What Is Onglet Steak? The Butcher's Cut
Thomas Joseph Butchery — The Cut Guide
What Is Onglet Steak? The Butcher's Cut
One per animal. The deepest, most mineral flavour on the beast. The cut that butchers have quietly taken home for generations — and the one that rewards you most for knowing how to handle it. Here is everything you need to know about onglet, from the team at Thomas Joseph Butchery.
There is a reason onglet is called the butcher's cut. For generations, butchers breaking down a carcass would find a single, unassuming piece of muscle hanging from the diaphragm — one per animal, no more — and set it aside for themselves rather than putting it in the window. Not because it was worth less. Because they knew exactly what it was worth. Deep, iron-rich, unmistakably beefy, with a texture unlike anything else in the range. At Thomas Joseph Butchery our onglet comes fully trimmed and ready to cook, from grass-fed native British cattle. This guide covers where it comes from, why it tastes the way it does, and precisely how to cook it.
"There is one onglet on every animal. Butchers have been quietly taking it home for two hundred years — and they were right to."
The CutWhere Does Onglet Steak Come From?
Onglet — known in the United States as hanger steak, and sometimes as the hanging tender — is cut from the diaphragm of the animal. Specifically, it is the muscle that hangs down from the last rib, suspended between the final rib and the loin, supporting the diaphragm as the animal breathes. That suspended position is where the name comes from: it hangs, so it is the hanger.
Two things follow from its location, and together they explain everything about how onglet eats. The first is rarity. The diaphragm has one of these muscles, which means there is exactly one onglet per animal — a single piece weighing somewhere between 700g and 1kg once trimmed. No amount of demand changes that arithmetic. The second is flavour. The onglet sits close to the animal's organs and is served by a rich blood supply, giving it a pronounced mineral, almost iron-like depth that no loin cut comes close to. It is the most intensely beef-flavoured muscle on the animal, and it tastes unlike anything cut from the back.
Structurally, onglet is built around a thick central sinew that runs the length of the muscle, with two lobes of meat either side of it. That sinew is inedible and must be removed before cooking — a job requiring a sharp knife and a degree of skill, which is part of why onglet was historically a cut butchers kept rather than sold. Our onglet arrives fully trimmed with the sinew already removed, so what you receive is pure, ready-to-cook meat with nothing to prepare and nothing to discard.
| Onglet | Bavette | Ribeye | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Diaphragm — hangs from last rib | Bottom sirloin / flank | Fore-rib |
| Per animal | One — approx. 700g–1kg | Two | Numerous steaks |
| Grain | Very coarse, open — slice against | Coarse, loose — slice against | Fine — not critical |
| Flavour | Deep, mineral, iron-rich | Bold, savoury, beef-forward | Rich, buttery, marbled |
| Cook to | Rare to medium-rare — no further | Rare to medium-rare | Medium-rare to medium |
The TJB ProductGrass-Fed Onglet from Thomas Joseph Butchery
Onglet Steak | Grass Fed
From native British cattle raised on small, independent UK farms — grass-fed, pasture-raised and selected for flavour rather than fast growth. Unlike most butchers, we supply onglet fully trimmed: the central sinew removed in-house, leaving 800g of pure, ready-to-cook meat with zero waste and nothing to prepare. Cut fresh to order and delivered next day across the UK.
800g — £28.80
Shop Onglet Steak →The MethodHow to Cook Onglet Steak Perfectly
Onglet asks for three things and punishes you for ignoring any of them: fierce heat, a short cook, and slicing against the grain. Get all three right and it is one of the most satisfying steaks you will ever put on a plate. Onglet is emphatically not a cut to take to medium or beyond — its coarse fibres tighten sharply with prolonged heat and the mineral character that makes it special turns heavy. Rare to medium-rare is where it belongs.
Room Temperature — 20 to 30 Minutes
Remove the onglet from the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking. It is a thinner, more open-textured cut than the loin steaks and comes up to temperature faster. Pat both faces completely dry with kitchen paper — surface moisture is the enemy of the crust you are about to build.
Season and Get the Pan Ferociously Hot
Season generously with flaky sea salt on both faces immediately before cooking. Onglet's open grain takes seasoning readily, so be more generous than you would with a fine-grained steak. Heat a cast iron pan or griddle until it is visibly smoking, or get your coals glowing white. This cut wants the hardest heat you can give it — the aim is a deep crust before the centre has time to climb past medium-rare.
Sear — 2 to 3 Minutes Per Side
Lay it flat and leave it entirely alone for 2–3 minutes. Flip once. Onglet cooks quickly, so stay with it. If your piece is thicker at one end than the other — as onglet naturally is — angle the thinner end away from the hottest part of the pan to keep the cook even across the whole piece.
Baste — 45 to 60 Seconds
Add butter, a crushed garlic clove and a sprig of thyme. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steak continuously for the last 45–60 seconds. Onglet is a lean cut with little internal fat of its own, so the butter baste is doing real work here rather than just adding gloss.
Rest 5 to 10 Minutes — Then Slice Against the Grain
Pull at 52–54°C for rare to medium-rare and rest on a warm board for 5–10 minutes. Then find the grain — on onglet it is unmistakable, running in bold parallel lines the length of the muscle — and slice firmly across it at 90°, on a slight diagonal, in thin slices. This step is not optional with onglet. It is the single thing that separates a superb piece of steak from a chewy one.
At a GlanceOnglet Cooking Times
🔥 Against the Grain — The Rule That Makes or Breaks Onglet
Onglet has the most pronounced grain of any steak we sell. The muscle fibres run in bold, clearly visible parallel lines along the length of the cut, and they are long, thick and strong. Slice parallel to them and every mouthful is a bundle of intact fibres that takes real effort to chew. Slice across them at 90° and those same fibres become short segments that give way instantly and release their flavour on contact.
Look at the rested steak, identify which way the lines run, and cut firmly across them on a slight diagonal in thin slices. This is the same principle that applies to bavette, and for the same structural reason — both are coarse, open-grained cuts. With onglet it matters more than with anything else on the board.
What to ServeThe Best Accompaniments for Onglet
Onglet à l'Échalote — The Bistro Classic
This is onglet's spiritual home. Soften a generous quantity of finely sliced shallots in butter until sweet and golden, deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar and red wine, reduce to a syrup, then finish with cold butter and the resting juices from the steak. Spoon over the sliced onglet. The sharpness of the shallots and vinegar cuts directly through the mineral depth of the beef — it is one of the great pairings in French cooking, and it exists specifically because of this cut.
Proper Frites
Onglet-frites is a Parisian bistro fixture for good reason. Twice-fried chips in beef dripping, salted the moment they come out of the oil. Nothing refined, nothing complicated — just done properly. The starch and salt give the intensity of the beef somewhere to land.
Chimichurri or a Sharp Green Sauce
Onglet's iron-rich character responds well to acidity and fresh herbs. Chimichurri — parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar and good olive oil — works beautifully, as does a sharp salsa verde with capers and anchovy. Make it 30 minutes ahead and spoon generously over the sliced steak just before serving.
To Drink
Onglet has the intensity to stand up to a serious red. A Northern Rhône Syrah, a Cahors Malbec or a good Chinon all work — wines with structure, savoury character and enough acidity to match the cut. Avoid anything soft and fruit-forward; it will simply disappear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Onglet Steak — Your Questions Answered
What is onglet steak?
Onglet is cut from the diaphragm of the animal, hanging from the last rib — which is why it is known in the United States as hanger steak. There is only one onglet per animal, weighing roughly 700g–1kg once trimmed, making it one of the rarest cuts on the beast. It sits close to the organs with a rich blood supply, giving it a pronounced mineral, iron-rich depth of flavour that no loin cut matches. It has a very coarse, open grain and must be sliced against the grain after resting.
Why is onglet called the butcher's cut?
Because butchers traditionally kept it for themselves rather than selling it. With only one onglet per animal it was never going to fill a display counter, and the central sinew running through it requires skilled trimming that many shops did not want to spend time on. Butchers, knowing exactly how good it was, simply took it home. The name has stuck — in France it is le morceau du boucher, in America the butcher's steak.
How do you cook onglet steak?
Hot and fast. Bring the onglet to room temperature for 20–30 minutes and pat it completely dry. Season generously with flaky sea salt immediately before cooking. Sear in a smoking-hot cast iron pan or over direct flame for 2–3 minutes per side, then baste with butter, garlic and thyme for a final 45–60 seconds. Pull at 52–54°C for rare to medium-rare, rest for 5–10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Do not take onglet beyond medium-rare — its coarse fibres tighten sharply with prolonged heat.
What is the difference between onglet and bavette?
Both are coarse-grained secondary cuts that must be sliced against the grain, but they come from different parts of the animal and eat differently. Onglet comes from the diaphragm, has only one per animal, and carries a distinctly mineral, iron-rich depth. Bavette comes from the bottom sirloin near the flank, with two per animal, and has a broader, more straightforwardly savoury beef flavour with a looser, more open texture that takes marinades exceptionally well. Onglet is the more intense of the two; bavette the more versatile.
Do you have to remove the sinew from onglet?
Yes — the thick central sinew running the length of the onglet is inedible and must be removed, which splits the muscle into two lobes. It is a job requiring a sharp knife and some skill. Our onglet arrives fully trimmed with the sinew already removed in-house, so you receive 800g of pure, ready-to-cook meat with nothing to prepare and nothing to throw away.
Is onglet steak tender?
Onglet is tender when handled correctly, and its texture is one of the reasons people who know it prefer it. It has a satisfying, substantial bite rather than the yielding softness of fillet. The two things that determine the result are temperature and slicing: cook it no further than medium-rare, and slice thinly against the grain after resting. Onglet that eats tough has almost always been overcooked, under-rested, or sliced the wrong way.
Where can I buy onglet steak in the UK?
Thomas Joseph Butchery stocks grass-fed onglet steak at 800g for £28.80, fully trimmed with the central sinew removed in-house. Sourced from native British cattle raised on small, independent UK farms, cut fresh to order and delivered next day across the UK. Because there is only one onglet per animal, availability is limited — occasionally it may be sent frozen at peak freshness, with identical quality.
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