A Field Guide to Australian Beef Cuts
Rib-eye gets the glory, but the case holds eight cuts worth ordering. A walk through what each one does on the grill and which table each belongs at.
The cuts that made the menu
Rib-eye leads because fat is flavour and the rib has it marbled through rather than wrapped around. It forgives overcooking better than any other cut, which is why it anchors the grill menu. Striploin runs second: firmer, beefier, the order for guests who find rib-eye too rich.
Tenderloin is the tenderness specialist and the leanest of the three, which means it needs a sauce and a careful cook. It is the cut most guests think they want and the one our floor team most often talks them out of, because the rib-eye usually serves them better.
The cuts worth discovering
Rump cap, the cut Brazilians call picanha, carries a fat cap that crisps over coals into something close to crackling. It is our butchers' own favourite and the best value on the board. Flat iron, cut from the shoulder, has more flavour per gram than anything else we serve and costs half as much as the tenderloin.
Then there is the tomahawk, the rib-eye with the whole rib bone left on, served for the table. It is equal parts dinner and theatre, and the shared version on our Signature Grill Experience is how most guests first meet it.
Ask five chefs their favourite cut and you will get five answers, none of them rib-eye.
Head butcher, BLACK Bar & Grill
Ordering for the table
Mixed appetites do better with one large shared cut than several different steaks. A whole tomahawk or shared striploin arrives carved and lets everyone eat at their own doneness preference.
Tell the waiter your honest appetite. Steak sizes are real, and ordering up a size for the table is better value than sides nobody finishes.
And if you are curious about a cut that is not on the menu, ask. The cabinet often holds something the board has not listed yet.
Meet the cuts in person
The board changes with the cabinet. Book a table and ask the floor team what is aging this week.