Guy Fieri's Go-To Affordable Steak Cut Is Perfect For Beginner Chefs

For those of us who love meat as much as we love to cook, grilling up a juicy, flavorful steak is one of life's greatest joys. Everything about it is magic, from the smell of meat searing and fat sizzling, to the way it pairs with mashed potatoes (here's why they go so great together). But if you're a beginner chef just starting out on your journey with steak, the whole process can get overwhelming. How do you find a cut that's forgiving as you learn new techniques? One that's affordable, but still tastes good? You could do a little experimenting until you find a cut you like, or you could turn to those who have done all the work for you — including celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

The king of Flavortown points beginner chefs toward the tri-tip. This cut of beef is the bottom part of the sirloin, a triangular cut that you can get from the butcher trimmed or untrimmed. It's a leaner cut of meat, but it still has enough fat webbing to melt into a tender, succulent steak. Plus, tri-tip is one of the more affordable steaks on the market: It certainly has a lower price tag than high-grade Wagyu steak and it's less expensive than filet mignon or ribeye.

A tri-tip cooks up like any steak, but you can slice and serve it like a brisket. You can cook it whole, or slice it up into 1-inch mini-steaks to sear individually. Tri-tip is great cooked with high heat, such as flame-grilling, oven-roasting, and smoking, but you can also throw a tri-tip in the slow-cooker for a delicious roast dinner. It's tender, but lean, and is best served medium-rare alongside regular steak sides such as glazed veggies, homemade biscuits, and creamed spinach.

Tri-tip is also known as the Santa Maria steak, a reference to Santa Maria, California, where it is the centerpiece of an annual barbecue festival. It's one of those kinds of cuts that feeds a couple of people and can be sliced several ways to accommodate a few dishes — such as a tri-tip sandwich or tri-tip tacos. You can season up tri-tip however you want and the meat takes a marinade very well; you can infuse it with a Southwest flare, with red wine and garlic, or add some ginger and chives for a flavor profile inspired by Southeast Asia.