Steak

[Guest]

For any of you home cooks out there: how do you cook up a good steak at home?

What are your techniques?

I've never been able, at home, to get that charred outside, rare inside, finish to a good piece of prime meat that the steak houses achieve.

Is it the lack of a high temperature broiler?

[Guest]

I use a technique from Cook's Magazine, which tested all sorts of different approaches. It is pan-searing the steak is a smoking-hot cast iron pan, for about 3 minutes per side, followed by some time in a 350 degree oven -- perhaps 3 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak. The challenge is to figure out how long to leave it in the oven, though if you practice, you should be able to tell by touch whether the steak is done. Let the steak rest for a few minutes after cooking and before eating.

Before cooking, pat the steak dry, apply a small amount of vegetable oil (neutral flavor, such as canola, NOT olive) to the steak, then salt and pepper.

FWIW, Cook's also found that aging the steak for a few days in a cold fridge can make a difference. After doing the aging, trim any obviously dried out areas before cooking. This aging helps dry the meat, concentrating the flavor a bit.

[Guest]

I have found that (and this sounds obvious) the quality of meat really does affect the whole experience. In the Atlanta area, there is a company that carries some amazing stuff (called "Buckhead Beef." It's so tender that, even if you don't sear it perfectly because you're not an expert cook, it's a great dining experience.

Check them out at http://www.buckheadbeef.com/marketareas/index.html

I can say, it is the best beef I have ever had. You really can "cut it with a fork."

As for the cooking, I have tried all those pan-searing methods, like the one described above. They seem to work pretty well. But I think that the really crazy steak fanatics use infrared grills.

--kirsch

[Guest]

There is a lot of voodoo when it comes to grilling so let's make this very simple.

The cooking tips are universal, the rest are my prefernces. If you just read the bold bits, you'll know this in its simplist form.

Start with a good rib-eye, aged, about 1"+, should weigh in at about 1#. Prime, aged, organic, and local are all bonus points.

Put it on the counter to come up to room temperature. While it is reposing douse it with some decent olive oil and a strong amount of black pepper. To quote Thomas Keller - aggressively season.

Grill on lump charcoal, it's hot and that's what you want.

Liberally salt the meat before it goes on the grill - Maldon's salt best, Kosher salt OK.

For cooking here is the guiding principle: grill the first side for color and the second side for done.

What does this mean? Cook the first side until the color is perfect. Whether this means mahogany or black you can decide. Do not get hung up about making time even on both sides. Make the first side perfect. IF this takes 30% of the cooling time them OK, if this takes 75% of the cooking time then ok. Flip the beast and cook till done - in the case of a grill this means when the center of the beast is at 124-5 deg F. With the heat of the grill, the temp will rise to 130-133 deg F as it rests. This is perfect. If you like your meat more well done then you probably should not have wasted you $$ on the steak I described above.


How long does color take? Work with your eyes, not a clock. Still, it will take about 2-6 minutes depending on your fire so check at 2. If your fire is flaming up, you will get black and not color so manage it.

(If your steak is really thick, don't flip it once the color is perfect if it colored in just 2-3 minutes but put it off to the side (indirect heat) for a minute or three to let some of the heat on the first side penetrate a bit).

Flip the setak and put on the hot side, give it a minute or three and probe it, if the bottom has some color and the meat is registering about 115 deg F then move the steak out of the direct heat and hot rest it up until 125 deg F. All you are doing is coloring the first side to build a crust with all of the lovely caramelization reactions and managing the heat penetration on the second side. Use your eyes for the first and a probe for the second 125 deg is your new best friend.

Put the grilled meat on a carving board, season again with salt and pepper and tent loosely with foil. If you shot past 125 and still want the steak rare-ish, don't tent. IF you scorched the thing on the first side and are worried about it being black, a teaspoon of butter lathered across the surface like a salve will make amends.

Let the beast rest for 5-8 minutes while you pull together all of the other things for your dinner. FIrst thing - carve a piece of the beast and taste it - if it needs more seasonging, then add it at this time. If you are way salty and afraid then use a cold stock of butter as an erasor and wipe the salt off. Carve the beast on the bias to plates or a platter. Open the best bottle of red that you can put your hand's on and enjoy.

Next lesson - compound butters.

DDM

[Guest]

In winter, I use the hot cast iron pan thing, much as described above. Absent the broiler (which can be more of a hassle than I prefer), I find that regular turning of the meat past the initial searing on both sides is helpful. It helps the meat get warm in an orderly way, and also make the "done" signal more obvious. There will be a point during the process when the outside has just started to char, and that will be your cue to check the inside. Oh, and always take it off the stove before it is as done as you like it, especially if the steak is not really thick. Residual heat will turn medium-rare into medium in no time if you're not careful.

When grilling, I like to use very thick steaks and either a salt/pepper seasoning or a personal favorite blend of powdered ginger (dust the outside of the meat uniformly but very lightly), minced garlic (smear over that) and lime juice (squeeze over the top). Let that mess sit on the meat for a few minutes while you're getting the grill ready. It's a good way to get filet mignon to taste like something other than butter, and it wouldn't be wasted on a proper cut.

And

[Guest]

I used to get some great prime cuts of rib eye over in Denver at a butcher shop called Sir Loin on Havana St.

Always got about a 1 1/2 in. thick piece. Getting a thick slice is essential to success: charred on the outside, red inside.

I had fairly good luck using many of the same tips posted above: dry the meat, have it at room temperature, season alot before grilling.

I used a grill on the stove top which made for that nice grill pattern on the meat; pre-heated to medium-high.

The only difference from above techniques was that I turned the meat 4 times during the cooking process. The meat could pretty consistently be nicely cooked to medium-rare by setting the timer to 2 minutes on each side, a total of 8 minutes on the grill.

I didn't let the steak sit after cooking because it would get cold quite quickly. I basically ate it right away. Adding butter improved the richness of the meat, which was already very nicely marbled. I just accompanied the steak with a green salad with garlic, lemon and olve oil dressing. Perfect.

Enjoy with a good Tuscan red which I found pairs best with rare red meat.

[Guest]

Enjoy with a good Tuscan red which I found pairs best with rare red meat.

Aren't you afraid the olive oil, garlic, and lemon would clash with and spoil the taste of the red wine?

[Guest]

Aren't you afraid the olive oil, garlic, and lemon would clash with and spoil the taste of the red wine?

Not my post, but I wouldn't be. Ever had a steak in Florence?

[Guest]

Grill on lump charcoal, it's hot and that's what you want.

Right on the charcoal?

Is this while BBQ in the Summer?

Just dust off the charcoal dust from the meat?

I've never tried this but defnitely will this Summer.

[Guest]

No, sloppy use of a preposition, sorry. I don't grill directly on the charcoal - on a rack a couple of inches up. I have a great grill called Bar-B-Chef that has a fire bed that adjusts up and down, affecting the radiant heat.

The thing about lump charcoal is that it is hot! Briquettes are your friend when doing a long, slow grill on chicken. Propane has too much H20 in it which keeps the temperature lower preventing all our favorite Maillard reactions.

DDM

[Guest]

The thing about lump charcoal is that it is hot! Briquettes are your friend when doing a long, slow grill on chicken.

It's good you noted this as I wasn't aware that there is a difference.

What is 'lump charcoal' exactly?

And is your Bar B Chef your preferred grill type?

Not to get too far into an equipment discussion, but since BBQ season is right around the corner and I will be looking to buy an outdoor grill, is the Bar B Chef the one you recommend?

[Guest]

"Lump charcoal" is carbonized wood, classic charcoal, differing from briquettes which, in their best form, are ground charcoal bound together for consistency and size. The stuff is not cheap at about 50c/pound but its merits outweigh cost. IF you want to really go wild, there is a highly specialized japanese form of charcoal made from the twigs of their white or red oak which is supposed to burn extremely hot. I've got no direct experience though.


As to hardware, I am a huge fan of Bar B Chef - the grilling surface is large at 700 sq inches +/- and you can control temperature by raising and lowering the fire bed with a very simple crank on the front of the grill. Add in some very stout cast iron grill surfaces and you will have far more control over cooking than with any other machine that I've seen. The Bar B Chef can be built in but has a stand or cart which is what I have. The thing is a tank and works like a charm. If there is a better charcoal grill, I want to know about it.

DDM

[Guest]

In order to bind briquettes together, manufacturers use clay - hence the reddy shade of the ash. They are not really very satisfactory. Lumpwood is much better, and less adulterated; I even made my own once, from a fallen willow tree. Very labour-intensive, but rewarding. It is true that the carbonised twigs burnt to an exceptionally high temperature - so I imagine artists' charcoal would burn very well!

[Guest]

Sorry, forgot to sign my post...

Algernon

(Perhaps this thread could be moved to 'Elegant Living'? It's a very serious topic.)