Purchasing Steaks:
When buying steaks, buy the best grade of meat
you can afford. It should be USDA Prime Aged Beef. If your
butcher does not have this, the next best grade is Choice.
Look for steak with fine texture and firm to the
touch. You want the color to be a light cherry red color, not deep
red. Also look for steaks that have marbling, as it is the
thin threads of fat running through the meat that make it Prime and
gives the wonderful flavor. Marbling is the white fat that you see
in all cuts of beef. Remember that a substantial amount of evenly
distributed marbling is a good thing. If you don't want much animal
fat in your diet, then don't eat steak! To avoid fat in steak is to
avoid steak altogether.
Size or thickness matters when purchasing steaks.
The best steaks are 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches thick. A thin cut
is likely to get dried out. The thickness of the steak is more
important than the weight.
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Grading Cuts of Beef:
The USDA's grading system gives a good way to assess
quality. The grading designations are largely determined
by the amount of visible fat that's streaked throughout
the muscle tissue, called marbling. Beef that's richly
marbled gets a higher grade; it's more tender, juicy,
and flavorful because the intramuscular fat melts and
bastes the flesh during cooking. Also, since fat
insulates, marbling provides some insurance against
overcooking. Look for small, evenly distributed specks
of fat rather than larger and sparser ones.
Prime Beef:
The highest grade in the United States meat grading system.
Prime has the most marbling and is produced in limited
quantities. Prime beef is most commonly sold in fine
restaurants, specialty meat markets and is exported to
upscale restaurants in foreign countries.
Choice Beef:
Choice has less marbling than Prime but more than Select. It is
typically found in the service meat case at your local
grocery store.
Select Beef:
Select has the least amount of marbling of the top three grades,
making it leaner but possibly less tender, juicy or
flavorful than Prime or Choice. Select is most commonly
found in the self-service meat case at your local grocery
store. Not recommended for top-quality steaks.
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Salting the Steaks:
Do not salt your steaks just before cooking.
I know that some people do salt
their steaks before cooking, but trust me and don't salt - the
result will be juicy, delicious steaks to serve your family and
guests!
Salt after the steak is cooked to
your liking, has rested the required time, and just before serving.
Salt brings moisture (water) to the surface of the steak, and the
water sits on the surface as you cook the steak. Thus, you are again
basically steaming the steak. Traditionally, when browning meat,
chefs skip the addition of salt because the salt draws water out of
the meat's surface through osmosis. If, for example, you were to
season a steak just 10 minutes before grilling, beads of moisture
would appear on the surface, eventually forming a shallow puddle of
juices. On the grill, the steak would turn gray, not brown.
On Food and Cooking, by Harold
McGee (Food Scientist):
Meat cells
brown at around 310 degrees F. Water on a steak's surface boils
and turns to steam at 212 degrees F, so a wet steak can turn
gray and cook through before its surface can brown.
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Exception to the Rule - Steak Salt Curing Method:
This salt curing method can make a choice cut of steak
taste like prime steak.
Use
kosher or sea salt only (not fine table salt).
Use 1-inch steaks
or thicker. Cover both sides of your steak generously with salt. Let
sit at room temperature for one (1) hour. If using thinner or
thicker steaks, modify the time accordingly.
Rinse off all
the salt with water and then pat the steaks completely dry with
paper towels.
Cook the steak to
you liking.
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Cooking Perfect Steak Recipe:
Recipe Type:
Beef
Yields: serves many
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
4 to 6 ounce (1-inch thick) beef steaks (of your choice)
Pan-Searing Steaks:
In a heavy frying pan (I use my
cast-iron frying pan) over
medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don't
stick to the bottom, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Using
this Pan-Searing technique, proceed to cook your steak to your
desired doneness. Use a
meat thermometer
to test for doneness:
When the steaks are crusty-charred and
done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with
aluminum foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. During
this time the meat continues to cook (meat
temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the
oven) and the juices redistribute
(add juices that accumulate from resting
steaks to any sauce you are making).
Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto
individual serving plates.
Sear-Roasting Steaks:
Preheat oven to 500°F (a very hot oven
produces a juicy interior). Place 10 to 12-inch ovenproof skillet or
cast-iron skillet
in the oven. When oven reaches 500 degrees F., remove pan from oven
and place on range over high heat (the pan and
the handle will be extremely hot - be careful).
Immediately place steaks in the middle
of hot, dry pan
(if cooking more than one piece of meat, add the pieces
carefully so that they are not touching each other). Cook 1
to 2 minutes without moving; turn with tongs and cook another 1 to 2
minutes.
Remove from heat and
put the cast iron skillet with the steaks in it into the oven. Cook
an additional 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of steaks and
degree of doneness you like. Using the Sear-Roasting technique,
proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness:
When the steaks
are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan,
cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before
serving. During this time the meat continues to cook
(meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from
the oven) and the juices redistribute
(add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to your wine sauce).
Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.
Grilling or Barbecuing Steaks:
Using
dry heat from a grill is another great way to cook quality steaks.
Remove steaks from refrigeration 1
hour before cooking and wipe any excess marinade
(if used) off the steaks.
When you are ready to grill, preheat
barbecue grill and coat your grill with
non-stick kitchen spray before you begin to keep your steaks from
sticking to the grill. Place
steaks onto hot grill. Only flip the steak
once. Let it cook on one side, then let it finish on the other side.
Grill to the desired degree of
doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Use a
meat thermometer
to test for doneness.
Rare - 120 degrees F
Medium Rare - 125 degrees F
Medium - 130 degrees F
When the steaks are crusty-charred and
done to your liking, remove from the grill and let sit 15 minutes
before serving (meat temperature will rise 5
to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).
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Types of Beef Steaks:
Choosing the correct cut
of meat is very important when grilling. Some of the
best steaks for grilling are the premium cuts. Thickness
of the steak is very important. Each cut should be
between 1 inch and 1 ½ inches thick. The strip steaks
and top sirloin should be a little less expensive than
the filet mignon, t-bone, porterhouse, and rib eye.
Photos from Hormel Foods and CSU Meat
Sciences. |
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Filet Mignon -
The filet mignon is a stylish cut taken from the heart of the
beef tenderloin that has outstanding taste as well as texture. They're the most
tender steaks you can buy, though not the most flavorful.
Also known as:
Tenderloin
Tournedos
Chateaubriand
Beef Medallion
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Filet Fraud - Don't be fooled!
 Also
known as mock tender steak, fish steak, chuck fillet steak, chuck tender steak,
shoulder petit tender.
Some less-than-honorable butchers and
restaurants serve and sell cheaper cuts of meat that
they masquerade as expensive filet mignon.
Real filet has a very fine grain and a
buttery texture with no connective tissue. The chuck
tender has more marbling and noticeable connective
tissues. In other words, it is tougher.
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New York Strip -
The New York strip is such an excellent cut for grilling, many grilling
experts refer to it as the "ultimate" steak for cooking out.
Also know as:
Strip Loin
Shell Steak
Kansas City Strip
New York Strip Steak
Porterhouse - The Porterhouse is a very large steak
that is actually a combination of two steaks: the New
York strip on one side and a tender filet on the other.
Many believe these to be the best of all steaks.
Also know as:
T-Bone
Short Loin
T-Bone - Named for its distinguishing T-shaped bone, this choice cut is
almost identical to a Porterhouse steak, only it doesn't have as much of the
tenderloin muscle in it. The T-bone steak is a succulent cut that is a favorite
of steak fans. It is both a strip sirloin (with the bone) and a tender filet
mignon.
Also known as:
Short Loin
Porterhouse
Club Steak
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Rib Eye - Another classic cut, the rib eye has marbling throughout the meat
- making it one of the juiciest cuts as well as very tender.
Also know as:
Scotch Fillet
Delmonico Steak
Top Sirloin - The sirloin is near the rump, so the meat's a bit tougher than
cuts from the loin or the rib. The top sirloin is a juicy cut taken from the
center of the sirloin - the most tender part - and a great cut for grilling.
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