6HEAD is Sydney’s premium waterfront steakhouse, and our meticulous chefs are on a mission to serve the best steak in Sydney. We know what it takes to make exceptional dishes, and it all starts with sourcing premium beef to serve the best steak cut possible.
Cuts of beef largely determine the final tenderness and flavour of a dish, so it’s important to know what to expect from different cuts of meat so you can find the best steak cut for your preferences.
How we choose the best cuts of beef
Choosing the best steak cut comes from sourcing from the best meat, and 6HEAD has found Australia’s most sought after meat purveyors; Collinson & Co, Tender Valley, and Mayura, three stations offering premium grass and grain-fed cuts.
Collinson & Co provides gold-medal winning Black Angus beef, which has been refined over generations to offer some of the most superior cuts of meat in the country. These steaks are all grass fed and hormone free, for added flavour, juiciness, and tenderness.
Mayura Station is another famous name in Australian beef production. Located in the Limestone Coast in South Australia, Mayura is a boutique, award-winning beef producer known for its full-blood Wagyu. The result all natural, anti-biotic free steak that simply tastes better.
Tender Valley is our third and final beef source. This producer offers refined grain-fed Black Angus beef, all with a marble score of 3+, and all exceptionally tender and juicy. To ensure consistency and quality throughout every cut, Tender Valley uses a specially formulated grain ration that results in a beautiful dish every time.
When we think of the best cuts of beef, we think of the most common cuts: sirloin, rump, rib-eye, fillet, T-bone, New Yorker, and tomahawk. Our menu offers all of these premium cuts prepared to accentuate the subtle flavours of the beef.
All cattle begin their lives on grass diets, and while some remain on the pasture for their entire lives, others switch to grain-fed to elevate and enhance their marbling for a more buttery flavour. We use both grass-fed and grain feed beef for juicy, tender steaks that are excellent sources of nutrients.
What is the best cut of steak at 6HEAD?
There are seven cuts of beef on the menu at 6HEAD, but deciding the best cut of steak is a personal preference.
Here’s what you can expect from each cut of steak, and how you can decide on the best cut for your tastes.
Fillet
Fillet steak is also known as the tenderloin or eye fillet, and it’s often considered to be the best steak cut available.
This cut of beef comes from the area on either side of the spine of the cattle, which means it’s an area that does practically zero ‘work’. That is to say, these muscles don’t get worked at all, which makes them extremely tender and therefore highly desirable.
Additionally, the meat itself has a very subtle flavour. Some steak lovers will therefore use a marinade or a rub when preparing fillet, but there is no need to add any flavour at all, as simply grilling a quality fillet will showcase its natural flavours and allow them to shine.
Choose this steak for: Supreme tenderness and a subtle beefy flavour that shines through any steak without being overwhelming.
New Yorker
The New Yorker is also known as a sirloin steak or a porterhouse steak, but it’s an incredible cut of beef no matter what you call it.
This steak cut comes from the hindquarter of the cattle, another area that does not do a lot of work. The result is a beautifully tender piece of meat, and one that is quite lean and firm with a rich, beefy flavour.
Thanks to its naturally lean nature, the New Yorker steak cut can be cooked with a high heat, making it ideal for grilling and BBQs.
Choose this steak for: Tenderness, juiciness, and a delicious beefy flavour.
Rib-Eye steak
The rib eye steak is one of the most beloved, flavourful, and tender cuts of beef both here in Australia and around the world. It is also known as the rib fillet or the scotch fillet steak, depending on where you go.
As the name suggests, rib eye steak comes from around the ribs of the cattle, in an area that naturally collects more intramuscular fat. This fattiness creates the beautiful white lines of marbling throughout the beef, which ultimately melt into the meat itself upon cooking to create an incredibly juicy, tender, and flavourful dish.
Choose this steak for: Meaty flavours with succulent juiciness and delicious tenderness.
Striploin
Striploin is a less common cut of meat, as it comes from the short loin from the middle section of the cattle and is highly prized for its tenderness.
It has a medium fat level and flavour profile, but a high level of tenderness, giving it an incredible texture without being strongly meaty or rich. This kind of beef cut is often used for roasts, making them a popular option in Australian homes and restaurants alike.
Choose this steak for: Exquisite tenderness with a beautiful subtle beefy flavour and not too much marbling.
Tomahawk
Tomahawk steak is the kind of steak you will likely only find in premium steak restaurants and specialty butcher shops. Named for its resemblance to a tomahawk axe, this cut is a very large on-the-bone rib steak.
Typically, this cut of beef weighs a hefty kilo or more, and is usually about 2 inches thick, making it a very large steak that’s best shared. Otherwise, it is essentially the same as a rib eye steak in terms of where it comes from on the cattle, meaning it has good fat levels for added juiciness and tenderness, with an excellent beefy flavour.
Choose this steak for: Sharing something special with a friend or loved one, with exceptional juiciness, tenderness, and beefy flavour.
Eye of Rump
Eye of rump is a highly sought after cut of beef thanks to its intense flavour profile.
It is one of the most flavourful cuts as it comes from the rump of the cattle, where it sits between the sirloin and topside. Rump eye is the most tender of the five muscles in this area, and is quite lean naturally. It comes with a very beefy flavour without much richness that comes from high levels of marbling.
Choose this steak for: Maximum beefy flavour and minimal fat content.
T-Bone
The T-Bone steak is an Australian favourite, especially for summer BBQs. It is very similar to the tenderloin steak, but with less tenderloin muscle.
Named for its visible T-shaped bone, this steak cut has sirloin on one side and fillet on the other, giving diners the best of both worlds when it comes to enjoying two cuts of meat at once. It therefore combines an excellent amount of juiciness and beefiness with melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.
Choose this steak for: The best of both worlds with juiciness, flavour, and tenderness all in one.
What is wagyu?
Several of the cuts on our 6HEAD steak menu are Wagyu beef. While the breed of cattle doesn’t usually make much of a real difference in the final dish, the exception is Wagyu.
Wagyu beef is known as the world’s most luxurious steak, as it is naturally exceptionally high in marbling. This marbling appears as thick webs of fat throughout the cut, and once cooked, that fat melts into the steak to create an unbelievably juicy and flavourful dish.
No matter whether you order an Eye of Rump, T-Bone, or something else, the fact that it is Wagyu will ensure a superior steak dining experience.
What is dry-aged steak?
Like Wagyu, dry-aged steak can make a huge difference to the final dish regardless of the cut of beef.
In this instance, the beef is aged in a special temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. This allows the beef to mature by drawing out moisture and allowing its natural enzymes to break down the muscle fibres in the beef. As a result, the cut is ultra tender, with a rich beefy flavour that you won’t find in any other cut.
Why is 6HEAD perfect for steak lovers?
Our premium beef is sourced from cattle that thrive in their environment. Grass-fed cattle should have access to quality grass – which is why most of our cuts come from the South Australian and Victorian Hinterlands. These areas enjoy plenty of sunshine and natural rainfall, as well as excellent farming practices.
Australian Wagyu beef is best sourced from cattle that pasture in limestone hills to allow for the right amount of calcium intake. At 6HEAD we are honoured to be one of just three certified Hida Wagyu restaurants in Australia.
Our exclusive in-house preparation methods further enhance the flavour of every cut by using the process of dry ageing. By dry-aging the steak, we intensify the depth of flavour in our beef.
This is what sets us apart for steak lovers and why 6HEAD offers Sydney’s most exceptional cuts of beef in the country.
6HEAD is Sydney’s best steakhouse as we source and prepare the perfect cuts to produce the perfect steak. Try our premium cuts of beef for yourself by booking a table today at 6HEAD.
