How do you cook steak?

[Alan L.]

I am no expert but I have had the best luck with my Weber gas grill because I can get it to 550 degrees. I season ribeyes with olive oil, Kosher salt, and course pepper and cook maybe 5 minutes on each side at full direct heat with the lid closed. I like them medium rare, then I pour melted butter on the steaks when serving. Anybody wants their steak ruined they can stick them in the microwave and I take no responsibility for that.

My experience has been that the slower you cook a steak the dryer it will be. Takes too long on charcoal, or least it does on my Weber kettle.

No steak sauce.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I prefer my home cooked steaks, but for clients and special ocasions Morton's is top, Ruth's Chris is darned good also (but not Morton's).

Outside of that I am typically terribly dissapointed in restaurant steaks.

I will say that when I rode my Harley to Sturgis from Southern Cal back in 2000 I ate at a "joint" very close to Mt Rushmore. It was a cross tavern/restaurant, plywood floors rustic furniture, etc. The advertised deal was a $12.95 T-Bone dinner (Baked tater, salad, veg and a T-Bone).

It was heavenly. I went back the next day also with friends. over 1" thick cooked to exact specs, and fork tender. Just as good a a Morton's pretty much.

Num num num...:licking::licking::licking:
I can still taste it if I close my eyes and remember...:licking::licking::licking:

Be well,
David

 

[jimmyj]

Here's my method...

Gas grill. Charcoal's nice but takes too much advance planning; I'm not that well prepared!

Set all burners to HI and let BBQ achieve equilibrium. Should be over 500 degrees F.

I prefer NY Strip steaks. Should be at room temperature. Preferably never frozen, but if frozen must be fully thawed and at room temp.

Take the orders from your guests, ranging from medium to rare. If anybody wants theirs cooked more than medium well, give them a hotdog.

With BBQ cracking hot, put all the steaks on the grill, lined up in the same orientation. After 2 minutes, flip them all 180 degrees left, and turn down the temp to MED.

After 2 more minutes, take off the rare steaks and put them on a clean plate.

In 2-3 minutes, flip the ones on the grill 180 and rotate 90 so grill marks form little squares. Put the rare steaks back on the grill, flipped and rotated.

In about 2 minutes, flip and rotate everything 180 and 90.

Finish until each one is the right firmness for what your guests ordered. Should be abetween 1 and 3 more minutes, max.

A chef taught me a trick to check "doneness". I have heard some others do this too. Let me see if I can describe it. ...

With your left hand, close your thumb and index finger so they touch at the tips, like you're making the "OK" sign. Now with your right index finger, press the fleshy part of your left hand between the thumb and index finger knuckles. Feel how soft it is. That's how a very rare steak feels.

Now touch the thumb to the pinky finger. See how much the flesh firmed up? That's how a medium well steak feels. The longest finger gives you rare, ring finger gives you medium.​

Remove each one when it has hit the correct "doneness", and let stand 3-4 minutes before serving.

This is about how I do it when I do it properly. Usually I get distracted and overcook the things which I hate. I prefer medium rare and no steak sauce.

I love the comment about the hot dog.

As for steak houses, I enjoy steaks from the "Keg" but I don't know if there are Keg restaurants in the US. I've eaten in a lot of very highbrow fancy pants places and rarely was I impressed. Too much fancy odd crap in tiny little portions.

 

[BKBrown]

I'm going to add this to the mix ---- there is a BIG difference in Grazed (Grass Fed) Beef and the Feed Lot stuff you find in a grocery store. The Grazed and maybe minimally finished with grain is much better tasting and MUCH better for you !
NY Strip at room temp then Seared on both sides and only rare to medium rare -- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper. NO Steak Sauce !

 

[two_bit_score]

I'm going to add this to the mix ---- there is a BIG difference in Grazed (Grass Fed) Beef and the Feed Lot stuff you find in a grocery store. The Grazed and maybe minimally finished with grain is much better tasting and MUCH better for you !
NY Strip at room temp then Seared on both sides and only rare to medium rare -- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper. NO Steak Sauce !

We had a great steak place in The Woodlands named Tesars where you could get either grass fed or grain fed beef. You even had that choice on your hamburger, which was delicious either way. They ad a special where you could get two small NY strips one grass fed and one grain fed so you could compare bite by bite. I sure miss that place.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

As many different ways to cook a steak as there are cooks, but I'll add my two cents worth.

First, you have to have a good cut of meat. I will go with prime when I can afford it, but at $18 to $24 a pound, I usually have to settle for choice. It's good too. If it's not aged beef, it doesn't hurt to let it sit in the frige for 3 or 4 days. The cheaper cuts of meat are almost always tough and dry.

Second, I like a steak with a bone in it; my first choice is a bone-in ribeye. T bones and Porterhouse are great also; they're like eating a filet and a strip steak all in one. The bone, in my opinion, adds something to the flavor. A steak should be about one and one quarter to one and one half inches thick.

Third, I used to never put any seasoning, but now I use some lemon pepper, but sparingly. I like to let the steak sit out for a couple hours with the lemon pepper and come to room temp. before cooking.

Lastly, I cook my steaks on a webber kettle. I use a mixture of Mesquite, Pecan and Blackjack woods for smoke...but sparingly, especially the Mesquite. I add it just before the steaks go on. I use plenty of charcoal and I wait until the coals are medium high temperature ( when I can hold my hand about 2 inches from the coals for no more than about 3 seconds...). The steak will sizzle, but not vigorously when you put it on.

I have had my best luck by cooking the steaks for about 6 to 7 minutes on a side, that gives you a medium to medium rare steak. With experience, you can get pretty close to what you want as far as doneness is concerned. We all have to develop the sense for when the thing is cooked like you like it. It works for me, expecially with a big bowl of fried Okra and a cottage cheese/pear salad.

Dennis

 

[jimmyj]

I do agree that meat with the bone it is tastier. And the best beef I've ever had was raised by a neighbor. Like home raised eggs, nothing like them either.

 

[massey990]

Something I have not seen mentioned but is used by many steak houses is dry powdered mustard, it tastes nothing like yellow or brown mustard. In fact it really has little or no flavor but what it does is bring out the natural flavor of the beef. even more so than salt and pepper.

A chef at (world famous) Berns Steak house in Tampa told me that is the only seasoning they ever put on their meat.

For what it's worth "Berns" was rated second best this year (#1 last year), Lugers was rated #7.
Best - Top 10 Steakhouses in the United States

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I'll have to try the mustard. I know it's an ingredient in some BBQ rubs and BBQ sauces.

 

[brin]

My Dad used to shake hot pepper sauce on steaks before putting them on the grill...I have done that as well and it brings out the beef taste but does not leave any hot taste at all..really gives a nice beef flavor...For those that don't know about hot pepper sauce...it is just your favorite peppers in white vinegar..