Kansas City Steak Standard 5 of 7: Three Benefits of Marbling in Steak

For years, decades probably, you’ve heard story after story about how harmful fat is to a diet. And like most things, there is some truth in these claims.

Bad fat is bad fat. And leads to unhealthy results.

But the truths about good fat are emerging and becoming more mainstream with movements like Paleo, Whole30 and Bulletproof.

Nowhere is good fat more pronounced and visible than the marbling in a steak.

To clear any confusion, marbling refers to the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the muscle of the meat. Marbling is not the outer layer of fat that is trimmed before purchase or consumption. Marbling is the fat streaks and specks in the steak itself.

Generally speaking, the more marbling, the better piece of meat.

Here are three benefits you’ll receive from a well-marbled steak:

1. Ease of Cooking – you don’t have to be an executive chef to make a great steak. And marbling helps cover up lots of errors you may make on the grill. Marbling doesn’t evaporate and it keeps the steak moist. So if you’re still an amateur steak-griller, choose a cut high in marbling and you’ll look like a pro.
2. Taste – the fat streaks from the marbling not only help the cooking process, it actually makes the taste better. It contributes flavor and helps avoid a bland, tasteless steak. You wonder why we don’t recommend adding sauces to a steak after it’s cooked? Because the natural taste from marbling is the best thing we could ever recommend.
3. Health – as mentioned above, good fats are making a strong comeback. Of course you should never overdo it, but your body craves, needs and thrives on good, healthy fats. Marbling is one source you can’t go wrong with in your wellness choices.

So the next time you’re considering a steak purchase, take a look at the marbling. If it’s highly marbled, there’s a high probability you’re on the right track.