If you’re like me and remember lines from the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee, then Outback Steakhouse was probably your childhood dream theme restaurant. Did it really matter that this so-called Australian-inspired steakhouse was started by guys from Florida who had never been to Australia? Of course not. That was a long time ago, when cultural appropriation wasn’t such a big deal. Plus, all the kangaroo stuff was just part of the fun.
You really only cared about two things, both as American as it gets: meat and potatoes. Of course, Outback is famous for more than just its honey wheat bread, which comes with soft whipped butter and a big, loud steak knife. (Somewhere, actor Paul Hogan is screaming, “That’s not a knife!”) And who could forget the Bloomin’ Onion, the chain’s famous deep-fried, 1,620-calorie gut bomb?
But other than the kitschy decor and a few unique menu items, Outback is just a steak and potato place that does pretty well. Bloomin Brands, the company that owns the chain, has over 300 restaurants in other countries in addition to 566 company-owned locations in the United States and 127 franchised restaurants.
I hadn’t eaten at an Outback in over ten years until recently. When I went back, it was nice to see that not much had changed at the 35-year-old casual restaurant chain: the house salad still has more cheese than lettuce, and the different potato sides are just as satisfyingly starchy as they always were. But, how are the steaks?.
The menu at my local Outback in Brooklyn, N. Y. There are eight choices in total: seven cuts of beef, two styles of prime rib, and seven other cuts of beef. I ordered all of them three times, and they were all cooked to medium rare because I’m not a cruel person or a wild animal. Heres how they compared, ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the absolute best cut.
As a steak aficionado I’m always on the hunt for restaurants that serve up mouthwatering, juicy steaks. One chain that consistently satisfies my carnivorous cravings is Outback Steakhouse. Their steaks have such robust beefy flavor and tender texture that keeps me coming back. But I’ve always wondered – what is the secret behind their irresistible steaks? Specifically, what grade of beef does Outback use?
As a curious steak-lover I did some digging into Outback’s beef sourcing and preparation methods. Keep reading to find out what I learned about the grade of beef Outback uses and why their steaks taste so amazing.
Outback Uses Only USDA Choice Grade Beef
The first key fact I uncovered in my Outback steak investigation is that they only use USDA Choice grade beef for their steak entrees. This applies to every cut of steak on their menu.
For those less familiar with beef grading, here’s a quick primer:
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The USDA grades beef as Select, Choice, and Prime (from lowest to highest quality).
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Choice grade has more marbling (intramuscular fat) than Select but less than Prime.
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More marbling means a more flavorful, tender, and juicy steak.
So by exclusively using well-marbled Choice beef, Outback is serving up better steaks than places using Select, but not going as premium as Prime. This allows them to balance quality and value.
Why Outback Doesn’t Use Prime Grade Beef
With Choice being one tier below the highest Prime grade, why doesn’t Outback use Prime for their steaks? Two main reasons:
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Cost – Prime beef is the most expensive grade due to its ample marbling. At Outback’s scale, Prime would significantly inflate beef costs.
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Consistency – Only about 2-3% of beef is graded Prime. With such constrained supply, it would be challenging for Outback to source enough Prime beef year-round across all its 1500+ locations.
Choice provides the right middle ground – better than Select but more affordable and available than Prime. The average diner likely can’t discern the difference anyway!
Specific Cuts of Steak on Outback’s Menu
While all of Outback’s steaks are Choice, they offer various cuts:
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6 oz Sirloin – Lean and budget-friendly
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8 oz Center-Cut Sirloin – Taken from the tender heart of the sirloin
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8 oz Filet Mignon – Tender cut from the tenderloin
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12 oz Ribeye – Marbled and flavorful from the rib section
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14 oz Outback Special – Thick flavorful sirloin
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Bone-In Ribeye – Extra marbling left on the bone
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Porterhouse – Combines tenderloin and sirloin
No matter which you choose, you can expect it to be Certified Choice beef for tenderness and flavor.
Outback Sources Their Beef from The Bruss Company
Next, I looked into where Outback procures their Choice beef. Turns out, their primary supplier is The Bruss Company, a family-owned Chicago meat processor.
Here are some key facts about The Bruss Company:
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Processing beef, pork, poultry, and seafood for over 30 years
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Operates facilities nationwide to distribute meat
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Employs innovative aging techniques like wet-aging for tenderness
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Sources cattle primarily from Midwest farmers
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All beef is USDA-inspected for safety
Having a longstanding relationship with a reputable supplier like Bruss gives Outback reliable access to high-caliber Choice beef.
Wet-Aging Makes Outback’s Steaks Incredibly Tender
So why does partnering with The Bruss Company result in such mouthwateringly tender steaks at Outback? Because Bruss utilizes a process called wet-aging.
Wet-aging involves vacuum-sealing beef cuts to age them for 21-28 days. This technique provides several benefits:
- Convenience – Large batches can be aged efficiently
- Cost – Minimal moisture loss so yield is higher
- Tenderization – Breaks down connective tissues
- Flavor – Enzymatic activity enhances taste over time
The controlled aging environment prevents spoilage while making the meat incredibly tender. This wet-aging is key to making Outback’s steaks so supple and delicious!
Outback’s Secret Seasoning Adds Robust Flavor
Along with great beef and aging, Outback also has a secret steak seasoning blend that enhances flavor. Created by a founder, this proprietary mix contains over 17 herbs and spices.
While the exact blend is confidential, it likely contains garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, and other bold spices. This adds a final layer of robust flavor and makes Outback’s steaks extra crave-worthy!
From Pasture to Plate – Outback’s Steak Excellence
After researching Outback’s end-to-end beef sourcing and preparation process, I have a new appreciation for the care put into making their steaks so mouthwatering. From choosing Choice-grade beef from a trusted supplier to leveraging aging techniques to finishing with a signature spice blend, Outback clearly knows how to do steak right!
The next time I bite into one of Outback’s tasty steaks, I’ll enjoy it even more knowing the backstory behind that satisfying sizzle. Hopefully this inside look gives you insight into how Outback consistently delivers such flavorful, tender steaks. Their use of Choice beef is clearly the key!
Victoria’s Barrel-Cut Filet Mignon
Perhaps no other type of steak is loved by most Americans and hated by meat lovers more at the same time than the delicate, tender filet. It’s the first steak on Outback’s menu, and the cute boomerang next to its name shows that it’s one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Its available in two sizes: six and eight ounces. My eight-ounce filet cost $30. 99 and weighed about 6. 5 ounces after cooking, according to my digital scale.
The Look: The top is nicely charred, but you can still see that the middle is bloody. It’s a nice-looking, big piece of beef that’s at least two inches thick. Inside, its perfectly reddish pink and super juicy.
The Taste: Given the filets milquetoast reputation, I had fairly low expectations for this cut. But while its mouthwatering appearance raised my hopes, the flavor was even more bland than I expected. The “boldest, signature seasoning” from Outback is supposed to be on the filet, but the cook must have skipped that step with mine. Of all the steaks I tried, its the only one that made me reach for the salt shaker. Not great, mate!.
One steakhouse chain has a subcategory on its menu just for prime rib. It has two slow-roasted options, the classic and the Outback-style, both of which come in 12- and 16-ounce portions and are seasoned with the chain’s secret blend of 17 herbs and spices. The 16-ounce Outback-style cut cost $30. 99 and weighed 14. 65 ounces after cooking, according to my scale.
The Look: This is the most unique prime rib I’ve ever seen! This juicy cut usually comes in a light pink color with a darker crust around the edges. The Outback-style cut came darkened all over and, frankly, looked like a different type of steak altogether.
The Taste: The filet was not seasoned enough, but this unique take on prime rib had the opposite problem. Outback’s seasonings are meant to be exact: “Our special blend of spices are rained down on the steak from 6 inches above for a nice even coating that delivers a bold, juicy bite every time,” the website says. But, in this case, that rain must have turned into a downpour. The salty, peppery, garlicky flavors were overwhelming. A friend who was eating with me said it tasted like a “spicy tuna” sushi roll. We both wondered out loud what kind of meat problems the spices might be hiding.
Prime rib is often my go-to order when Im uncertain about a particular restaurants strengths in the kitchen. Thats because its simply prepared and slowly cooked, meaning its usually harder to mess up. The fact that Outback’s classic prime rib is so much better than the chain’s over-the-top version of the classic only makes my point stronger. The 12-ounce cut cost $26. 99 and hardly lost any weight during cooking, measuring 11. 8 ounces at the table, according to my scale.
The Look: More like a typical prime rib. The meat arrived in a striking ruby-red color with a visibly herb-coated crust. The middle isn’t as pink as I’d like it to be, but it’s also not black like the house version.
The Taste: The steak has a peppery edge, but the middle is soft, juicy, and barely seasoned, letting the natural beefy flavor shine through. The classic is a good choice if you want a more basic meal at this steakhouse that loves big flavors.
People really like the meat from the upper rib section of a cow because it is tender, has a lot of marbling, and tastes great. Outback serves two types of this section of meat, each cooked in a slightly different way: the boneless ribeye, which comes in 12- and 15-ounce portions, is well-seasoned and seared on a flat-top griddle, while the 18-ounce bone-in rib steak is char-grilled. The 12-ounce ribeye cost $26. 99 and arrived at about 10. 3 ounces after searing, according to my scale.
The Look: This slender slab of beef came lightly charred and noticeably fatty around the edges. It also seemed a little thinner than some of the other steaks, about three-quarters of an inch thick.
The Taste: Just as tender as youd expect with a ribeye, the steak is also well-seasoned throughout. In fact, it tastes a lot more like onions than other cuts, even though it’s supposed to have the same spice mix. The slimmer cut perhaps lends itself to more even absorption of the various flavors. Whatever the reason, it leaves a noticeable aftertaste, much more so than other steaks.
While the sirloin may not be as popular or have as much marbling as the ribeye, this leaner cut still has a lot of flavor and is usually a lot cheaper. Outbacks center-cut sirloin comes in six-, eight-, and 11-ounce servings. My eight-ounce order cost $18. 99—the lowest price of all the steaks I tried—and weighed 6. 55 ounces after searing, according to my scale.
The Look: The sirloin was about twice as thick as the ribeye and not as charred as the filet. The inside was a beautiful shade of pink. (My amateurish smartphone photo simply doesnt do it justice. ).
What it Tastes Like: The sirloin was surprisingly my favorite of all Outback’s flattop-seared cuts, even though it was “too spicy” for the kids in my group on the first bite. Because it was thick, Outback’s heavy seasoning stayed on the outside while the meaty, juicy center stayed the same. Due to its low cost and high level of enjoyment, it may be the smartest choice on the menu, even if it’s not the tastiest.
Bone-In New York Strip
My favorite cut of beef to cook at home is the New York strip, but I usually get the boneless kind. Outback treats all of its bone-in steaks differently than the rest. Theyre char-grilled, not seared on a flattop, which is a difference you can taste. And if there’s one rule to follow when looking at the different options at this chain, it’s this: choose one with a bone. The 16-ounce bone-in strip cost $29. 99 and weighed about 14. 5-ounces at the table, per my scale.
The Look: The different way the steak was cooked is clear from the crisscrossed grill marks, and the thin bone can be seen running along the top and left side of the steak. The cuts I get from the store are about an inch and a quarter deep, so this one isn’t nearly as thick. But the inside is still a tempting shade of pink.
The Taste: The strip is well-seasoned, with hints of garlic and salt, and you can really taste the char from the grill. The whole thing is rich and delicious. Even the fatty bits are pleasantly melty. The only real knock on this strip is that its the smallest bone-in steak available. Later, a server told me that the seasoning on char-grilled steaks is lighter than on seared steaks. This is another reason to choose one of these bone-in steaks.
The porterhouse is a popular choice at many steakhouses because it has both the filet and the strip wrapped up in one. Outback’s porterhouse, which weighs 22 ounces, is the heaviest steak on the menu. It was so big that my digital food scale quickly broke under the weight of all the meat. As soon as the steaks were put on it, the device started to act up, giving wildly inconsistent readings that made it impossible to get a true measurement. Nonetheless, this hulking steak cost me $36. 99, the highest price of any steak I tried. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e.
The Look: As enormous as advertised, with substantial grill marks across its entire surface. The strip side far outweighs the filet side with a visible T-shaped bone in between. Its about the same thickness as the strip, with an equally luscious-looking pink center inside.
The Taste: The porterhouse is pretty well seasoned, just like the stand-alone strip. This lets you enjoy the flavors of both the meat and the smoky grill. The different textures of the cloud-soft filet and the more substantial bite of the strip make the experience more interesting. Curiously, the filet side also seemed to soak up a little more of the seasoning. If you want some variety on one plate, the porterhouse is the way to go, but there is also a more consistent choice.
A server told me that the bone-in ribeye is “the one that everyone wants” because it’s the main picture on Outback’s menu. As superficial as that sounds, its also the right call. The restaurants signature 18-ounce steak costs $31. 99 and is probably worth every penny.
The Look: Curvy and gorgeous, the bony steak is streaked with grill marks and shimmering fat. Albeit not as thick as the porterhouse or strip, its beautifully pink interior more than compensates.
The Taste: This fatty steak is simply the juiciest, most tender, and most meltingly delicious of the group. In fact, its hard to find the right words to accurately describe what sets it apart. My friend took his first bite and started to chew. As he did, he pointed the tip of his knife at the bone-in ribeye and nodded his head to show that he liked it. It has all the things I liked about the other steaks and none of the things I didn’t like about them.
It might be the most obvious choice if you know a lot about Outback or steak in general, but that doesn’t make it less right. Its a bloody good steak, and if you already knew that, well, then good on ya, mate!.
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What You Need To Know Before Ordering Steak At Outback Again
FAQ
Why are Outback steaks so good?
What grade of beef does Texas Roadhouse use?
What grade of beef do restaurants use?
What kind of beef does Outback use?
Outback uses USDA Choice cuts, where most high end steakhouses use USDA Prime cuts. Prime is a higher grade of beef than Choice, based upon the marbling, color, and texture of the meat. Outback also uses grain fed beef, whereas you can sometimes find grass fed beef in high end steakhouses.
Is Outback Steakhouse USDA graded?
Many results were unexpected. At the high-end Capital Grille, the menu was silent as to what grade any of their up to $52 steaks were. Similarly, at Outback Steakhouse, which devotes two full pages to steaks on their menu, no USDA grade was disclosed for any of them there.
How many cuts of steak does Outback Steakhouse have?
At Outback Steakhouse, we offer our 7 juicy, tender cuts of steak for you to choose from. Explore our selection of expertly prepared steaks. Each one is unforgettable. At Outback Steakhouse, there are 2 perfect, tried and true cooking preparations we live by. Explore our preparations to see how we’ll get yours done right.
Does Outback Steakhouse use beef tallow?
There was a rumor that Outback Steakhouse’s steaks are cooked with beef tallow, a type of animal fat, but chef Efrem Cutler quickly set the record straight, telling Tasting Table that Outback cooks its steaks in butter. Fat is an essential element when cooking up steak, as it provides moisture and flavor.