Every year growing up, my single birthday wish was to dig into a big rare steak, my absolute favorite food. It quickly became a tradition for my family, and we would go out or grill in in honor of my turning one year older. Once I moved out, the tradition didn’t stop, and it’s something I still find myself craving and turning to as my birthday comes around each year.

For me, steaks and birthday celebrations are nearly synonymous, but that doesn’t mean I only eat steak as a celebration. A big steak hot from the grill on a summer weekend, eaten with my dad for Father’s Day, sliced up with friends and served in corn tortillas—a great steak can do it all.

Below, I’ve gathered up 15 of our best steak recipes featuring all of the most popular cuts, from strip steak to ribeye, skirt and flank steak to tri-tip. Whether you make them on the grill or in your kitchen, for a celebration or just another beautiful day of life, these recipes are a treat, so enjoy!

Simply Recipes / Jessica Gavin

Get Recipe: Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri

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“Sear for a few minutes on each side for medium-rare doneness. If the meat becomes overcooked, the texture is extremely tough and chewy. Medium-rare is the way to go for this cut.” —Jessica Gavin, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

Get Recipe: Grilled Chili Lime Flank Steak

“Flank steak needs a little acid to help tenderize the fibrous muscle and provide flavor. Do this, and you will have tender, succulent slices of beef. Skip this step, and there’s a good chance you’ll be chewing shoe leather.”—Summer Miller, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Get Recipe: Cowboy Steak With Chimichurri Sauce

“A cowboy steak is a rather thick (2 inches) cut of meat. It lends itself well to searing first, to get browning, then slower cooking with either indirect heat on the grill, or in the oven.”—Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Get Recipe: Hanger Steak with Shallots

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“Hanger steak is sold either whole, looking somewhat like a “V”, or trimmed of the center gristle, in which case they resemble a tenderloin. If you get a whole piece, make sure to cut away and discard the center main gristle that connects the 2 tenderloin-ish pieces.”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Jessica Gavin

Get Recipe: How to Cook Skirt Steak

“There are actually two types—the outside and the inside skirt steak. The outside skirt is more desirable because it’s tender and less coarse. It will be about 3 to 4 inches wide, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, and noticeably longer compared to the inside cut.”—Jessica Gavin, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Get Recipe: For the Best Possible Steak, Cook It Like the French Do

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“Flank steak is lean, and if cut with the grain, it can be tough and chewy to eat. Instead, find the grain and slice against it or perpendicular to it. Cutting this way cuts the muscle fibers, providing a more tender result.”—Sara Haas, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Get Recipe: I Make Gordon Ramsay’s 4-Ingredient Steak Once a Week

“This is a thick cut of meat—be generous with salt and pepper. Blot excess moisture before searing to get that perfect crust.”—Frank Tiu, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Get Recipe: Steak Diane

“Steak Diane is traditionally made with a thinly pounded steak and a cognac, butter, and shallot sauce that is flambéed right before serving to great dramatic effect.”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Get Recipe: Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip

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“To ensure perfectly cooked steak every time, use a meat thermometer to check for your desired level of doneness (120°F for a rare, 130°F for medium-rare, and 140°F for medium).”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Get Recipe: Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

“When it comes to marinating, the ideal amount of time is 12 hours, but you can marinate it for up to 24 hours. You should let it sit in the marinade for a minimum of 2 hours, even if you’re pressed for time.”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Nathan Scott Hutsenpiller

Get Recipe: Stanley Tucci’s 4-Ingredient Steak Is My Go-To Dinner

“Don’t let all that leftover wine and oil go to waste! Use it to sauté vegetables for a quick, flavorful side dish.”—Nathan Hutsenpiller, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Eliezer Martinez

Get Recipe: Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

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“Filet mignon is a steak cut from the tenderloin, a missile shaped muscle which lays beneath the ribs, right along the backbone. The tenderloin muscle is called “tenderloin” because it is just that, tender. It doesn’t get the exercise that would make it tough, like a shank or shoulder. It is also relatively lean.”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Get Recipe: Peppercorn Steak

“This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of peppercorns, cracked. If you’re using whole peppercorns, measure them out first, then crack them. If you’re using pre-cracked pepper, use 1 1/2 tablespoons.”—Elise

Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

Get Recipe: Easy Broiled Steak

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“Basically, any steak that’s 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick will cook through nicely, while getting charred around the edges under the intense heat of the broiler: sirloin, top round a.k.a. London broil, New York strip, ribeye, tri-tip steaks (not the whole roast).”—Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Get Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak with Mushrooms

“Since a large flank steak can be unwieldy, to make it easier to handle, if you want, you can slice the steak in half down its length (with the grain) before cutting it into slices across the grain.”—Elise

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