The secret of a good steak is, above all, a good butcher. A man you can trust and ask questions of. But you need to know what you are talking about.

The ideal butcher would be a carcass manager who buys beef quarters, matures them and sells them back to us when they have reached their optimum value. Because a good steak requires ageing. Over time, the fibres soften and the flavour develops. Unfortunately, very few businesses invest in this activity. In North America, beef is rarely aged for more than 14 days.

Other factors influence the quality of a steak: the animal's genetic profile, its diet, living conditions, age, and the stress of transportation and slaughter. But these are parameters that your butcher does not control and that leaves no trace on the meat.

The only visual clue that can guide us is the marbling. The filaments of fat that run through the muscle, called intramuscular fat, contribute to the tenderness and flavour of the steak. This is one of the basic elements of the carcass grading system (Prime, AAA, AA and A). Beef marketed under the 'Certified Angus Beef' brand has steaks that meet more stringent specifications, ranging from modest to high marbling (A to Prime).

A few butcher shops offer purebred beef with specific characteristics. Charolais has a higher muscle mass and therefore bigger steaks. Wagyu, the Kobe beef, is so marbled that the colour of the muscle turns pink - you will feel like you are eating butter! Organic farming is done without antibiotics but does not guarantee the tenderness or flavour of the meat.

Which cut to choose? In Quebec, the nomenclature of steak cuts suffers from a cultural mix of French, American, English-Canadian and Quebecois names.

Tenderloin is leaner and more tender, but less flavourful. Rib steaks (rib, spencer, ribeye, Delmonico, rib steak), with or without bone, have several strips of fat, but are more succulent. However, their coarser fibres offer more resistance. Cut from the loin, rib eye steaks, strip steaks, New York Strip Steaks, Kansas steaks offer a good compromise as they have unobstructed muscles and a tender yet fine fibre. In any case, don't hesitate to choose the right thickness. Aim for a piece more than 4 cm (11/2 in.) thick. This will make it easier to cook.