Texas Lieutenant Governor Proposes Renaming New York Strip Steak to Honor the Lone Star State
The political landscape of Texas has taken an unexpected turn towards the culinary, as Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick champions a movement to rename the iconic New York strip steak. Patrick’s proposal, unveiled through a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, aims to rebrand the popular cut as the "Texas strip," arguing that the current moniker unjustly credits New York for a product heavily reliant on Texas’s robust cattle industry.
The announcement followed a meeting between Patrick and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, where the discussion of favorite steak cuts ignited the lieutenant governor’s conviction. He questioned the rationale behind associating the steak with New York, particularly given the state’s prominence in dairy farming rather than beef production. Patrick underscored that the historical naming of the steak by a New York restaurant in the 19th century should not dictate its contemporary identity, especially considering Texas’s leading role in the cattle industry.
Patrick’s vision extends beyond mere suggestion, as he intends to formalize the name change through a resolution in the Texas Senate. This legislative action seeks to officially recognize the cut as the "Texas strip" within the state. Furthermore, the proposal encourages restaurants to update their menus accordingly and calls on grocery stores to adopt the new name in their labeling. The overarching goal is to instigate a nationwide, and even global, shift in perception, establishing the "Texas strip" as the universally recognized term.
The lieutenant governor frames this initiative as a strategic maneuver to bolster the Texas cattle industry. In his view, associating the steak with the "Texas" brand will enhance its marketability, ultimately benefiting the state’s economy and creating more jobs. He acknowledged the myriad serious issues addressed daily at the Texas Capitol but presented this resolution as a straightforward yet effective way to promote Texas beef.
Texas’s dominance in the cattle industry is a key pillar of Patrick’s argument. According to the lieutenant governor, the state boasts approximately 12.2 million head of cattle, surpassing any other state in the nation. This substantial contribution to the national beef supply, he argues, warrants recognition through the renaming of the steak.
The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, a powerful entity representing the cattle-feeding industry in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, lends further weight to Patrick’s proposal. As the largest cattle-feeding region in the U.S., the association’s members market over 6 million fed cattle annually, representing about 25% of the total fed cattle population produced in the country.
Patrick’s rhetoric directly contrasts Texas and New York, framing the issue as a matter of acknowledging the contributions of "hard-working ranchers" in Texas rather than bestowing credit on "liberal New York." This political framing aims to galvanize support for the name change within Texas and potentially beyond.
The New York strip steak, while commonly referred to as such in the United States, carries various other names, including the Kansas City strip and the Omaha strip. Omaha Steaks’ website acknowledges these alternative names but clarifies that the "New York strip" designation prevails due to the steak’s origins in the steakhouses of New York City. Outside the U.S., the cut is often referred to as sirloin in Australia and the United Kingdom, and striploin in Canada.
Dan Patrick has served as the lieutenant governor of Texas since 2015, wielding significant influence as the president of the Texas Senate under the state’s constitution. His dedication to this cause is exemplified by his anticipation of enjoying a "juicy medium-rare Texas Strip" during a post-session cruise across the Gulf of America.
The proposal has garnered significant attention, prompting Fox News Digital to seek further comments from Patrick’s office, the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The initiative has sparked debate and raised questions about the power of branding, the importance of recognizing regional contributions, and the potential economic impact of such a name change. While some view it as a lighthearted endeavor, others perceive it as a serious attempt to re-align culinary recognition with agricultural realities. The ultimate success of this ambitious endeavor hinges on the passage of the resolution in the Texas Senate, the willingness of restaurants and grocery stores to adopt the new name, and the broader public’s acceptance of the "Texas strip" as the definitive designation for this beloved cut of beef.
