When it comes to steak, chefs rarely agree on just one thing. Some go straight for the marbling of a ribeye, while others look for lesser-known cuts that deliver plenty of beefy flavor without the premium price tag. And while a good steak starts with good meat, these Denver-area chefs say what happens after the steak reaches the kitchen matters just as much.
With the RARE Steak Championship coming up on Thursday, September 24, we are thinking long and hard about meat. So, we asked nine chefs from restaurants across Denver and Colorado to name their favorite cuts, the steaks they think deserve more attention, and the techniques they rely on when cooking beef.
Their answers reveal a common theme: Start with quality meat, understand the cut, and don’t get in its way. Then, dig in.
Chef Sean Huggard: Skirt Steak and Ribeye
Sean Huggard, founder and president of Shucking Good Hospitality (Ash & Agave, Blue Island Oyster Bar, and Oliver’s Italian) takes a situational approach to steak. At a classic steakhouse, he reaches for a New York strip. For wood-fire cooking, however, he prefers skirt steak, while ribeye is his choice for the propane grill at home.
At Ash & Agave, Huggard’s wood-fire preference makes particular sense. The newish Cherry Creek restaurant focuses on Mexican Riviera-inspired food, with a wood-fired grill bringing smoke and char to the menu.
Skirt steak comes from the diaphragm area of the animal and is known for having a pronounced beef flavor and long, loose grain. It isn’t as naturally tender as a filet, which makes cooking and slicing particularly important. Huggard considers it one of the most underappreciated cuts because, when cooked over hot fire and sliced against the grain, it can stand alongside considerably more expensive steaks.
Cooking the Steak
His approach is straightforward: Season ahead of time, allow the meat to temper, then cook it over high heat until a strong crust develops. Finish with something bright, such as chimichurri or roasted salsa.
And, he added, don’t cut into it immediately. Huggard says resting is essential, particularly after wood-fire cooking.
Chef Troy Guard: Ribeye and Hanger
For chef Troy Guard, who runs Guard and Grace, TAG Burger Bar, Los Chingones, and #Hashtag, the ribeye remains a favorite thanks to the rich marbling. As the steak cooks, he explained, the fat renders and helps create a deep flavor and tenderness that make ribeye such a popular choice.
But Guard also has a soft spot for hanger steak, which he calls one of the most overlooked cuts. Hanger comes from the plate section of the animal and has traditionally been less expensive than more familiar steakhouse cuts, although its popularity has pushed prices upward.
Cooking the Steak
Guard’s advice is to keep things simple. Season larger cuts ahead of cooking, use controlled heat and build a strong sear. The chef even uses a thin layer of oil or mayonnaise to help seasoning adhere and encourage crust development.
His biggest warning? Don’t fuss with the steak too much. Over-seasoning, over-marinating, and constantly moving the meat can all get in the way of a good crust. And when it’s time to slice, use a sharp knife.
Chef Chris Royster: New York Strip and Ribeye Cap
Chef Chris Royster, co-owner of Flagstaff House in Boulder, has two favorites: New York strip and ribeye cap. The New York strip comes from the short loin and sits in a sweet spot between the lean tenderness of a tenderloin and the richer marbling of a ribeye. Royster likes its combination of tenderness and flavor.
Then there’s the ribeye cap, or spinalis dorsi, which he calls lesser known and underappreciated. The cap is the outer muscle of the ribeye and is prized for its tenderness, marbling and flavor. Royster points out that getting a standalone ribeye cap isn’t always easy because separating it from a whole ribeye changes the shape of the larger cut.
Cooking the Steak
At Flagstaff House, Royster uses a more involved method. He sears or grills the steak and keeps it rare before removing it from the heat to rest. He then returns it to the grill or pan, brings it close to the desired temperature and rests it again for at least 10 minutes. Just before serving, the steak gets a blast of extremely hot oven heat.
Royster also emphasized that every cut needs a different approach. A lean filet, for example, benefits from butter, garlic and herbs, while a well-marbled ribeye needs little more than salt and pepper.
Kenneth Wan: Ribeye Cap and Picanha
Kenneth Wan of MAKfam also names the ribeye cap as his favorite steak. For Wan, the appeal is its extremely tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
It’s important to note that MAKfam isn’t a steakhouse, but it does make one of the best steaks in Denver. The Baker neighborhood restaurant, which Wan operates with his wife, Doris Yuen, is an elevated counter-service restaurant built around Chinese and Chinese American cooking, family recipes and modern techniques.
Wan’s underrated choice is picanha, the Brazilian steakhouse favorite known for its distinctive fat cap. Picanha comes from the top sirloin area and is often cut into thick steaks with the fat left intact. That fat cap is a major part of the cut’s appeal, lending richness as it cooks.
Cooking the Steak
For his own steak, Wan uses the cold-sear method, starting the meat in a cold pan over medium heat rather than dropping it into a smoking-hot pan. He also seasons with a little MSG.
His biggest steak lesson is about salt: Don’t be timid. Wan says steak needs enough seasoning to bring out its flavor, so he recommends using salt liberally.
Chef David Schaumburger: Ribeye and Denver Steak
At Elway’s Downtown, executive chef David Schaumburger works in one of Denver’s most recognizable steakhouse settings. Located inside The Ritz-Carlton, the restaurant has been serving downtown diners since 2008 and specializes in steakhouse classics.
Schaumburger’s favorite cut is a ribeye. He points to the balance of marbling, flavor, and tenderness, noting that properly rendered fat gives the steak its rich character. His underrated pick feels right at home–the Denver steak.
Despite the name, the Denver steak isn’t necessarily a steak created in Colorado. It comes from the chuck section, but unlike many chuck cuts that require long, slow cooking, the Denver steak can be tender enough for quick, high-heat preparation when properly cut and prepared. It also has a good amount of marbling and a strong beef flavor.
Cooking the Steak
Schaumburger’s method is classic steakhouse technique. Season generously in advance, allow the meat to temper, then sear it in a very hot cast-iron pan. He finishes with butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, basting the steak continuously before allowing it to rest.
Manny Barella: Skirt Steak and Ribeye
Chef Manny Barella’s love of skirt steak goes back to his childhood in Monterrey, Mexico, where he says the cut is a staple. Skirt steak has a different status in many American kitchens. Once considered a less valuable cut, it became closely associated with fajitas and eventually gained popularity. Barella appreciates it for precisely that history and says it remains far more central to everyday cooking in northern Mexico.
His favorite cut, however, is ribeye, which he describes as the balance of fat, tenderness and flavor. At Riot BBQ, the chef brings his Mexican culinary background together with Texas barbecue alongside pitmaster Patrick Klaiber. The restaurant specializes in Mexican-influenced barbecue, including brisket, ribs, and other smoked meats.
Cooking the Steak
Barella’s steak advice goes beyond cooking temperature. Resting matters. As a steak cooks, muscle fibers contract and moisture moves within the meat. Cutting too soon can result in more moisture ending up on the cutting board instead of in the steak. And that red liquid isn’t blood. Barella points out that it is largely water mixed with myoglobin, the protein responsible for the reddish color associated with muscle tissue.
Chef Aiden Tibbetts: Picanha and Hanger
At Wildflower in Denver, chef Aiden Tibbetts favors rump cap, or picanha. The cut is especially popular in Brazil, where it is commonly cooked with the fat cap intact. Tibbetts said he enjoys how it has both a toothsome texture and tenderness, along with the flavor that comes from the fat cap as it renders during cooking. He also appreciates the cut’s price-to-value ratio.
For Tibbetts, tenderloin and New York strips don’t necessarily justify the higher prices. He points instead to beefier cuts with more character. His underrated choices are beef cheeks and hanger steak. Beef cheeks are loaded with connective tissue, which makes them better suited to long, slow cooking than the quick sear associated with a traditional steak. Cook them properly and that connective tissue breaks down into a rich, silky texture.
Hanger steak, meanwhile, comes from the plate and is known for its deep beef flavor. Tibbetts says it needs a long rest and careful removal of the silver skin running through the middle.
Cooking the Steak
His favorite cooking shortcut is sous vide followed by grilling. The controlled water-bath cooking brings the steak to a precise temperature before the grill supplies the char and crust.
Chef de Cuisine Andres Araujo: Picanha and Beef Cheek
At Uchiko in Cherry Creek, chef de cuisine Andres Araujo also chooses picanha. His attraction to the cut comes down to its balance of beef flavor, tenderness and the fat cap that creates additional texture and depth.
Araujo brings a global culinary background to Uchiko, with experience at Pujol in Mexico City, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Aska in Brooklyn. At Uchiko, he leads a hearth-driven kitchen where smoke and char are central to the food.
For an underrated cut, Araujo chooses beef cheek. Like Tibbetts, he appreciates it for its flavor and texture, but also for what it represents: making use of more of the animal rather than focusing exclusively on traditional center-of-the-plate cuts.
Cooking the Steak
His steak technique is somewhat different from the conventional advice that says a steak should be flipped as little as possible. Araujo believes frequent flipping can help produce a more even cook and better temperature consistency from edge to edge.
He also likes butter basting and briefly rests the steak in a mixture of sake, mirin and soy before returning it to the grill for a final pickup. That last hit of heat develops a caramelized crust while adding subtle flavor.
Chef John Leonardi: Spinalis and Top Sirloin Cap
We went all the way to Crested Butte and Soupçon to ask chef and owner John Leonardi what his favorite cute was. Turns out he has his eye on a cut that steak aficionados know well but that isn’t always easy to find: spinalis, also called the ribeye cap.
Leonardi’s underappreciated pick is culotte de boeuf, a French term commonly associated with the top sirloin cap. It has a substantial fat cap and plenty of flavor, and Leonardi likes its versatility and relative affordability compared with more traditional premium cuts.
Cooking the Steak
At Soupçon, the approach is classic. Leonardi tempers the steak before cooking, then pan-sears it hard to build a deep crust before finishing it in the oven. The warns that a steak’s reputation doesn’t guarantee a great result. Seasoning, temperature control, resting, and timing can elevate an unfamiliar cut, while poor technique can diminish an expensive one.
