The Underrated Short Ribs Cut Butchers Wish You'd Order More Often

There are some things that you'd do well to ask your butcher about when you venture down to your local market for some fresh cuts of meat. They are, after all, the experts when it comes to picking out the choicest cuts for you, and they're the most likely to know which selections are really flying under the radars of many clients. There is, of course, the now-well-known hanger steak, which has long been prized by butchers. But according to one butcher operating today, that's not the only underrated piece of beef on the market — in fact, this butcher thinks you should consider a certain short rib option a little more often.

Jamie Waldron plies his trade north of the border as a butcher and the owner of J. Waldron Butchers, and he thinks that thin-cut flanken deserves more love. "I think [they] are still overlooked as a great grilling option for a small gathering or party," he said — and he's right! Compared to English cut short ribs, which are thicker and cut parallel to the bone, flanken short ribs are thin strips of beef cut perpendicular to the bones, making it an excellent option for quick grilling. "They're somewhat cost-effective and really do taste amazing with the right marinade," Waldron said. And with a perfect steak marinade only a few steps away, these thin short ribs are the unsung heroes of this butcher's meal.

Flanken steak is by no means an unknown cut of meat — after all, it's one of the best cuts of meat you can find at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Nevertheless, Jamie Waldron still believes that it remains an underrated cut based purely on how easy and rewarding it can be. When asked what it is about flanken that makes the cut worth the search, he simply said, "They are super easy to cook. Just a high-heat grill for a few minutes per side and you're done. What they lack in tenderness, they make up in flavor." For him, this ease is what makes flanken punch above its weight.

But that question of tenderness raises an important issue, and that's the fact that you don't want to overcook these thin steaks at all. Grilling flanken short ribs takes very little time, and the cut is certainly more "meaty" in its texture than other, more tender cuts. With this in mind, the marinade becomes an even more important part of the equation. "A proper marinade of soy [sauce], brown sugar, and a fruit of your liking applied either minutes or 12 hours in advance" is the basis of the perfect flanken marinade, according to Waldron. With this, alongside some hot, short grilling, these steaks could very well steal the show — even when compared to some more spectacular cuts of beef.