Come on then, how do I cook a really good steak?

[welly2]

I've cooked steak plenty of times but it's never quite right. How do I cook a steak really well? And I don't mean really well done. I want it melt in the mouth, pink in the middle delicious.

Thanks!

 

[Mattress]

brush both sides with oil

sprinkle steak seasoning on each side
http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/dads-steak-seasoning-recipe

Heat grill to high, then turn down to low.

Grill 1st side till red juices start to show through

turn over and grill for another 3 minutes.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Sprinkle salt & pepper on when cold from the fridge and let get to room temp...say 30mns...

Then place on a hot pan/plate/grill and sear it well. you can the either

A ) Quickly sear the other side and stick it in the oven

B ) Leave it on the grill/plate/pan untill juices just start to come thru then flip over. Only turn once.

Both methods reuire a rest

Will depend on thickness. thicker the better. Any steak under 25mm thick is a WOFT

 

[bigmacthepunker]

Buy good quality meat.

 

[Tasspark]

Well Im no expert, but I fire up the BBQ with the two burners under the grille side and set them at about 3/4 and shut the hood.
Wait until the temp gets to 200 or so then open up the hood.
Prepare your steaks with some oil, salt and pepper and rub it in both sides.
I like mine medium, so I put mine on the hot grill for about 3 or 4 mins on the first side then about the same on the other.
Thats for supermarket thick (or should I say thin) size scotch fillets.
Turn once!
And as soon as that time is up, put them on a warmed tray and cover with foil and rest for at least 5 mins.

Works for me!

By the way, can someone give me a link to the best place to post newbie brewing questions?

 

[manticle]

1. Good cut of meat.
2. Room temp
3. Hot pan/grill
4. Season just prior to cooking. Season well.
5. Allow a good time on each side to sear and brown well. Don't be in a hurry to flip.
6. When done slightly less than your preference, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 3-5 mins minimum. It will keep cooking, the fibres will relax.
7. Cut against the grain. This ensures tenderness.

A really thick cut might need time in the oven, otherwise there'll be enough heat in the pan. Room temp is especially important for blue/rare but too cold means the outside gets a crust while the inside stays cold.
Salt on meat draws out moisture so be wary of seasoning too early. That said, the difference isn't huge between immediately before and 10 or so minutes before and good seasoning is most important. Quality salt over each side before it's seared, black pepper to taste.
Resting is very important, learning to feel how cooked meat is also important. If you can't/don't know how to feel to see how done it is, you can use a sharp knife, penetrate to the centre, hold for 2 seconds then hold the point to the flesh on the back of the hand between finger and thumb. If cold/cool, the inside will be rare, warm, med rare/med and hot well done or close to. Better used for whole poultry but can be used for anything meaty really.

 

[bradsbrew]

Tried another method over the hols. Steak needs to be at least 30mm thick.

Place in oven at low temp for 40 min. Take out and let rest. Then sear on grill.

Benefits of this way is that it is evenly cooked through the whole cut and you dont have to let it rest after it comes of the grill.

 

[welly2]

I'm going to have a steak week and try each and every one of these methods. Will let you know how I get on!

Thanks all!

 

[Flash_DG]

Welly2 i used to have the same problem with cooking steak. SWMBO wanted a Weber Q for xmas and i have now managed to master the steak and figure out what I was doing wrong. It was all to do with preheating! With the weber you need to preheat it for about 10 mins for it to work the way it's meant to, so after our camping trip i tried the same thing at home on the big bbq and bingo! Steak cooked beautifully. So make sure you get what ever you are cooking in hot hot hot

 

[dicko]

I have one word and one letter for you blokes......

WEBER Q.

Forget all that other crap... A piece of steak and pre heat the Weber to as hot as you can get it and cook it for 4 mins each side will give you a steak to die for.

And dont open the fuken' thing except to turn the steak.

And if you need it rare or varients of rare then cook it for a less time.

Mmmmmmm cheers.

 

[Mardoo]

This method breaks a whole lot of rules. If I have the chance to cook over coals (not gas) I will take it every time and use something like Manticle's version in post 6. Proper pre-heating and room-temperature meat are crucial if you go that way.

If I don't, and have to cook indoors, the method in the link is the best method I've found. When I first read it I thought I'd give it a whirl and now, after about 100 steaks, it's the only method I'll use indoors. Be sure to use cast iron. Makes all the difference. Also ideally salt flakes. Definitely not table salt.

 

[Dips Me Lid]

I do mine on my smoking grill, room temp meat, splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, sear a couple of minutes either side direct over the coals and then move them indirect to cook em through, usually to medium rare for me, gotta have some chips of your favourite smoking wood in there to, pull em off and rest a couple of minutes, done.

 

[bigmacthepunker]

I'm with Dicko. Weber Q. I'm sitting right next to it now. It's a great oven as well. It's the best gas BBQ I have had.

 

[Camo6]

I scored a huge rib eye off the old man who leases his land to a butcher and gets some choice cuts from time to time. Normally I'd cook my steak as per Manticle's post but had never cooked a 2" cut before. Ended up following this guy's method using a medium heat and rendering the steaks fat before adding butter. Best...steak...ever...
Unfortunately the wife is scared of anything cooked less than gray so I had it all to myself. Finished some brussel sprouts in the pan juices and a nice serving of potato gratin, my stomach's growling just thinking about it. Normally not one to photograph my food but I made sure I sent a pic to the old man.

 

[mje1980]

I've cooked steak plenty of times but it's never quite right. How do I cook a steak really well? And I don't mean really well done. I want it melt in the mouth, pink in the middle delicious.

Thanks!

Man make fire. Man put steak in fire. Man take steak off fire. Man eat steak.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Something no-one mentioned is aging, I like to age a steak for about 2 weeks or until it starts to go slimy and you can see the the rainbow colours on it.I like a good rare ribeye,cooked as Dicko's method 2 to 4 minutes either side in the Weber Q.
Melt in your mouth goodness, and the added adrenaline rush because you know it wasn't heated to a safe temperature in the middle.

 

[Flaminghedgehog]

Or you could try Sous vide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide.

Cryovac your meat and immerse in a accurately temp controlled water bath at about 55C for 5+ hours depending on the cut. Just sear in a very hot pan when you are ready to eat. Perfect steak every time. Pasteurized as well.

I use a slow cooker hooked up to a $15 ebay temp controller. Overshoots a bit on temp but does the job.

 

[Mardoo]

Something no-one mentioned is aging, I like to age a steak for about 2 weeks or until it starts to go slimy and you can see the the rainbow colours on it.

I used to work in a restaurant where we aged all our own meat. The ribeyes were aged until well and truly inedible on the outside, like, disgusting. Then about 20cm was cut off all around and inside, perfection. Flavor you simply can't get any other way, then cooked over apple wood. I loved the smell of the aging room!

And anyone with a vac sealer running a recirculating 2 or 3V has everything needed to do sous vide.

 

[Camo6]

+1 to aged beef. I remember a cryovacced bag of porterhouse an ab worker brought to a bbq. He'd left it in his fridge for over a week and though it made us gag when we cut the bag open, it melted in the mouth. Thank God I've got a couple of scotch fillets in the fridge cuz this thread is makin me hungreh.

 

[paulyman]

The old. Only turn once rule is rubbish. I don't know a single chef that follows it. If you want to cook your meat evenly you need to be turning it. I turn my steak every 30 seconds for about 3-4 minutes depending on who I'm cooking it for.