El Timon: grilling is still the best method, and your steak is why. looks amazing.

Diablo, Stinky: wtf the fat is the best part.

Your steak is done perfectly, IMO. Beautiful!

Thanks, Nootka. Your contributions to this thread were some of the best imo.

i usually eat the fat in the middle of the ribeye. i usually cut it up and add it the bites where there is less fat.

I'm with the fat-haters ITT. It's the main reason the ribeye isn't my favorite cut of steak even though I know it's the most flavorful.

I've both trimmed and eaten the fat, depending on my mood and the quality of the fat. While we're on the topic, trimming the fat off of pork chops otoh, is completely unacceptable. That **** is delicious.

All,

I'm really interested in (assume very high quality meat) in which of you trim off some fat while eating as per this post: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...postcount=1397 vs which of you leave your plates clean. For reference, the ribeye in that post started out like: http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4...12c2011203.jpg to give you an idea of where there will be fat in the finished product in that post. I had assumed everyone cut off that stuff, but apparently not!

Sidenote, many years ago I was on a consulting project in St Louis. Once every couple of weeks we went to Ruth's Chris. One guy on our team would ask for extra butter ("sir, the steak is cooked and served in butter" "yeah i know, i'd like an extra little bowl of butter pls") and then ask for any fat we trimmed off and dip it in the butter and eat it. Even better, he asked for and ate our trimmed off fat when we went out for prime rib! Dude was ex-Army enlisted who played basketball and worked out every day and looked in super great shape.

I normally eat between 98%-100% of my ribeyes

I like to trim most of the fat while eating. Also in the camp of the ribeye not being my favorite cut, although I think the next time I will cook one and see how it comes out (I usually buy NY Strips or Sirloins).

The taste and texture of the fat detracts from the flavor of the steak imo (after it has cooked) so I trim most of it off...plus it makes it harder to chew up a bite

I cut the fat off in both those situations. When there's big chunks, it's just not appealing to me. Little strips are obviously fine and flavorful, but when it changes the texture, it's gotta go.

i can't side with this guy




i will admit that i've recently begun leaving the little fat edge on pork chops though

Cooked a steak and potato tonight and let the filet sit out for about an hour this time...worked out pretty good for bringing the final temp in the center a little bit closer to warm. I used canola oil for its smoke point but I couldn't tell a difference from the olive oil except for the olive oil adds a better flavor to the crust.

Use a metal seive & toss em around regularly while cooking. easy pea-sy

lol why not? Because you're too good for it?

Using a meat thermometer is the way to get the steak cooked to the temp you want every time.... why wouldn't you use it?

hello friends,

in case you were wondering, don't heat up the cast iron skillet on high and then pour oil on it! terrible idea!

Cooking steaks is easy and predictable based on how it looks and how it feels when you gently press on it. You'll lose some street cred if anyone sees you using a thermometer on a steak.

hahahha, i did this when i first got mine

I think a thermometer is great for a new cook. It makes it really easy to get the steak like you want, and after 6 months or so, when you have cooked 10 - 15 of them, you will find that you don't need it any more, you can get perfect by just looking at it, pressing it, and paying attention.

+1 on not trimming. the flavor of the fat is amazing. i used to trim, and i regret all the flavor i missed out on.

i eat my steaks med rare-med, fwiw.
any correlation with how people like to eat steak and whether eat trimmings? i suspect not, but curious.

lol street cred? ok.

just make sure you flip the steak before photographing it so OOT can't see that thermometer hole. street cred will be preserved.

the things to worry about with the feel approach is its very hard to tell if the steak is at temperature until its rested, so you have to make sure to under do it. The protein strands are tightly bound after the steak comes off the hot stove top or oven and needs to relax. Ive felt medium rare steaks that seem well done if you touch it just as it comes off the heat.

with a thermometer too there is adjustment to worry about so its not simple either. if you poke it in while the steak is still hot, you'll leak out all the juices and maybe ruin your crust. non instant thermometers can be tricky too. waiting for the steak to cool down also gives a more accurate reading since early reads often dont count the fact the steak will still rise in temp, and predicting this exactly is not always easy, if you're a perfectionist for doneness.

experience is your best bet and understanding how to adjust to different cuts, sizes, aging, cooking utensils and methods of cooking is the only really reliable thing.

In my experience the fat is more chewy when cooked for a shorter time and more melty when the steak is cooked longer. So maybe people who like their steak ultra-rare wont enjoy the fat as much as someone who cooks it to medium rare? Similar to how much more delicious the fat on the side is if you sear it in the pan vs. not directly touching it to the heat.

Crust has nothing to do with interior juices, but putting that aside for a moment, if you stab your steak, you should leave the thermometer in, and don't pull it out, thereby preventing juices from leaking out of the gaping hole that you have foisted on your poor, tasty, succulent piece of cow.

Ideal thermometers are the ones with long wires that allow you to keep the 'telling you how your steak is' end far from the 'measuring how your steak is' end.

After all, a whale has a spout. A steak should not.