Guides · Pairing
What goes with each cut of beef
Wine, beer, sauces and sides for 33 cuts, chosen by fat, intensity and cooking method. Each cut links to its page, with the reasoning and the sources.
| Cut | Wine | Beer | Sauces | Dishes | Sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef cheek | Syrah / Shiraz · Barbera | Porter · Belgian-style dubbel | — | Birria · Barbacoa · Beef stew | Mashed potatoes · Soft polenta · Warm corn tortillas |
| Beef tongue | Barbera · Gamay | Märzen / Vienna lager · Pale lager (helles) | — | Yakiniku | Corn tortillas, onion and cilantro · Potato salad · Barley rice and oxtail soup |
| Bone marrow | Barbera · Nebbiolo | Dry stout | — | Ossobuco · Phở bò | Toasted bread · Parsley and shallot salad |
| Brisket | Syrah / Shiraz · Zinfandel · Off-dry Riesling | Porter · Double IPA | — | Texas brisket · Pastrami · Corned beef | Coleslaw · Pickles and sliced onion · Potato salad |
| Chuck eye steak | Cabernet Sauvignon · Malbec | Porter · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | Yakiniku · Sukiyaki | French fries · Green salad |
| Chuck roast & chuck steak | Merlot · Sangiovese · Zinfandel | Belgian-style dubbel · Porter | — | Pot roast · Beef stew · Chili con carne | Mashed potatoes · Root vegetables · Crusty bread |
| Cube steak | Gamay · Barbera | Double IPA | — | Milanesa | Mashed potatoes · Green salad |
| Denver steak | Malbec · Syrah / Shiraz | Porter · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | — | French fries · Grilled vegetables |
| Entraña | Malbec · Monastrell (Mourvèdre) | Porter · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri · Salsa criolla | Asado | Grilled provolone (provoleta) · Lettuce, tomato and onion salad |
| Eye of round | Pinot Noir · Sangiovese | Dark lager (schwarzbier) | — | Roast beef · Milanesa · Beef jerky | Roast potatoes · Green salad |
| Flank steak | Malbec · Zinfandel | Märzen / Vienna lager · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | Carne asada · Steak frites · Ropa vieja | Warm corn tortillas · Grilled scallions · Rice and beans |
| Flat iron steak | Syrah / Shiraz · Merlot | Smoked beer (rauchbier) · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | — | French fries · Green salad |
| Ground beef | Sangiovese · Zinfandel · Merlot | Pale ale · Amber lager | — | Hamburger · Ragù alla bolognese · Meatballs | French fries · Coleslaw · Green salad |
| Hanger steak | Grenache-based Rhône red · Sangiovese | Dry stout | Béarnaise sauce | Steak frites · Yakiniku | French fries · Green salad |
| London broil (top round) | Merlot · Sangiovese | Dark lager (schwarzbier) | — | Roast beef | Baked potato · Green beans |
| Matambre | Malbec · Barbera | Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri · Salsa criolla | Matambre arrollado · Asado · Beef empanadas | Russian salad · Lettuce, tomato and onion salad |
| Offal | Malbec · Barbera | Dry stout | Chimichurri · Salsa criolla | Anticuchos · Asado | Lemon wedges · Boiled potatoes and corn |
| Oxtail | Syrah / Shiraz · Zinfandel | Porter · Belgian-style dubbel | — | Oxtail stew (rabo de toro) · Birria · Beef stew | Mashed potatoes · Steamed rice · Crusty bread |
| Oyster blade | Barbera · Merlot | Belgian-style dubbel · Porter | — | Boeuf bourguignon · Beef stew · Goulash | Mashed potatoes · Egg noodles · Crusty bread |
| Picanha | Malbec · Cabernet Sauvignon | Porter · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | Churrasco · Asado · Carne de sol | Farofa (toasted cassava flour) · Steamed rice · Green salad |
| Ribeye | Cabernet Sauvignon · Malbec · Syrah / Shiraz | Porter · Dry stout | Chimichurri · Steak au poivre | Pan-seared ribeye · Chuletón · Prime rib | French fries · Creamed spinach · Baked potato |
| Rump | Sangiovese · Merlot | Dry stout | — | Steak tartare · Roast beef · Carne de sol | French fries · Green salad |
| Shank | Dry white, the wine of the braise (ossobuco alla milanese) · Barbera · Sangiovese | Belgian-style dubbel · Porter | — | Ossobuco · Bò kho · Phở bò | Saffron risotto · Baguette · Soft polenta |
| Short plate | Sparkling rosé · Gamay · Lambrusco | Pale lager (helles) · Maibock | — | Gyudon · Sukiyaki · Pastrami | Steamed rice · Japanese pickles (tsukemono) |
| Short ribs | Malbec · Syrah / Shiraz · Zinfandel | Porter · Belgian-style dubbel | Chimichurri · Salsa criolla | Asado · Galbi · Boeuf bourguignon | Lettuce, tomato and onion salad · Lettuce leaves and banchan · Mashed potatoes |
| Skirt steak | Malbec · Zinfandel | Märzen / Vienna lager · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri | Carne asada · Asado · Yakiniku | Warm corn tortillas · Grilled scallions |
| Striploin | Cabernet Sauvignon · Bordeaux-style red blend · Tempranillo | Dry stout · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Béarnaise sauce · Steak au poivre · Chimichurri | New York strip steak · Steak frites · Roast beef | French fries · Baked potato · Green salad |
| T-bone | Sangiovese · Cabernet Sauvignon | Belgian-style dubbel · Dry stout | — | Bistecca alla fiorentina | White beans in olive oil · Roast potatoes · Green salad |
| Tenderloin | Pinot Noir · Merlot · Bordeaux-style red blend | Dry stout | Béarnaise sauce · Steak au poivre | Filet mignon · Chateaubriand · Beef Wellington | Mashed potatoes · Green beans · Sautéed mushrooms |
| Tomahawk | Cabernet Sauvignon · Malbec · Syrah / Shiraz | Porter · Dry stout | Chimichurri | Pan-seared ribeye | Roast potatoes · Grilled vegetables · Green salad |
| Top sirloin | Sangiovese · Merlot · Tempranillo | Dry stout | Chimichurri | — | Baked potato · Green salad |
| Tri-tip | Zinfandel · Syrah / Shiraz | Porter · Amber lager | Chimichurri | Churrasco · Asado | Pinto beans · Garlic bread · Green salad |
| Vacío | Malbec · Syrah / Shiraz | Porter · Dark lager (schwarzbier) | Chimichurri · Salsa criolla | Asado | Grilled provolone (provoleta) · Lettuce, tomato and onion salad · French fries |
Pairings are guidance, not rules. We name styles and grapes, never brands.
Pairing principles from: Puckette, Madeline. Pairing Wine with Steak, Lamb, and Other Red Meat. Wine Folly, 2014 (rev. 2020). winefolly.com; Mosher, Randy. American Craft Beer and Food: Perfect Companions. Boulder, CO: Brewers Association, 2009. cdn.brewersassociation.org; Puckette, Madeline. Food and Wine Pairing Basics. Wine Folly, 2016 (rev. 2026). winefolly.com; Larson, Julia. 17 Pro Wine Picks to Pair With Barbecue. Wine Spectator, May 24, 2024. www.winespectator.com; Routson, Ashley. Craft Beer's Spin on Classic Wine Pairings. CraftBeer.com (Brewers Association), March 1, 2012. www.craftbeer.com; Dugan, Owen. Which Wines Pair Well With … Steak. Wine Spectator, July 16, 2024. www.winespectator.com; Larousse Gastronomique, rev. ed. London: Hamlyn, 2009..