Kevin Smith is a master butcher, chef, and co-owner of Beast &amp; Cleaver, The Peasant, and Little Beast in Seattle. The Peasant has been named a top Seattle restaurant by The Seattle Met, Eater, and The Infatuation. Kevin was also nominated for Best Emerging Chef by the James Beard Foundation.

Kevin Smith

Toro is the best steak you’ve never heard of. Why is that? Well, because it’s a cut that master butcher Kevin Smith of Seattle’s <a href="https://beastandcleaver.com/">Beast and Cleaver</a> came up with! Seriously, it’s one of the few steaks you won’t find in our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/cuts">Cuts catalog</a>.
 
The toro is the highest abdominal muscle on a cow, and it has a lot of marbling—it may just be the most marbled muscle on the whole animal. Because of that, and the fact it comes from the belly area, Kevin thought the Japanese word for fatty tuna belly—“toro”—was the perfect name for this steak.Because of all that intramuscular fat, it’s important to cook the steak to medium-rare plus, so the fat renders and becomes tender. There’s nothing pleasant about chewing on cold fat. The cooking method maximizes flavor: After searing and butter-basting the steak to a rosy medium-rare, we slice it before it’s fully rested and toss it back in the still-warm brown butter that’s been spiked with umami-rich shio koji. The open grain structure of the toro readily absorbs the broken pan sauce, for a deeply savory and satisfying steak that is our new-found favorite cut.

Toro Steak With Koji Brown Butter