Steak: More Than Meats the Eye

There's more to a mouthwatering steak than meets the eye. So Esquire offers some tips and terms every steak lover should know before a Labor Day meat-fest:

• Types of beef: Grass-fed: "Healthier but ... less flavorful than corn-fed." Heritage: "Rare heirloom breeds ... without the hormones or pesticides." Aberdeen-Angus: "Pure breed found in the US, England, Scotland, and Ireland."

• Grades: Prime: "What you want ... tenderness, juiciness, and flavor." Choice: "Pretty good. More affordable." Select: "You're on a plane."
• The pan: "Must be hot enough to sear the meat on contact... Basically, really goddamn hot."
• It's done: "Meat's temperature keeps rising after cooking. Remove steaks ... when a meat thermometer reads 115 to 125 degrees."

  Read more steak secrets at the link below. (More lists stories.)