Meat expert shares the mistake most Americans make when cooking steak

Whether you're firing up the grill for a weekend cookout or just trying to pick the right cut at the grocery store, meat expert Jess Pryles says many Americans are still following outdated advice.

Pryles — an Austin, Texas-based live-fire cooking expert, meat educator, Food Network personality and author of the upcoming cookbook "Prime Cuts: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Enjoying Meat" — has spent years studying everything from barbecue to meat science.

One of her objectives in writing the book was helping home cooks feel less intimidated by the meat counter.

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"I was somebody that was crippled with fear at the meat counter," Pryles told Fox News Digital. "I didn't know what I was buying. I didn't know which cuts were what."

That experience eventually led the Australian-born "Pitmasters" judge to earn a graduate certificate in meat science at Iowa State University and write "Prime Cuts," a cookbook and reference guide designed to demystify beef, pork and lamb for everyday shoppers.

Among the biggest myths she wants people to abandon is the advice to flip a steak only once while cooking.

"I'm a big supporter of a method that I've named 'just keep flipping,'" Pryles said. "I think it's the absolute best way to cook a steak, especially over charcoal."

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Constant flipping helps cook the meat more evenly instead of allowing one side to overcook, she said.

Pryles also wants consumers to stop assuming that expensive always means better. With beef prices remaining elevated, she recommends looking beyond traditional steaks.

Her favorite value cuts include flat-iron steak and boneless short ribs from the chuck, often sold as Denver steak. She also encourages Americans to consider lamb.

"I grew up eating lamb, and I think it's such an underrated protein here," she said. "Now that it's sort of equally priced to beef, you may as well give it a shot."

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One lesson from meat science that she said has also saved her thousands of dollars over the years: Don't automatically throw away frozen meat.

While quality can decline over time, properly frozen meat doesn't suddenly become unsafe simply because it's been sitting in the freezer for months, she said.

"As long as it remains below 40 degrees, you can freeze it and unfreeze it as much as you want," Pryles said. "It'll always be safe to eat."

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And if there's one inexpensive kitchen tool that she believes every home cook should own, it's a meat thermometer.

"It takes all the guesswork out of it," she said.

"Prime Cuts" hits bookshelves in October.