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Let's Talk About the Steak


SheikYerbuti
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What's the best way for a home cook to get a professional looking finished product? I'm going to be working with porterhouse in a few days ($5/pound at the local market. ..sweet). A few options I was considering:

 

1. Pat dry, lube with oil, sear in a cast iron pan (as hot as I can get it), then finish in a low oven until medium rare in the middle.

 

2. Pat dry, lube with oil, bring the center to temp in a low oven, THEN sear in a cast iron.

 

3. Pat dry, smear with room temp butter and a little Montreal Steak, then broil until medium rare.

 

4. Grill over charcoal.

 

5. Pat dry, then microwave on high for 20 minutes.

 

OK, not really #5, but what's the best option? ATK is always talking about the difference between searing first, then bringing the middle up to temp and doing it the other way around (options 1 and 2 above). If you bring the center up to medium rare and THEN sear the outside it cuts down on the infamous "gray ring" when you cut into it, or so they say.

 

Learn me, pros.

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1, 4, and 3 would all be fine, but you do not need a low temp oven. everywhere i've worked grill (1 was a chop house)...... oil, season, grill to a temp or two under...finish in an oven around 425.

Edited by Bier Meister
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Here's my basic method:

 

Use quality steaks anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Buy from a butcher.

 

Let them come to room temp; you don't want the middle cold as they won't cook properly.

 

I spread olive oil on both sides and put salt and pepper on just before hitting the grill.

 

I sear each side at about 750-800 degrees for a minute per side. Remove from grill and cover. I then bring temp down to about 400 degrees. Then I grill at 400 degrees, 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness for medium rare.

 

Remove from grill and cover loosely with foil, allowing meat to rest about 10 mins or so.

 

I will sometimes finish with a pat of garlic butter. My wife likes a little gorgonzola cheese but I think this is too strong a cheese for a quality steak.

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Here's my basic method:

 

Use quality steaks anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Buy from a butcher.

 

Let them come to room temp; you don't want the middle cold as they won't cook properly.

 

I spread olive oil on both sides and put salt and pepper on just before hitting the grill.

 

I sear each side at about 750-800 degrees for a minute per side. Remove from grill and cover. I then bring temp down to about 400 degrees. Then I grill at 400 degrees, 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness for medium rare.

 

Remove from grill and cover loosely with foil, allowing meat to rest about 10 mins or so.

 

I will sometimes finish with a pat of garlic butter. My wife likes a little gorgonzola cheese but I think this is too strong a cheese for a quality steak.

 

Almost exactly my favorite method and I'm on board with the garlic butter or a nice mild gorgonzola.

 

Now I am hungry.

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I always grill, sometimes broil.

 

But, I remember Caveman Nick gave some advice here in the past.

 

Let them come up to room temperature, and I slather each side with red wine vinegar, and then season. Montreal Steak is fine, but if that's the route I go, I go with the spicy montreal. However, I have a buddy in Texas that I used to work with that has been shipping out his late father's seasoning for the last few years, and that's what I primarily use. Not sure what's in it, he won't tell me, but it's the best.

 

So, instead of Unta's olive oil, I use red wine vinegar and then season. Heat the grill to it's hottest temp, put steaks on, within a minute do a quarter turn for the marks, for presentation only really, and then turn off the middle burner and cook indirect on 350 about 5-8 minutes per side, depending on how thick the meat is.

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I always grill, sometimes broil.

 

But, I remember Caveman Nick gave some advice here in the past.

 

Let them come up to room temperature, and I slather each side with red wine vinegar, and then season. Montreal Steak is fine, but if that's the route I go, I go with the spicy montreal. However, I have a buddy in Texas that I used to work with that has been shipping out his late father's seasoning for the last few years, and that's what I primarily use. Not sure what's in it, he won't tell me, but it's the best.

 

So, instead of Unta's olive oil, I use red wine vinegar and then season. Heat the grill to it's hottest temp, put steaks on, within a minute do a quarter turn for the marks, for presentation only really, and then turn off the middle burner and cook indirect on 350 about 5-8 minutes per side, depending on how thick the meat is.

 

[pretentious]How do you turn off the middle burner? You can't turn off the 'middle burner' on a charcoal grill?[/superior]

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[pretentious]How do you turn off the middle burner? You can't turn off the 'middle burner' on a charcoal grill?[/superior]

 

It is with shame that I admit using propane on my weber...I do have a smaller weber kettle, but for ease of use and timing, I cheat the meat.

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During the winter, I pan fry steak in butter. I start it on low heat, flip it twice, and then finish on a medium heat (gas stove) to get some searing. I judge the doneness by how "flexable" the the steak is. might not be the chef's way, but it works for me. I do this for anything from porterhouse to skirt. I'll sometimes add a few dashes of Worsteshire.

 

My latest fave is to carmelize some onions, and add cubes of skirt steak to the frying pan for a sort of Pilly cheese steak sandwich on a small hero roll. Get it on the bread when it's still hot and add plenty of graded cheese of choice, provolone or cheddar, whatever.

 

Carmelized onions are killer. Put that on anything from pork chops to steaks to a burger for a patty melt.

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if you just have a plain old kettle charcoal grill, you can get good results putting all the coals on one side. high heat side to sear, then indirect to bring up to temp (or vice versa I guess, but I've never tried it that way). I like to do a real quick marinate in olive oil, just a squirt of worchestershire, and montreal steak.

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Grill then broil is the method I've used in the Steak/Chop Houses I have cooked for. Dab of garlic butter right before broiling is optimum. Resting for at least 5 min before cutting is also a must. Edit to add, it is best for the cast iron pan/plate to be preheated to as blazing hot as possible before broiling.

Edited by Hugh B Tool
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Unfortunately, the steaks weren't cut thick enough to require finishing in the oven. So, I just hit them with some Montreal Steak, slapped them in a cast iron for about 6 minutes a side, tented them for 10 minutes, and served em up.

 

Oh, and while they were resting I made a simple pan sauce by throwing a tbsp of butter and a tbsp of flour in the cast iron over medium heat, making a roux, then deglazing the pan with chicken stock and adding more stock until it was the right viscosity. Delish.

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Unfortunately, the steaks weren't cut thick enough to require finishing in the oven. So, I just hit them with some Montreal Steak, slapped them in a cast iron for about 6 minutes a side, tented them for 10 minutes, and served em up.

 

Oh, and while they were resting I made a simple pan sauce by throwing a tbsp of butter and a tbsp of flour in the cast iron over medium heat, making a roux, then deglazing the pan with chicken stock and adding more stock until it was the right viscosity. Delish.

 

 

red wine, beef broth..and some herbs and you elevate it.

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