STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State Univ.’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center (FAPC), department of animal science, Technology Development Center and The Ranchers Club restaurant partnered to discover what’s being billed as the newest cut on the beef carcass — the Vegas Strip Steak, writes Kylee Willard, FAPC communications services graduate assistant.

Given the history of the beef industry, the discovery of a new beef steak that has never before been fabricated and marketed could appear to be impossible, said Jacob Nelson, FAPC value-added meat processing specialist. “The Vegas Strip Steak is the latest and perhaps last steak to be found on the beef carcass,” he added.

Tony Mata of Mata & Associates, who has more than 30 years of beef carcass research and development experienced, approached Nelson and the FAPC regarding the possibility of creating a new steak. “Initially, the cut was labeled as undervalued,” Mata said. “This muscle produces a steak that is on par with, or better than, today’s most-popular steaks.”

FAPC helped Mata in technical assistance, facility availability and industry application.

By providing coolers, freezers and cutting rooms to the on-site USDA inspectors, the staff and facility availability at the FAPC made this new steak find possible, Nelson said. Other university involvement included OSU’s department of animal science, Technology Development Center and The Ranchers Club restaurant.

“The Vegas Strip Steak discovery required other OSU resources,” Nelson said. “The department of animal science provided some preliminary objective evaluation of beef steak tenderness attributes.”

After discovering a muscle capable of producing a steak comparable to the New York Strip, the beef carcass find was then protected. Steven Price, associate vice president for technology development of the Technology Development Center at OSU, assisted the team by providing initial patent guidance and he is still assisting with varying aspects of intellectual property.

The Ranchers Club, a part of OSU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration and the College of Human Sciences, helped in preliminary preparation, plating and tasting of the new steak.

As a result of this partnership, the new Vegas Strip Steak was introduced at the Protein Innovation Summit in Chicago, Ill., on April 17.

For more information, visit www.vegasstripsteak.com.