Buying guide · Bone-in vs boneless
Kansas City strip vs New York strip
A Kansas City strip and a New York strip are the same steak, cut from the same muscle, the striploin. In the most common American usage the Kansas City strip is the bone-in version and the New York strip is boneless, but the names are not applied the same way by every region or every seller, so the label is worth checking against the steak itself.
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| Striploin | Kansas City strip | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Short loin (13th rib to the hip) | Short loin, bone-in |
| Muscles | Longissimus lumborum; gluteus medius at the hip end | Longissimus lumborum; the tenderloin is not attached |
| Weight | Whole 4–6 kg / 8.8–13 lb · steaks 250–500 g / 9–18 oz | Usually 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in thick, 350–500 g / 12–18 oz |
| Best cooked | Rare to medium-rare, 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F | Rare to medium-rare, 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F |
| United States | Strip steak · New York strip | Kansas City strip · KC strip |
| United Kingdom | Sirloin steak (note: not the US sirloin) | Sirloin steak on the bone |
| Argentina | Bife de chorizo · bife angosto (bone-in) | Bife angosto (bone-in strip) |
| Steakhouses that list it | 142 | — |
At a glance
- Muscle
- The same in both: striploin (longissimus lumborum)
- Usual US meaning
- Kansas City strip = bone-in · New York strip = boneless
- Steak weight
- Boneless 250–500 g / 9–18 oz · bone-in is weighed with the bone
- Fat
- Strip of 5–10 mm along one edge
- Pull at
- 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F in the center
What is the difference?
In the usual American sense the only difference is the bone. Both steaks are cut from the striploin, the long muscle of the short loin that runs from the last rib toward the hip. The New York strip has the bone removed. The Kansas City strip keeps a piece of the vertebra on one side, the part left when the tenderloin is taken off.
The muscle, the grain and the strip of fat along one edge are the same. The table sets out what changes, and what does not.
| Kansas City strip (usual US meaning) | New York strip | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle | Striploin | Striploin |
| Bone | Bone-in: a piece of vertebra on one side | Boneless |
| Position | Short loin, between the last rib and the hip | Short loin, between the last rib and the hip |
| US trade specification | Bone-in strip loin steak (IMPS 1179) | Strip steak, boneless (IMPS 1180) |
| Fat | Strip of 5–10 mm along one edge | Strip of 5–10 mm along one edge |
| Pull at (core) | 50–55 °C / 131 °F 122–131 °F | 50–55 °C / 131 °F 122–131 °F |
| Sold by weight | With the bone included | Meat only |
Do the names always mean this?
No. In the American meat trade the bone-in strip steak is the cut most often sold as a Kansas City strip, but the name is not a fixed standard. Some sellers use it for any bone-in strip, and others stretch it to boneless or trimmed strip steaks. Steakpedia has not found a regulatory definition of it. Bone-in steaks from the rib end of the short loin, where the tenderloin barely reaches, are also sold as club steaks or simply bone-in strip.
The origin of both names is usually traced to the Midwest meat trade and to New York restaurants of the 19th century, Delmonico's among them. The stories are common, but they are repeated more often than documented. The table lists the other names for this muscle.
| Name | Where | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| New York strip · strip steak | United States, Canada | Boneless striploin steak |
| Kansas City strip | United States | Usually a bone-in striploin steak; use varies |
| Sirloin | UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, South Africa | Striploin |
| Bife de chorizo · bife angosto (bone-in) | Argentina, Uruguay | Boneless striploin · the bone-in version |
| Faux-filet · contre-filet | France | Striploin |
How does the bone change the cooking?
The bone slows the cooking of the meat next to it, so the side of a Kansas City strip beside the bone reaches temperature a little later than the far side. Most cooks measure the center of the thickest part and rest the steak for a few minutes before slicing.
Otherwise the two cook alike. Both are best from rare to medium-rare, 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F, over high heat, and the fat strip is rendered by scoring it or by standing the steak on that edge in the pan for a minute. A steak 4 cm / 1½ in or thicker suits a gentle start and a hard sear at the end, as in the reverse sear. Doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
How does a strip become a T-bone?
A bone-in strip and a boneless strip are the same muscle with and without the vertebra. If the tenderloin is left on the other side of the bone, the steak is no longer a strip: it is a T-bone, or a porterhouse where the tenderloin is widest. The line between them is covered in T-bone vs porterhouse.
What should be asked at the counter?
Ask whether the steak is bone-in or boneless, rather than relying on the name alone, and for how many grams the steak weighs with the bone. A bone-in steak gives less meat per kilo than a boneless one, because the bone is weighed and paid for.
A good strip has an even thickness, usually 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in, and a fat strip of 5–10 mm. Center-cut steaks are the most uniform; steaks from the hip end are cheaper but carry the connective tissue between two muscles. For marbling, the steak itself is the guide: grades are read on the ribeye, so a strip can show less than the grade suggests.
Keep reading
- Cut · Short loin, one muscleStriploinOne muscle, one grain, one strip of fat — the New York strip, UK sirloin and bife de chorizo.
- Cut · Short loin, two musclesT-boneStriploin and tenderloin on one bone — the porterhouse and the fiorentina.
- Buying guide · Rib vs loinRibeye vs New York stripOne back muscle in two places: the marbled rib steak and its cap against the leaner, firmer loin strip.
- Buying guide · One bone, two widthsT-bone vs porterhouseSame bone, same two muscles: the 32 mm tenderloin rule, where each is cut, names by country and cooking.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Kansas City strip the same as a New York strip?
They are the same muscle, the striploin. In the most common US usage the Kansas City strip is bone-in and the New York strip is boneless, but sellers do not all use the names the same way.
Is a Kansas City strip bone-in?
Usually, in American usage. Because there is no fixed definition, the label is worth checking against the steak.
Which is better, bone-in or boneless strip?
Neither is better. The meat is the same. The bone slows cooking beside it and adds weight, so a bone-in steak gives less meat per kilo.
Is a Kansas City strip a T-bone?
No. A T-bone keeps a piece of tenderloin on the other side of the bone. A Kansas City strip has only the striploin.
What temperature should a strip steak be cooked to?
Best from rare to medium-rare: 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F in the center, then rested. A bone-in steak is measured away from the bone.
Sources
6
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications: Fresh Beef Series 100. Washington, DC, 2014. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IMPS_100_Fresh_Beef%5B1%5D.pdf
- AUS-MEAT Limited. Handbook of Australian Meat, 7th ed. (International Red Meat Manual). Brisbane, 2005. www.ausmeat.com.au
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (UK). Beef Meat Purchasing Guide. Kenilworth, 2016. ahdb.org.uk
- Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
- Larousse Gastronomique, rev. ed. London: Hamlyn, 2009.
- McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.