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I do ours on the barbecue with a cast iron grill insert. Once the charcoal is burning correctly it's 2 minutes one side and 90 seconds for the other (Mrs S preferred, 90s a side for me). Bonus is that we don't fumigate the house with seared steak smells which is off-putting for the vegetarian Sandwich Jr.
1 min on high heat both sides then 12 minutes on medium high or up to 15 for well done
Did it suggest moving to the oven for the second part of that .... That's about the only way that's allowable.
If you left it on the hob for 15 minutes you'd be better eating your synthetic shoe leather be less chewy
Any tips on smoke control?
I use a portable induction hob outside.
Toby1 I always dry brine meat with salt at the very least. Not too much. I don’t lose moisture and for me it really aids flavour and quality.
A meat probe is a very helpful tool in making a steak cook really easy.
Picnha is awesome. I have always reverse seared it one piece and then slice for the table.
Check out Genevieve Taylor’s fire food - on Instagram - but has amazing books. She is fantastic.
mattyfez
Free MemberIt is a learning process to get it cooked how you like too..
This, 100%- the biggest thing about steak is that you can cook it in so many different ways and produce really different tastes and textures. And also that different cuts and preparations affect things even before you touch the meat. So everyone's likely to recommend what they like but even the best method won't necessarily be what you like. And it could easily be that your disappointing result would have been lovely for someone else.
With a big piece of steak ill sear it then put it in an oven on a low heat for a bit before resting
i find that this also works well with thin steaks. the great thing about this method is that even if the steak isn’t as pink as you’d like, it is still very tender.
My tips:
- buy a decent cut from a good butcher
- get the meat to room temperature
- oil lightly (rapeseed) and season well
- get the griddle smoking hot. The non stick ones don’t need any oil
- cook for a few minutes per side but don’t move the steak other than turning it once
- use a meat thermometer to get the temperature required for rare / medium etc
- whip it off the pan and onto a plate and leave for a few minutes as soon as the internal temperature is reached
Serve with booze and sauce. I find the “sauce shop” ketchups, mustards etc go very nicely with a good steak.
Grew up always being told fillet was the best cut but never being able to afford it…
When I finally made the money to afford fillet steak I realised it was a total waste of money.
Go ribeye or anything with a decent amount of fat / bone running through it for flavour.
Next up for flavour and tenderness it needs to be hung. Most supermarket stuff is not hung out for 20-30 days like at a good butcher as it’s not financially viable. Maybe some of the ranges will be - can spot good cut with deep colour and good fat marbling. Stay away from bright pink bloody cuts.
If on a budget watch the discount shelf for one of these cuts. Looking at all supermarkets I notice some pretty good cuts make it through into the Waitrose essentials range at 3 for £10. Basically takes it down to Lidl price. Quality varies massively, even at butchers.
99% of English people I know can’t cook a steak, even if they own a restaurant 😂
Most supermarket stuff is not hung out for 20-30 days like at a good butcher as it’s not financially viable.
Yep - don't do for the piece that looks all red and bleeding (assuming it is fresher) - it hasn't been hung for long enough.
Can you cook a tender ,tasty steak without spending a lot ?
So the answer is, yes, you can probably a tender, juicy steak without spending a lot... but No WAY can you do a steak to Singltrackworld-food-elitist-snobbery standards! So don’t even try! 😂😂
Ideally, You need to keep moving the steak to allow the bars, griddle, skillet, whatever to get hot again cos you want the conduction heat from the grill bars as that’s what helps form the outer crust.
Yeah you need a good sauce to hide shit steak
Sauce for the chips . It can do one on steak
At the maximum a nice jus or a chimmichurri but I dispair when I see gravy boats of sauce getting poured over steak ......then I realise most restaurants give you loads of sauce to mask the meat.
We have a peppercorn sauce but it’s really only ever for chips 🤗
Local butcher, best quality of your preferred cut, some fat marbling for flavour; a good butcher won't be selling steak which hasn't been properly hung.
Steak at room temperature, pat dry if necessary, salt seasoning.
Heavy pan - cast iron skillet or similar, no oil or butter, very hot pan and dry fry to your taste.
Don't use anything which punctures the surface as that will release juices which you want to retain in the steak; so that rules out meat thermometer (they're only useful in the oven) or a sharp knife '...to see if it's cooked'; use tongs to turn and check when its done to your satisfaction
When done, wrap loosely in foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.
The best steaks I’ve ever had are in Texas and Aussie.
Meant to mention this earlier. Yes the best tasting beef do tend to come from hormone legal countries..... Argentina being another..
.....
Ps . Those of you with a generically no brand specific pizza oven...... And a skillet.
Steaks in the skillet in the oven are a game changer. Closest I've got to propper crunchy crust steak house steaks with a soft tender (but warm) inside. 450 degrees is something your hob can only dream of .
Any tips on smoke control?
Just place a pot lid over the top. Keeps almost all of the smoke in.
As seen here -
Steak in the US, particularly in the south, relies on rubs or marinades for both flavour and tenderness and are cooked on a grill.
If you can't get steaks precut fairly thick and almost so dark brown that you think you shouldn't eat it, you could do worse than buying a roast (Sirloin or inside round) and cut thick steaks yourself. 24 hours in a marinade in the fridge to tenderize. If you have gas, cast iron pan as hot as you dare, sear each side as quickly as you can then into a 350° oven until it's done to your preference. If you don't have gas, don't bother, you can't get it hot enough.
BbQ have the perfect combo of direct heat for sear and convection for texture.
Actually, stick it in a plastic freezer bag, fill a coolbox with water at 55 and drop the bag in for an hour. Top the water up with hot water now and then so it stays around 55
Take it out and shove it in a hot pan for a minute each side
I can confirm that this works for anyone that's Sous Vide curious - then you'll go and buy a proper machine.
Not a lot of love on here for the 'Dirty Steak' straight on the coals method?
I tried it for the first time a couple of weeks back and will be doing it again.
Can't work out how to post pics from Instagram but lets see if this works - Dirty Steak
If not - i'm @instamatt1972
And keep in mind the inside of the meat is sterile, so you need only cook the outside for it to be safe to eat, even if its cooked blue.
Is that true?!? Life changed! Always been too scared to go blue at home in case I killed myself dead. 🙂
@Pondo it's why you can't have non well done burgers in the UK. The germ laden exterior gets smashed through the safe interior.
No... way! But it makes perfect sense - every day's a school day... 🙂
why you can’t have non well done burgers in the UK. The germ laden exterior gets smashed through the safe interior.
Why’s that different in other countries ?
Being a minced mixed product, any infection, from hands or surfaces is mixed into it and if not cooked thoroughly there is a chance of becoming ill.
But if you are sure the hands are clean, for example wearing gloves, the surfaces clean then the chance of infection is small. Not to say there isnt a chance, only it is lessened to a degree, but its pot luck if you ask me.
However, if the meat is cooked to 70c, it can still be pink inside, but properly cooked. I think in the US they will temperature control burgers by measuring the internal temp before serving. I think theres also an element of devil may care attitude going on and its down to pot luck in many places
That said, I think the case of Steak Tartare is the exception, given thats pretty much raw meat, with a raw egg yolk. That I believe is all down to hygiene, fresh steak trimmed of any surfaces before hand minced. Greg the MD of bikestation is French and a fan of that dish.
(CNN) - About nine million Americans get sick and more than 1,300 people die every year from eating contaminated food.18 Dec 2020
Forget fillet, go for rib-eye.
If you have a plate of steak (bleu 1 minute a side) and a salade made up of fresh peppers, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes and radishes dressed with olive oil what's most likely to kill you?
That said, I think the case of Steak Tartare is the exception, given thats pretty much raw meat, with a raw egg yolk. That I believe is all down to hygiene, fresh steak trimmed of any surfaces before hand minced. Greg the MD of bikestation is French and a fan of that dish.
Call me mad but the only place I ever had that was equatorial Guinea at the French cultural center.
Chef came.out with the neat and chopped it up from a fine bit of meat and mixed it Infront of us.
Strange texture , but actually quite a potent flavouring with the capers and gerkins
Oddly I've never been anywhere I trusted enough to do it since (we ate at the French cultural centre alot in the 6montha I was there and I saw alot of folk getting it served up so knew what I was getting into)
Never been brave enough to make it at home.
a salade made up of fresh peppers, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes and radishes dressed with olive oil what’s most likely to kill you?
It probably won't kill you but if you don't rinse the salad it's got a really good chance of making you sick. More cases of contaminated veggies and salad than unprocessed meat with e coli.
I used to eat chicken fried steak, which I don't do anymore.
Even if you rinse it it's still more dangerous than steak, 22% of French food poisoning is lettuce or cabbage. 🙂
Piercing your meat with a probe to check the internal temp does not release a flood of juice resulting in dry old steak - sheesh.
Piercing your meat with a probe to check the internal temp does not release a flood of juice resulting in dry old steak
Not what I wrote - probe is completely unnecessary for steak; juice is best in the steak - not in the pan; ask your local butcher.
Anyway, enjoying your probing 😉
We've learned how to cook steaks to our idea of perfection, which is seared on the outside and very rare in the middle. The secret is to buy a good piece of meat, thick, salt it well before, have it warm to start and rest it in a very warm place for 10 minutes.
So we almost never order steak in a restaurant.
If we have people round for a barbecue I usually get topside (or any cheap bit of cow), slice it like bacon and flash it quickly. You can do this on a griddle too. Rest it well and while it's properly cooked all the way through it's still juicy and tasty and I just smile enigmatically when people ask where I get this fantastic sirloin from.
some fat marbling for flavour
This, but the marbling is also going to give you tenderness. We get our best steaks from a local farmer who kills one/two Angus a year for himself and they are usually the ones that are scored down for excessive fat.
Hmmm... There is a lot of faffage here.
I find Aldi's 32 day aged ribeye or sirloin to be very good. Failing that Morrisons have a good selection. Avoid Tesco for all things meat in my experience.
Steak never sees a fridge. Coolest will be the garage but if I buy it the same day I'm going to use it it sits on the counter. Rub the steak on one side with oil and season generously. If there is fat down the side put this edge against the pan until it starts to render down then place the steak seasoned side down. Rub oil on the upper side and season well. After a few minutes, turn over the steak and leave for a few more minutes. 5 each side is plenty for the average Aldi steak.
Rest for a few minutes and eat.
It’s all in the prep, cooking and resting.
First get your meat to room temperature. When people talk about the meat being relaxed they’re talking about not rapidly expanding and contracting the muscle fibres.
Next if you’re cooking in butter use some sunflower oil first (helps minimise burning of butter). And get your pan hot. Really hot.
Sear the meat on all sides.
Cool for an equal amount of time on both sides or all sides if evenly cut.
Rest for as long as your total cooking time.
The tougher the cut of meat the longer cooking time it needs in which case the low and slow hot water method is ace.
Similar to above, salt, sous vide at 55C, pat dry, blast with a blow torch to get crust.
The method I was told and still use is having got the meat to near room temperature, use kitchen roll or similar to take the surface moisture off, salt and pepper each side then cook at a high heat in a dry pan. I originally used to turn regularly, including on the sides but don't bother now to no ill effects. For medium/rare as I like it I cook for around 3 mins each side depending on meat thickness. My wife likes medium so I add another min or so each side. Obviously depends how thick the steak is though. After cooking I wrap in foil and rest while I finish the other food so usually for 5 to 10 mins.
Cut wise I usually go for Rib Eye, my wife Fillet but Sirloin also works if it's a decent bit. I don't tend to buy Rump and usually purchase from the Morrisons butcher counter.
Don't get me wrong, more expensive cuts are lovely but for a reasonably priced, tender and tasty steak I find this method works well every time.
Which direction were the steaks facing when you cooked them?
It's the speaker cable of the culinary world 🙂
Similar to above, salt, sous vide at 55C, pat dry, blast with a blow torch to get crust.
Or flash on the BBQ instead of using the blow torch. Had Tasmanian beef this way in Melbourne one Christmas day and it was fantastic.
The best ever was the A5 Miyazaki sirloin Wagyu, but at £98 for 160g I'm glad I wasn't paying.
Pissed at an EU soiree in Brussels with my Irish counterparts (always a complete scream), the waiters came round with the food and we dived in. This tomato salady thing is weird we thought. Still, needs must. Waiter then confirmed to the food philistines that it was steak tartare. Veggie colleague horrified.
For a great, scientific, view on a lot of what has been suggested, this is a very worthwhile read:
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-pan-seared-steaks
And an accompanying article:
https://www.seriouseats.com/old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak
(Edited for 2nd link)
singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/can-you-cook-a-tender-tasty-steak-without-spending-a-lot/page/2/#post-11922997
If you are cooking a huge bit of steak - say the 1.6kg Picanha I’ve got in the freezer, using your index fingers on your thumb is not going to be helpful if you want to understand the internal temp. And reverse searing with a probe is key.
At no point is the probe causing the meat to piss juice everywhere at the beginning nor the end. 😉