The 7 Cuts Of Steak You Should Steer Clear Of Buying

Walking into a butcher shop or browsing the meat section at your local grocery store can be overwhelming with all those red, marbled cuts staring back at you.

Not all steaks are created equal, though, and some just aren’t worth your hard-earned money.

I’ve learned this the hard way after several disappointing dinner parties where my steaks turned out tougher than leather boots.

Let me save you from similar culinary disasters by sharing which cuts you might want to avoid next time you’re shopping for the perfect steak dinner.

1. Eye of Round: The Deceptive Imposter

Shaped like a tenderloin but behaving nothing like one, eye of round once fooled me at a family barbecue. I seasoned it beautifully, grilled it with care, then watched in horror as my guests politely sawed through what resembled tire rubber.

This lean cut comes from a heavily exercised area of the cow, making it inherently tough and lacking the marbling that gives good steaks their flavor and juiciness. Even with perfect cooking techniques, it’s prone to dryness.

If you’ve already purchased eye of round, don’t despair! It’s actually fantastic when thinly sliced for sandwiches or slowly braised. Just don’t treat it like a premium steak—it works better as an affordable roast that shines with proper preparation methods.

2. Bottom Round: The Workout Champion

Last Christmas, I splurged on various steaks including bottom round, thinking the discount price meant I’d discovered a hidden gem. My wallet was happy, but my teeth certainly weren’t! Bottom round comes from the rear leg of the cow—essentially a muscle that gets a marathon-level workout daily.

The constant exercise creates a dense, tough texture with minimal fat marbling. When cooked like a traditional steak, it typically ends up chewy and bland, leaving dinner guests discreetly reaching for extra sauce.

Bottom round does have redeeming qualities when properly prepared. It’s perfect for slow cooking methods like braising or as thinly sliced roast beef. The cut’s affordability makes it valuable for feeding crowds—just not as individual steaks!

3. Sirloin Tip: The Misleading Name

Names can be deceiving! During my cooking class phase, I grabbed sirloin tip expecting something close to a top sirloin. Boy, was I wrong. Despite having ‘sirloin’ in its name, this cut isn’t actually from the sirloin section but from the round (rear) of the cow.

Sirloin tip lacks the tenderness and marbling you’d expect from true sirloin cuts. It’s relatively lean and can become disappointingly tough when cooked beyond medium-rare. Even with perfect timing, it often lacks the buttery texture steak lovers crave.

The silver lining? This affordable cut excels when marinated overnight and sliced thinly against the grain. It’s also fantastic for stir-fries and fajitas where quick cooking and proper cutting technique help maximize its potential. Just don’t expect it to perform like its namesake!

4. Chuck Steak: The Patience Tester

My first apartment came with a grill, and chuck steak was my budget-friendly choice for impressing dates. The results? Let’s just say I quickly learned to make really good side dishes to compensate. Chuck steak comes from the shoulder area—a hardworking muscle group that develops significant connective tissue.

Cooked quickly on high heat like premium steaks, chuck becomes disappointingly tough and chewy. The substantial amount of collagen needs time to break down, which doesn’t happen during a quick grill session. Many chuck steaks also have awkward seams of fat and gristle that don’t render properly.

When I stopped treating chuck like a fancy steak and started slow-cooking it, my culinary reputation recovered! This cut transforms beautifully in stews, pot roasts, and braised dishes where low, slow cooking creates fall-apart tenderness.

5. Flank Steak: The Technique Demanding Diva

Flank steak and I have a complicated relationship. At a dinner party I hosted in college, I grilled it like a ribeye—straight to well-done with no rest period. The result looked more like leather than food! This long, flat cut from the abdominal region contains strong muscle fibers that run in a single direction.

Without proper preparation, flank steak becomes notoriously chewy. Its very low fat content means it dries out quickly when overcooked, and the pronounced grain makes improper slicing immediately apparent. The relatively high price point adds insult to injury when it’s poorly prepared.

I’ve since learned flank steak can actually be delicious when marinated, cooked quickly to medium-rare, rested properly, and—most importantly—sliced thinly against the grain. Still, for beginners looking for a foolproof steak experience, this demanding cut isn’t your friend.

6. Cube Steak: The Tenderized Impostor

Growing up, cube steak was a regular on our dinner table—affordable and seemingly convenient. Years later, I realized what I’d been eating wasn’t actually a distinct cut but rather tough cuts (usually top round) that had been mechanically tenderized by being run through a machine with metal needles or blades.

Those distinctive cube-shaped indentations might make it look more appealing, but they’re actually evidence of processing to make an otherwise tough cut more palatable. Despite this intervention, cube steak still tends to cook up chewy unless prepared very carefully.

The mechanical tenderization also creates food safety concerns since surface bacteria can be driven into the center of the meat. This means cube steak needs to be cooked to higher temperatures, further compromising tenderness and juiciness. It’s great for chicken fried steak, but disappointing as a traditional steak dinner.

7. Budget T-Bone: The Disappointing Compromise

My biggest steak splurge-turned-disappointment happened at a discount supermarket where I spotted suspiciously affordable T-bones. Lured by the iconic shape and the promise of two steaks in one (strip and tenderloin), I eagerly fired up the grill. The result? A thin, tough disappointment with barely any tenderloin section.

Low-quality T-bones often come from younger cattle with less developed flavor and marbling. They’re frequently cut too thin, making proper cooking nearly impossible—one side overcooks while you’re waiting for the other to reach temperature. The minuscule tenderloin portion barely qualifies as a bite!

Quality T-bones from reputable butchers are magnificent, but their budget counterparts are rarely worth it. The premium price (even when discounted) would be better spent on a properly cut ribeye or strip steak that delivers consistent quality without the compromise.