Pepper, Black Steel Cut

Steel Cut Black Pepper

If you haven’t tried the superior pop of steel cut black pepper, you’re missing out. While most Americans use black pepper as a staple in their kitchens, few are familiar with this coarser, larger type of black pepper delivering a powerful, penetrating aroma and flavor. A great option for cooking enthusiasts everywhere, steel-cut pepper is used primarily to season beef and poultry, as well as soups and stews.

Black pepper originates from the Piper nigrum plant and is harvested from dried peppercorn berries in India, Southeast Asia and tropical regions of the world. Waiting to pluck the green berries until thoroughly ripened enhances the richness, revealing a bold flavor. And while coarser ground pepper can be overpowering, it also lends itself as the perfect punch to many foods such as dry rubs for meats and salad dressings.

Steel cut black pepper is just one of many grind variations for this essential spice. It can also be purchased whole, half cracked, coarse, medium and finely ground. The size of the grind does affect the flavor. The most common black pepper used in restaurants is our medium grind, also called ‘table grind’ or ‘cafe grind’. At a 28 mesh, the unit size used to measure spices in the United States, the medium grind produces a finer, softer powder more easily escaping a shaker. Steel cut black pepper measures at 18 mesh size, one notch coarser on the scale. For more information on our different grind offerings, check out our blog post on the subject.