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Cooking A Good Steak Cooking A Good Steak

07-25-2010 , 08:10 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotchnrocks
I think a coat of olive oil before it goes in the pan works better than butter, but I may just be bad at cooking. It usually gets charred up a bit thick in some spots when I use butter.
I think the best fat would be clarified butter or vegetable oil (high smoke point), but from everything I've always read, you should use butter/fat very sparingly for a steak.
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07-25-2010 , 10:56 AM
I like Ribeyes. I use the Alton Brown method mentioned above.

- Turn on fans, open a window or door, take batteries out of smoke detector(s)
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees
- Get blazing hot cast iron skillet...seriously let this thing set on high until it turns white hot before even putting the steak on it.
- While waiting on things to get hot, drizzle a little canola oil on one side, salt liberally (use kosher salt), pepper to taste (I use lots), flip steak over and repeat. The combination of the salt/pepper/oil will form a crust when searing the steak.
- Now toss the steak in the cast iron skillet to sear the steak (about 1 minute per side)
- take cast iron skillet off the stove top and throw it in the 500 degree oven. Oven time will depend on how you like your steak cooked and how thick the steak is. I like mine medium. Most steaks I leave in the oven 2-3 minutes per side.
- *** I think this part is most important **** Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes before cutting. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak. I take a bowl and place it upside down in a plate. Sit the stake on top of the bowl, so the excess juices drip down into the plate. This prevents the crust we formed in the searing process from getting soggy. Put a piece of foil over the steak so it doesn't get cold while it rests.
- Grab your favorite steak sauce. Throw it in the garbage. You won't need this crap anymore. Best steak ever!
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07-25-2010 , 12:10 PM
Obviously 2 seconds of googling or reading any random thread about cooking will yield you the "let steak come to room temp, salt well, sear, cook over gentler heat to cook through, rest" method (though I think Alton Brown might actually recommend doing low heat then high?). The method I'm most excited about, but haven't had a chance to try out is the French (European?) method of low heat, longer cook time, stove top cooking, with butter.

A great thread about the process is here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?...a-thick-steak/

Where the author follows (mostly) the recipe published by Alain Ducasse in the NYTimes.

Personally I think that unless you're going to get all super-dorked out and home-dry age steaks or whatever, the biggest thing to do is get a great cut of meat, and the second biggest thing is to not kill the steak by doing something stupid during the cooking process.
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07-25-2010 , 12:29 PM
Rub massive amounts of salt (I use pink himalayan > kosher imo) on both sides of the steak. Let it sit for half hour or so, then soak the steak in a bowl of highly alkaline (10 PH+) water for 15 minutes. This may not be easy to find but it makes a difference.

Prepare marinade. I use cabernet, olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, mushrooms, onions, lime, cilantro, and parsley. Season with S&P, italian seasoning, paprika, and cumin. Ideally this should be marinated with the steak overnight, but 1-2 hours should work okay.

Then I just broil on both sides for 10-15 min, usually turns out well. Cilantro adds surprising flavor.
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07-25-2010 , 12:35 PM
I tried the sear/oven method (I'd usually grilled in the past) for the first time a few months ago, and it turned out great. Here is a post from another board with the method I used as a general guide, followed by my response for more of the details if you've never done it before. It wasn't difficult, and I can find my way around the kitchen, but I'm no master chef or anything:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wuffey
To answer this I need to know how you like your steak cooked. I have a regular cast iron skillet and a cast iron grill pan. I prefer the skillet but it doesn't have the same surface area and won't give you "grill marks". You can't make the sauce mentioned below with the grill pan.

Steps:

1. Dry rub on steaks (kosher salt,black pepper, brown sugar)
2. cover and set them out to bring them to room temp
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees
4. Get the pan smoking hot on the stove top, turn on vent fan.
5. Pour some neutral flavor oil in the pan (canola). Be careful.
6. Sear steaks on both sides. 2-3 minutes per side.
7. place pan in hot oven and finish to your liking.
8. Remove steaks and cover in tin foil to rest.
9. Pan back on stove and throw some onions in.
10. Add red wine to deglaze pan and make sauce.
11. Add some butter to reduced wine and onions to finish sauce.
12. pour sauce over steak.
13. Profit
Quote:
Originally Posted by UMTerp
FYI,

I tried this (more or less) last night, and it turned out great. I'd typically grilled steaks before, but this was just as good, if not better. To answer a few questions about time / quantities folks might have if they've never done this before, here's what I did differently than the above (and I'm not saying it's better or worse, it's just what I did):

- Just salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil on on the steaks, no brown sugar.
- Oven to 450.
- No oil in the cast iron.

I had two steaks, both New York Strips, prime, about 16 ounces apiece. A little over an inch thick. My wife likes hers somewhere between medium rare and medium, I like mine probably a tiny bit redder than medium rare.

I seared hers for 2:15 on each side, and put it in the oven for 6:30.

I seared mine for 2:00 on each side, and put it in the oven for 5:00.

Just stuck the whole cast iron pan in the oven for that part of it. I was guessing with the times, but they both turned out very close to how we liked them. I don't think I'd change the times much. I also added a pat of butter on each before I stuck them in the oven. Rested both for 5-10 minutes in foil before serving.

To deglaze the pan, I added a little less than a quarter of a yellow onion (diced) and a clove of garlic (minced), and let it sweat for about 30 seconds. Then I added about 3/4 cup of beef stock (didn't want to open a new bottle of wine, but the stock worked fine), a tablespoon of butter, and reduced the sauce. The sauce was great (I don't think I'd ever deglazed a pan before), but I'd use a little less onion if I did it again - it was a little bit overpowering.

I'll definitely be making steaks like this again though.

Oh, and it does get smoky - make sure you have a vent on and windows open.

Last edited by UMTerp; 07-25-2010 at 12:43 PM.
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07-25-2010 , 12:46 PM
My favourite part about cooking steak threads is how identical almost all posts are.
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07-25-2010 , 12:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Foldem
It totally sears all the juices inside the meats.
QUICK EVERYONE PILE ON THIS GUY NOW
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07-25-2010 , 12:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony_P
QUICK EVERYONE PILE ON THIS GUY NOW
HAY DID YOU KNOW YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO PRESS HAMBURGERS ON TO THE GRILL?!?
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07-25-2010 , 12:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Foldem
I recommend using a infrared heated grill. they are the tits. cook at 1200 degrees. you can have a thick steak medium rare in like 5-6 minutes. It totally sears all the juices inside the meats.
Totes
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07-25-2010 , 02:49 PM
Kosher salt is used because not only because it's easier to pinch, but because the crystals are larger and mostly flat, making it much easier for the salt to stick to meat.
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07-25-2010 , 02:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotchnrocks
I think a coat of olive oil before it goes in the pan works better than butter, but I may just be bad at cooking. It usually gets charred up a bit thick in some spots when I use butter.
Olive Oil has a pretty low smoke point, so if you are cooking the steaks on high heat (350+), you do not want to use it. Use canola, sunflower, or peanut oil instead.
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07-25-2010 , 03:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by metsman82
A guy I work with says that the secret to a good steak is completely covering it with Kosher Salt, letting it sit an hour, washing all the salt off, patting it dry with a paper towel, then grilling it.

True? Plan on trying my next day off (on Monday). Anyone else know how to get a good tender steak?
Get a mixture of half coarsely grained kosher salt and have crushed black pepper. Massage it on one side of the steak. Make sure there's a good layer of it. To get it rare-medium rare, keep track of how it's cooking by touching it. Before you grill it press down on it with your index finger. Get a feel for how much give there is in the meat and how much it pushes back. As you're cooking it, touch it periodically to keep track. Once it just starts to have the slightest amount of bounce, take it off the grill and let it rest for ten minutes. It should be perfect.
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07-25-2010 , 04:08 PM
A good steak does not need marinade. If you live in midwest where you can actually find a good cut of meat PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use marinade. (If you live on the coast and don't have that luxury, im sorry...you're missing out. I've had steak on the coasts and even the pricey ones are not very good. You might need to make a marinade in this case.) Anyways, with a good cut (I prefer ribeyes), all you need is some salt and maybe a small amount of light seasoning, whatever taste you prefer. Put the seasoning on shortly before you cook. For best flavor, grill using charcoal. Ovens and gas grills are awful...they do nothing for the flavor, and gas grills will sometimes add a nasty propane flavor. So use charcoal...and you want to grill at a nice high temperature so that it sears the outside and locks the juices inside. Simple is best...this will give you a wonderful, natural, slightly smoky flavor.
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07-25-2010 , 04:19 PM
Isn't Texas on a "coast"? :P

lol @ locking juices inside. nice grunch.
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07-25-2010 , 04:28 PM
Thick cut. My local store has thick NY cuts for $3-4 a steak. However, I can't find a NY at other grocery stores that compares. Trader Joe's filet mignons are really, really good and decently priced. Garlic salt (not garlic and salt, garlic salt!) and pepper. It's the nuts.

I can't stand when my dad makes steaks. He buys the thinnest piece of meat, covers it in steak seasoning, and cooks it well done.
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07-25-2010 , 04:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by metsman82
A guy I work with says that the secret to a good steak is completely covering it with Kosher Salt, letting it sit an hour, washing all the salt off, patting it dry with a paper towel, then grilling it.

True? Plan on trying my next day off (on Monday). Anyone else know how to get a good tender steak?
theres a cool technique similar to what you're talking about of making a salt pastry and wrapping the roast inside. at the end of cooking the pasty is cracked open, discarded and the meat inside is infused and protected by the salt. ive had a lot of success with this. Here is a good recipe fyi: http://www.fleurdelyssf.com/recipes/216_2.pdf

with regards to marinating a steak in salt, the salt will cure the meat somewhat so itll depends if that is what you're going for. my grandmother makes chicken this way though with the kosher salt and its fantastic. Cooking the perfect steak also differs greatly depending on what cut is being used so be aware of different techniques for different cuts. If your looking for tenderness the quality of your piece of meat is most of the work. You want a piece that isnt involved in much muscle work with the animal, and you want it to be aged well. Once you've done that, personally i find all cooking methods to work well. The most tender steak i've had though was cooked sous-vide.
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07-25-2010 , 05:00 PM
lol you are correct...texas is on a coast. Awesome steaks in Texas though. Their mascot is a cow for a reason
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07-25-2010 , 05:05 PM
What do people mean when they say they want their steaks thick? I've been served a steak at a restaurant that was literally a cube. Thats as thick as it can get by definition, but I didn't prefer that to a 1 inch thick NY strip I bought at the grocery store.
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07-25-2010 , 05:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tabako
What do people mean when they say they want their steaks thick? I've been served a steak at a restaurant that was literally a cube. Thats as thick as it can get by definition, but I didn't prefer that to a 1 inch thick NY strip I bought at the grocery store.
i think they mean it would be thick enough so you can sear the outside but still control the inside temperature. If the steak is too thin it will cook through by the time you sear the outside.
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07-25-2010 , 05:16 PM
didnt read past the first page but I found this a while ago...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-St...9=Photo_3&me=1
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07-25-2010 , 05:34 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluef0x
Garlic salt (not garlic and salt, garlic salt!)
Wait, I thought garlic salt was simply a mix of garlic powder and salt. No?

EDIT: According to wiki, it's garlic powder, salt, and anti-caking agent. So you're all about that anti-caking agent, then?
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07-25-2010 , 05:38 PM
Steaks prep is really subjective. I much prefer a thin cut, seasoned with salt & pepper plus a couple other seasonings cooked over low heat, just long enough to warm the inside.

I eat steak probably 4 times a week so typically I'll buy a fairly cheap cut such as flank steak and marinate it in italian dressing. While not as good as a quality cut it still beats chicken imo
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07-25-2010 , 05:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunDownHouse
Wait, I thought garlic salt was simply a mix of garlic powder and salt. No?

EDIT: According to wiki, it's garlic powder, salt, and anti-caking agent. So you're all about that anti-caking agent, then?
im sure you can infuse salt with garlic. maybe that is what he is talking about.
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07-25-2010 , 05:49 PM
If you have a standard walmart grill and nothing fancy like a green egg etc you can use my method of searing and have a perfect steak in like five minutes....

Heat up your grill as hot as possible with the dial. Then on one side of the grill pour olive oil on it. Close grill and wait for the flames to go away. Throw steaks on that side and pour olive oil on the other side. Once those flames go away flip the steaks on that side for two or three minutes then serve.


This method gets HOT like over 1200. You get awesome steaks. Marinade nice thick t bones or whatever
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07-25-2010 , 06:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tabako
What do people mean when they say they want their steaks thick? I've been served a steak at a restaurant that was literally a cube. Thats as thick as it can get by definition, but I didn't prefer that to a 1 inch thick NY strip I bought at the grocery store.
Good point. There's a restaurant around the corner where every steak on the menu covers your entire plate. It's also practically touching your chin. The meat is way too thick. It's a chore to eat it and doesn't taste that great.

Thick to me is anything other than those paper-thin pieces of meat. ~1.5" I would guess.
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