13-03-2025
Here's why the Texas House, Senate are beefing over the 'Official Steak of Texas'
Conflicts across the Texas Capitol rotunda are not rare, and legislative sessions are often marked by interchamber arguments. This session, a proposal to beef up the state's marketing of its cattle industry has sparked debate between the House and Senate over which cut of steak is worthy of officially representing Texas.
Sen. Kevin Sparks of Midland and Rep. Ken King of Canadian, whose Panhandle districts encompass wide swaths of one of the top beef-producing regions in the world, each filed competing resolutions last week to name a cut of beef the "official State Steak of Texas." But the lawmakers' bids diverge on which cut should hold the honor.
Sparks' proposal, Senate Concurrent Resolution 26, follows calls from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to rename the New York strip to the "Texas strip" and promote it as a Texas product. King's resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 101 is substantially similar, but would honor the tomahawk ribeye over the strip — "an objectively inferior cut of meat," he said.
Patrick, the three-term Republican who presides over the Senate, vowed to rename the New York strip, sometimes called the Kansas City strip, after meeting with Texas cattle industry organizations last month. He outlined his plan to rename the steak Feb. 28 in a post on X, arguing that "Texas Strip" designation would honor the state's rich history of beef production.
"I asked why we didn't call it a 'Texas Strip' because New York has mostly dairy cows," Patrick wrote of his renaming plan. "Just because a New York restaurant named Texas beef a New York Strip in the 19th century doesn't mean we need to keep doing that. Liberal New York shouldn't get the credit for our hard-working ranchers."
The New York strip is a typically tender cut from the short loin of a steer, and according to common lore, it got its name after gaining popularity at New York restaurants including Delmonico's, which dates back to 1837.
"The New York strip steak is named for New York City, where it was popularized in local steak houses; however, many of the strip steaks enjoyed by diners, both historically and in the present day, came from cattle that were raised on the sprawling ranches of Texas and should, therefore, be recognized as products of the Lone Star State," the Senate resolution states.
Sparks' proposed resolution, which would urge Texas restaurants to adopt the new name and would direct the Texas Department of Agriculture to market it, takes Patrick's call a step further and would ordain the newly renamed "Texas strip" as the state's official steak. King, however, said his preferred choice of the tomahawk ribeye — a steak cut from the beef rib with a long, protruding bone resembling a tomahawk — is a more fitting cut of beef to represent Texas.
"The Texas House is raising the steaks today, and we have a bone to pick with anyone who disputes that the tomahawk ribeye is the most premium cut in the Lone Star State," King said in a pun-heavy statement Tuesday. "While the Texas Senate butters up a lesser cut, we won't let them outflank our efforts to sear the tomahawk's rightful place in Texas history."
Patrick fired back on social media Wednesday, with a video from Bob's Steak and Chop House in Austin, where he showed off a menu featuring a $99 "Texas strip" with "shrimp from the Gulf of America."
"So the House thought they were going to bust our chops over the 'Texas strip.' Let me just tell you, it's already on the menu," Patrick said. "Thank you Dustin; thank you Ken King. Good try, but you can't beat the Senate when it comes to steak."
As Texas lawmakers debate the merits of various meats under the pink dome in Austin, a restauranteur in the shadow of another state Capitol more than 1,800 miles away is threatening to sue over Patrick's idea to rename the New York strip.
Todd Shapiro, owner of the War Room Tavern in Albany, N.Y., could seek $1 million from Texas over what he called Patrick's "cheap publicity stunt," according to the Albany Times Union.
Shapiro said his suit would "argue that such a rebranding infringes upon New York's cultural heritage and poses economic harm to businesses that rely on the recognition and popularity of the New York strip steak."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, who supports King's proposal, weighed in Wednesday on X: "This lawsuit is ridiculous and should be put on the chopping block immediately."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: House, Senate serve up different cuts for 'State Steak of Texas' honor
