If you are not a Cuban, you may be completely confused about the different beef cuts that are listed in Cuban recipes or on the menu at the Cuban restaurant you often visit. The following information will help you understand the different types of meat offered in most Cuban Food in Miami area.
The first question you may have is what makes the Cuban beef cuts so different. First of all, Cubans have created a number of dishes that take advantage of less expensive meat cuts. This is one of the primary reasons that Cuban steaks are usually cut extremely thin and either cooked quickly or cooked slowly with adequate liquid.
Some of the most common cuts of beef seen in Cuban cuisine include the following:
Bistec de bola
This is more commonly referred to as round tip steak and is cut from a round tip roast. Prior to being cut into actual steaks, this portion of the cow resembles a large ball; however, it is not completely round. These steaks are always cut extremely thin and can be either manually or mechanically tenderized.
Bistec de Canada
More commonly referred to as top round steak, this is a cut that is much tougher than others, which is why it needs to be extremely thin and cooked very fast. In some cases it will have to be tenderized manually or mechanically.
Bistec de churrasco
This type of steak is a long and flat cut of a skirt steak, which comes from the cow plate. This type of steak is actually the cow’s diaphragm muscle. The churrasco steak is one of the most common and popular options in a number of Cuban restaurants.
Chuleton or Chuleta
This is the same thing as a rib steak. In most areas of the U.S. this is the steak that comes from the rib roast. It is more commonly referred to as the rib eye.
If you are planning to dine at a Cuban restaurant, knowing the various beef cuts will help you determine what type of steak you want to eat. Consider the options carefully, since most Cuban food is prepared in a way that is very different from typical American cuisine. With the information here you can easily determine the type of meat you would like to eat when you dine at a Cuban restaurant during your visit to Miami.
