepare/cook it, and more. We will describe to you its texture, taste, and cooking methods. There are some very important things to know about this cut if it is your first time hearing about it, or you are preparing it in your restaurant or at home.
The information provided here about this cut is also the same for the wagyu cow, except that you can expect the meat to be more tender and flavorful in wagyu, due to its extra overall intramuscular fat.
Hangar steak
Hangar steak is a cut taken from the cow that is usually left hanging in the cow carcass after its insides (organs) have been removed and the carcass is ready to be cut into beef. This cut can be said to be a part of the plate section of the cow, however, it isn’t attached to that area when the carcass is hanging from hooks for butchering after cleaning.
The cut hangs from the upper part of the cow’s belly, near the cow’s back bones, around the middle area of the cow, right in between the rib section and the loin section. If this cut is left in the carcass after the insides are taken out, then it can be found hanging from the lumbar vertebrae of the cow.
The hangar steak cut is a part of the cow’s diaphragm, just like the other muscles found in the plate section of the cow. This muscle doesn’t do strenuous work in the cow, so it is often called the hanging tenderloin. The hangar steak is also referred to as the “butcher’s cut”.
Not every hangar steak cut looks the same. Some have noticeably smaller sides of the two meat sections of the hangar steak that are separated by the sinew in the middle. One side is sometimes dwarfed by the other larger side of the hangar steak. However, overall, the hangar steak has a foot-like shape with the two portions of meat divided by the sinew making two large “toes” as the dividing sinew in the middle of the meat runs out at its ends.
Hangar steak uses:
The hangar steak cut, after it has been trimmed and prepared, isn’t usually eaten as one whole piece. It is enjoyed as a delicacy in small cut portions after it is cooked. When it is served, it is cut against the grain, as most steaks are, for better chewing. The hangar steak can of course be used for ground beef too, after the sinew has been removed. It can also be used as strips of beef in fajitas, however, the cut is usually thicker than the thinner skirt steaks that are used for this same purpose.
Texture:
Though the hangar steak looks as if it has the same texture as a skirt steak, it actually is one of the most tender cuts of the cow, next to the tenderness of a tenderloin. It contains some fat in the meat, so it is also very flavorful. However, if the hangar steak is improperly prepared before cooking, it will be very tough, due to the connective tissues (the sinew in the middle that was described earlier). The hangar steak is also a juicy cut of beef with good beef flavor, but also more flavor from the fats in it.
Best cooking methods:
The hangar steak is best cooked by grilling it on a grill or in a skillet at high temperatures for a short period of time. The beef cut is sometimes cooked rare (not advised by us due to risks of food poisoning) to medium-rare to enjoy it at its best quality.
Recommendations:
When preparing the hangar steak, the two meats are often divided and separated from one another by following the noticeable sinew dividing the two meats. Basically, the hangar steak is cut into two pieces in between its two “toes”. It is divided by cutting in the middle, starting in either side of the sinew; then the sinew is cut from the divided portion that it is still attached to with a trimming knife. Usually the fat on the hangar steak is left on, but any excessive fat on the hangar steak is trimmed off.
After the two meats of the hangar steak are divided, the two divided meats are usually cut in half again before cooking.
