Welcome to MoneyGrubbingLawyer. If this is your first time here, you may want to get started by learning a little bit more about me and about this site. If you like what you see, you can subscribe to receive updates by email or in a reader. Thanks for visiting!
Most people have what I call a “standardized test” food, a dish that will be ordered at any new restaurant to gauge the chef’s basic culinary skills. For me, that meal is usually a rack of lamb- it’s wonderfully simple, but open to a lot of interpretations. If a chef doesn’t have a decent rack (tee hee!), I’m not sure that I trust any other creations on the menu. A rack of lamb is also wonderfully caveman-ish and really appeals to my inner Neanderthal, but that’s a topic for another post.
But a close second “standardized test” food has to be the classic steak. Lamb takes some creativity and flare, but a steak is as simple and basic as it gets. Lamb is the LSAT of test foods; steak is the GED. Here are your study notes:
- Start with good meat - Your end product is only going to be as good as the meat you start with. Look for a steak that has been aged and is well marbled. Yes, marbling is fat, but fat equals flavour. If you’re concerned about the additional fat content of a well-marbled steak, go eat some broccoli instead. It’s also important that you pick the right cut- I’m partial to the bone-in rib eye, but a striploin (not to be confused with the sirloin) is a pretty close second. Filet mignon (or tenderloin) is filet mignon, but even though it is melt-in-your-mouth tender I find it’s a little light on flavour and prefer to save it for searing with a nice bleu cheese or bordelaise sauce. A t-bone is a bone-in striploin left attached to the filet, while a porterhouse is the same thing, just bigger. Both make excellent grilling steaks.
- Simple seasonings - You can go nuts with all the different seasoning and marinade options, and they all have their place, but if you’re looking for a classic and simple steak, you can skip them all. Coat your steak with a bit of quality olive oil, season with some decent freshly-ground black pepper and just a pinch of kosher salt and you’re good to go.
- Keep your heat high - This is one of the most important steps to getting that perfect steak. You want your heat to be quite high so that the outside will sear and sizzle. Be patient and let your grill fully heat up. The steak should sizzle as soon as it hits the hot grill, searing the outside and impressing your neighbors.
- Don’t play with your meat - Once your steak hits the grill, leave it for at least a few minutes. Resist the temptation to poke and prod and flip. You’re not doing anything helpful, you’re just playing. Let it sizzle for about 4 minutes or so, them flip it over and let the other side cook.
- Don’t overcook it! - Everybody has a different preference for the “doneness” of their steak. I’m not going to pass judgment here- people who like their steak well done are fully entitled to that, even though it’s a shameful waste of meat and possibly a mortal sin. You can measure just how well done your steak is either using a meat thermometer or the good old “hand test“. Don’t cut into the steak to check- you’ll let the delicious juices escape. When your steak is almost (but not quite) done to your liking, take it off the heat and transfer it to a plate for about 5 minutes before serving. The steak will continue to cook a little as it sits, and this will give the juices time to redistribute.
Pair your steak with a nice wine and a simple side and you’ve got a meal fit for a king.
Photo by maggi.m.
You might also enjoy:- Foodie Friday: Vij’s Chicken Curry...
- Foodie Friday: Lazy Man Slow Cooker Ribs...
- Foodie Friday: Asian-Style Seared Tuna...
- Foodie Friday: Chili and Cornbread...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Another important piece of advice is to not use a fork or other sharp object when flipping your steak…this will also allow the juices to escape. I find one of the large, long-handled metal spatulas that come in BBQ kits are useful.
This is fantastic - I love steak but I have never been very good at cooking it. Sometimes it comes out good…sometimes not…
Great tip, Dwight. Anything that keeps the juices instead your steak is a great idea. I prefer a good set of tongs over a bbq spatula, but that’s solely because of my clumsiness.
ABC - Keep the heat high and don’t play with your steak and it should come out great. Good luck!
That is a good idea about not playing with the meat till it is time to turn it over because the meat could leak juice and that could cause a flare up and you would get more carbons on the meat.If you want more recipes or if you want to take a look at the collection of tips I have for grilling you can visit http://www.cookingandgrillinoutdoors.com
Mmmmm… steak…
Well-done steak is, in fact, a sin. If an animal had to die for your dinner, at least respect it enough to cook it properly and leave some flavour in the damn thing.
It’s what I would want if cannibals cooked me.