The Most Underrated Cuts of Beef, According to Butchers

These experts know best.

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Nothing is juicier than a tip from a seasoned butcher. After all, they’re the ones carving, trimming, and slicing every day. If anyone knows which cuts deserve more love, it’s them. I'll go as far to say they’re the Michelangelos of the meat counter.

So, when I asked a few butchers which cut of beef they consider the most underrated, their answers revealed both smart value picks and surprising perspectives.

The Panel of Butchers

• Ed Campbell: Butcher at Kings Food Market in Hoboken, N.J., with more than a decade of experience
• Danny Arriaga: Assistant butcher at Whole Foods Market in Weehawken, N.J., with 13 years of experience
• Brian Guarnaccia: Butcher at Stew Leonard’s in Newington, Conn., with five years of experience

The Most Underrated Cuts

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Chuck Roast

Campbell applauds the chuck roast for its affordability and versatility. While filet mignon is prized for its tenderness, he points out that it's not likely a cut you can eat every day. On the other hand, he says chuck roast is super flavorful—and a fraction of the price. It shines in pot roasts and stews, where slow cooking transforms it into something deeply rich and comforting.

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Porterhouse

Arriaga surprised me with his choice: porterhouse. At first, I thought, How could a premium cut be underrated? But his reasoning made sense. From a value perspective, he explains porterhouse offers “the best of both worlds—New York strip steak on one side and tenderloin on the other.”

Because porterhouses are cut from the rear end of the short loin, the tenderloin section is larger, making it especially prized. Compared to a T-bone (cut from the front section, where the tenderloin tapers off), porterhouse gives you more of that luxurious filet mignon. And while filet mignon sold on its own can be more expensive, the porterhouse is often priced more competitively thanks to the bone and New York strip attachment.

The catch? Cooking. Arriaga wisely notes that with two different cuts of meat on the same bone, “it can be tricky to get the cooking times right, since the tenderloin cooks faster than the strip.”

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Boneless Short Ribs (Denver Steak)

Guarnaccia went in a different direction, choosing boneless short ribs, also known as Denver steak. “It doesn’t have the same reputation as the premium loin cuts, but it comes in at a lower price point and it’s just as tasty and tender,” he says.

He loves serving boneless short ribs as a steak, but also braises or smokes them depending on the occasion. That versatility is a win for home cooks.

On a personal note, I love slow-braised short ribs in red wine—a hearty dish perfect for special occasions. With their marbling and fat, short ribs have the richness of ribeye but also the meaty structure of a New York strip, which is the best of everything.

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