View Poll Results: Which steak cut?
New York Sirloin
17
11.72%
Ribeye Steak
41
28.28%
Porterhouse Steak
16
11.03%
Filet Migon
58
40.00%
T-Bone
10
6.90%
Roumanian Steak
0
0%
Other
3
2.07%
Voters: 145. You may not vote on this poll
What's your favorite cut of steak?
#42
Go Giants
I had a 33 oncer the other night..... :fat:
#44
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
How do you guys like meat cooked?
Medium-well for me.
Medium-well for me.
Medium-well is a bit too cooked for me.
#45
slobalt defender
I voted T-bone, especially if it's rare.
#46
Senior Moderator
Oh. Great. So, because I like seafood more, I'm :ghey: now...?
to all you haters.
to all you haters.
#47
is learning to moonwalk i
Porterhouse. Just had one last night! It was the third in a Von's Value Pack left over from the weekend. They were all cooked over the weekend, so it wasn't as good reheated, but still hit the spot.
#48
Medium-rare is the only way to cook steak...char it on high heat on both sides and let it rest 5 minutes.
Medium to well done is just an abomination. The juices are almost all gone and so goes the flavor. Beef jerky is a fraction of the cost of a steak if you want to avoid blood.
Medium to well done is just an abomination. The juices are almost all gone and so goes the flavor. Beef jerky is a fraction of the cost of a steak if you want to avoid blood.
#49
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by CrockPot
Moog...where do you go in SoCal for steaks? Please don't say Ruth's Chris.
I've had better steaks in Northern Cali, and mid Cali.
One of the best places I've had steak in Cali is in the town of Nipomo (near Pismo Beach) Jockos Steakhouse
The best steaks I've had were in Chicago, and surprisingly Vegas.
#50
Yeehaw
Originally Posted by Yumchah
Oh. Great. So, because I like seafood more, I'm :ghey: now...?
#53
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by BEETROOT
I'm with you man, I'll take seafood any day. I made salmon last night that was fantastic.
And yeah, it was great!
#54
Moderator Alumnus
Well, I'm not going to get into this discussion other than adding this in... this is for you guys who want the perfect filet or rib-eye every time. Nice crust outside and a perfectly cooked buttery inside.
For the instructions below... (actual write-up is quoted)
I use one plate per steak, the plate being just slightly larger than the steak. And I usually only cook 2.5-3" thick filets (or bigger) using this method. But it would be great for a 1.5-2" thick rib-eye as well.
Any of you who cook 2-3" thick filets will GREATLY appreciate this write-up.
p.s.
If you are one of those guys who can't STAY in front of the grill while the meat is cooking, you shouldn't be grilling... 30 seconds can make or break (ruin) a rib-eye or fillet. A small investment of $40-60 for a instant meat pen is worth it... unless your a professional cook you need one.
Since I know most of you are lazy, I'm going to summarize the method (best method for grilling good meat to medium rare) Oh ya, and for you cheezy balls cooking past medium rare he explains WHY it ruins the meat scientifically
gas grill
----====----
purchase a good meat pen, like this... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...emichaelupdate
1. turn gas grill on HIGH, let it warm up 5-10m. LEAVE it on high, leave the meat in the fridge until the grill is heated up all the way.
2. gather one plate per steak to put the steaks on after they are cooked, bring them with you to the grill
3. take out the aluminum foil and bring it with to the grill as well
4. Put the steaks on, close the lid, flip steaks at 5m (exactly) with TONGS, close the lid
5. After 10m of total cook time pickup each piece of meat with *TONGS) and use the instant thermometer through the *SIDE* of the meat in the thickest part. If the meat is at 110 degrees it's done. If it's not put it back on for 30 seconds on the opposite side it was on last. Keep repeating this process until the meat is at 110 degrees. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR POST! Keep on the steaks every 30 seconds. I bring a small digital kitchen timer with me when I cook. It's easy to lose track of time...
6. Once they are at 110 degrees immediately put each steak on a plate by itself and *SEAL*the steak in by cover the place with aluminum foil so there is no air leakage.
7. leave the steak to sit and finish cooking for 10-15m in it's own heat
8. remove aluminum foil after 10-15m and let meat rest for another 3-5 minutes
----====----
For the instructions below... (actual write-up is quoted)
I use one plate per steak, the plate being just slightly larger than the steak. And I usually only cook 2.5-3" thick filets (or bigger) using this method. But it would be great for a 1.5-2" thick rib-eye as well.
Any of you who cook 2-3" thick filets will GREATLY appreciate this write-up.
p.s.
If you are one of those guys who can't STAY in front of the grill while the meat is cooking, you shouldn't be grilling... 30 seconds can make or break (ruin) a rib-eye or fillet. A small investment of $40-60 for a instant meat pen is worth it... unless your a professional cook you need one.
Since I know most of you are lazy, I'm going to summarize the method (best method for grilling good meat to medium rare) Oh ya, and for you cheezy balls cooking past medium rare he explains WHY it ruins the meat scientifically
gas grill
----====----
purchase a good meat pen, like this... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...emichaelupdate
1. turn gas grill on HIGH, let it warm up 5-10m. LEAVE it on high, leave the meat in the fridge until the grill is heated up all the way.
2. gather one plate per steak to put the steaks on after they are cooked, bring them with you to the grill
3. take out the aluminum foil and bring it with to the grill as well
4. Put the steaks on, close the lid, flip steaks at 5m (exactly) with TONGS, close the lid
5. After 10m of total cook time pickup each piece of meat with *TONGS) and use the instant thermometer through the *SIDE* of the meat in the thickest part. If the meat is at 110 degrees it's done. If it's not put it back on for 30 seconds on the opposite side it was on last. Keep repeating this process until the meat is at 110 degrees. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR POST! Keep on the steaks every 30 seconds. I bring a small digital kitchen timer with me when I cook. It's easy to lose track of time...
6. Once they are at 110 degrees immediately put each steak on a plate by itself and *SEAL*the steak in by cover the place with aluminum foil so there is no air leakage.
7. leave the steak to sit and finish cooking for 10-15m in it's own heat
8. remove aluminum foil after 10-15m and let meat rest for another 3-5 minutes
----====----
This is a topic that could easily take a couple articles to cover the bare essentials - but I'll try to see if I can summarize the key useful info.
It depends on a variety of factors, but probably the most important factors are the cut, the quality of the cut, and the temperature to which the cut has been cooked (in no particular order).
Cuts from the back are generally more tender because the muscles have been used less. A couple examples are: tenderloin (including the filet), top loin (such as New York strip), and rib (like a rib-eye or delmonico steak). A rib-eye steak has more intramuscular fat than a filet and this will also affect the tenderness and flavor. A filet (the choicest cuts from the tenderloin) is almost always the least used part of the least used muscle and is therefore very tender. However, it doesn't contain a lot of intramuscular fat, so it tends to have a less beefy flavor than other cuts. Another factor of having less fat is that when cooked to the point where the proteins tighten up, there isn't any fat to melt into the steak and lubricate it, so you lose a key factor in how tender the meat feels to your mouth when cooked beyond rare. The rib-eye has more intramuscular fat (the distribution of which is referred to as marbling) and so tends to have more flavor and a more tender consistency when overcooked (i.e. beyond medium-rare).
The quality of the meat is determined by three main factors - the age of the cattle when slaughtered, the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat, and the aging process of the meat. I will skip the first factor (almost all cuts you will be buying are from young cattle - older cattle produces meat for canning, hamburgers, and commercial meats) and briefly explain the other two. The marbling is important because of the affect of fat as it melts and spreads through the cut during the cooking process. It brings flavor and a perceived sense of tenderness. The more marbling, the higher the quality of beef and the higher the USDA grade (Prime has more marbling than Choice which in turn has more then Select). Be aware that many popular supermarkets have recently taken to branding their beef (usually USDA Select) to bolster sales of lower cost cuts at a higher price point. It's probably best to examine your steaks and look for ample amount of white flecks of fat dispersed liberally throughout the cut than follow fancy sounding supermarket labelling. The aging process also serves to tenderize beef. Generally supermarket beef is wet aged (sealed in a vacuum bag and refrigerated for a couple weeks) to allow the natural enzymes to begin decomposition of the tough proteins - naturally tenderizing the beef. In the U.S. almost all beef sold is wet aged to provide tender beef. Some places will dry age (sometimes they will wet age and follow it by dry aging) where the beef is not vacuum packed and is hung in a refrigerated compartment or room where humidity and temperature are controlled to allow the enzymes to do their work without the meat going bad. This is typically done for about 14 days for more supermarket dry aged beef (if you can find a market that carries it) to up to 1-2 months depending on how lucky you are and how much you are willing to pay. Dry aging yields a superior flavor (dry aging enhances the flavor of beef while wet aging does not) and tenderizes effectively. Unfortunately dry aging takes up space and results in a significant loss in edible beef as the exterior of the cut drys during aging and must be cut away by the butcher before sale. Therefore, dry aged beef is more expensive - but more flavorful and usually more tender than the standard wet aged beef.
Finally, we come to the cooking part. After selecting a cut that maximizes your chances of tenderness (let's say a USDA Prime filet or rib-eye that has been dry-aged for 3 weeks), you'll want to make sure you don't overcook it. An accurate and fast meat thermometer (such as a ThermaPen) is a vital tool for hitting the exact same temperature window every time because (unless you cook steaks everyday) it's difficult to tell how fast the temperature is rising in a steak as your cooking because, between two different meals, your steaks may be a different width or shape or the starting temperature may be drastically different... anyway, what temperature are we aiming for to achieve maximum tenderness? I'd say 125°F at the center. At this point, the proteins have just begun to tighten and form the tell tale striations that reveal that water has just begun to be squeezed out. Further cooking will cause the muscle fibers to continue to tighten and more and more water and juices will be lost. Cuts with more intramuscular fat will help mitigate the loss of tenderness. Most people's tastes tend to lean toward a more cooked steak at around 135-140&176;F - but the steak has become noticably less tender at this point - which is considered medium-rare to medium. Thicker steaks make it easier to sear the outside forming a brown crust while the inside doesn't overcook. Steaks thinner than 2-in. often have a tendency of being unpredictable and disappointing (either the outside is perfect and the inside overcooked or the inside perfect and the outside laking the rich, brown crust that is the only reason that makes a steak better than a slow roast).
To accomplish a 125°F, you should grill on the high heat. With a gas grill, that's basically as much heat as you can muster. On a charcoal grill, build a two level fire with a generous amount of lump charcoal. When the initial fire has burned down a bit, slap the steak down and leave it for five minutes. Using tongs, flip the steak over and leave it again for five minutes. Pick up the steak with tongs, insert the instant read thermometer from the side (through the part of the steak that is perpendicular to the grill) and measure the middle of the largest muscle of the steak (the coldest part). Take it off the grill to rest once it hits 110°F. If it hasn't hit 110°F, place the steak on the cooler part of the grill and check again at regular intervals (every 30 to 60 seconds). Keeping your steaks refrigerated until grill time also helps as extra insurance that you won't run past the designated temperature as you sear the outside. Cover the steak with a tent made of aluminum foil and wait ten to fifteen minutes. The unevenly heated steak (very hot on the outside, 110°F on the inside) will even out the temperature a bit, causing the interior to warm up to about 120-125°F - perfect.
It depends on a variety of factors, but probably the most important factors are the cut, the quality of the cut, and the temperature to which the cut has been cooked (in no particular order).
Cuts from the back are generally more tender because the muscles have been used less. A couple examples are: tenderloin (including the filet), top loin (such as New York strip), and rib (like a rib-eye or delmonico steak). A rib-eye steak has more intramuscular fat than a filet and this will also affect the tenderness and flavor. A filet (the choicest cuts from the tenderloin) is almost always the least used part of the least used muscle and is therefore very tender. However, it doesn't contain a lot of intramuscular fat, so it tends to have a less beefy flavor than other cuts. Another factor of having less fat is that when cooked to the point where the proteins tighten up, there isn't any fat to melt into the steak and lubricate it, so you lose a key factor in how tender the meat feels to your mouth when cooked beyond rare. The rib-eye has more intramuscular fat (the distribution of which is referred to as marbling) and so tends to have more flavor and a more tender consistency when overcooked (i.e. beyond medium-rare).
The quality of the meat is determined by three main factors - the age of the cattle when slaughtered, the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat, and the aging process of the meat. I will skip the first factor (almost all cuts you will be buying are from young cattle - older cattle produces meat for canning, hamburgers, and commercial meats) and briefly explain the other two. The marbling is important because of the affect of fat as it melts and spreads through the cut during the cooking process. It brings flavor and a perceived sense of tenderness. The more marbling, the higher the quality of beef and the higher the USDA grade (Prime has more marbling than Choice which in turn has more then Select). Be aware that many popular supermarkets have recently taken to branding their beef (usually USDA Select) to bolster sales of lower cost cuts at a higher price point. It's probably best to examine your steaks and look for ample amount of white flecks of fat dispersed liberally throughout the cut than follow fancy sounding supermarket labelling. The aging process also serves to tenderize beef. Generally supermarket beef is wet aged (sealed in a vacuum bag and refrigerated for a couple weeks) to allow the natural enzymes to begin decomposition of the tough proteins - naturally tenderizing the beef. In the U.S. almost all beef sold is wet aged to provide tender beef. Some places will dry age (sometimes they will wet age and follow it by dry aging) where the beef is not vacuum packed and is hung in a refrigerated compartment or room where humidity and temperature are controlled to allow the enzymes to do their work without the meat going bad. This is typically done for about 14 days for more supermarket dry aged beef (if you can find a market that carries it) to up to 1-2 months depending on how lucky you are and how much you are willing to pay. Dry aging yields a superior flavor (dry aging enhances the flavor of beef while wet aging does not) and tenderizes effectively. Unfortunately dry aging takes up space and results in a significant loss in edible beef as the exterior of the cut drys during aging and must be cut away by the butcher before sale. Therefore, dry aged beef is more expensive - but more flavorful and usually more tender than the standard wet aged beef.
Finally, we come to the cooking part. After selecting a cut that maximizes your chances of tenderness (let's say a USDA Prime filet or rib-eye that has been dry-aged for 3 weeks), you'll want to make sure you don't overcook it. An accurate and fast meat thermometer (such as a ThermaPen) is a vital tool for hitting the exact same temperature window every time because (unless you cook steaks everyday) it's difficult to tell how fast the temperature is rising in a steak as your cooking because, between two different meals, your steaks may be a different width or shape or the starting temperature may be drastically different... anyway, what temperature are we aiming for to achieve maximum tenderness? I'd say 125°F at the center. At this point, the proteins have just begun to tighten and form the tell tale striations that reveal that water has just begun to be squeezed out. Further cooking will cause the muscle fibers to continue to tighten and more and more water and juices will be lost. Cuts with more intramuscular fat will help mitigate the loss of tenderness. Most people's tastes tend to lean toward a more cooked steak at around 135-140&176;F - but the steak has become noticably less tender at this point - which is considered medium-rare to medium. Thicker steaks make it easier to sear the outside forming a brown crust while the inside doesn't overcook. Steaks thinner than 2-in. often have a tendency of being unpredictable and disappointing (either the outside is perfect and the inside overcooked or the inside perfect and the outside laking the rich, brown crust that is the only reason that makes a steak better than a slow roast).
To accomplish a 125°F, you should grill on the high heat. With a gas grill, that's basically as much heat as you can muster. On a charcoal grill, build a two level fire with a generous amount of lump charcoal. When the initial fire has burned down a bit, slap the steak down and leave it for five minutes. Using tongs, flip the steak over and leave it again for five minutes. Pick up the steak with tongs, insert the instant read thermometer from the side (through the part of the steak that is perpendicular to the grill) and measure the middle of the largest muscle of the steak (the coldest part). Take it off the grill to rest once it hits 110°F. If it hasn't hit 110°F, place the steak on the cooler part of the grill and check again at regular intervals (every 30 to 60 seconds). Keeping your steaks refrigerated until grill time also helps as extra insurance that you won't run past the designated temperature as you sear the outside. Cover the steak with a tent made of aluminum foil and wait ten to fifteen minutes. The unevenly heated steak (very hot on the outside, 110°F on the inside) will even out the temperature a bit, causing the interior to warm up to about 120-125°F - perfect.
#55
My Garage
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by YOTH
What the heck is Roumanian Steak? Anyone had this before?
#56
Senior Moderator
And from my experience, Alberta beef up here in is quite good...Always a treat when I dine out in an Edmonton or Calgary steakhouse.
#57
is learning to moonwalk i
I prefer medium, but usually end up overcooking my steak because the woman doesn't want any blood.
One guy I know likes is bloody rare. His instructions were "Just whipe the steers ass before you walk it by the fire."
One guy I know likes is bloody rare. His instructions were "Just whipe the steers ass before you walk it by the fire."
#58
Senior Moderator
iTrader: (5)
Originally Posted by wstevens
I disagree. The eating experience combines both taste and consistency. Fliet has a much better consistency than ribeye. If done correctly, fliet literally melts in your mouth. The taste is not as robust, but the taste+consistency overall is better.
Also, if the filet is bacon-wrapped, not only is it easier to cook to a melt-in-your-mouth consistency, but the bacon also intensifies the natural flavour of the meat.
Also, if the filet is bacon-wrapped, not only is it easier to cook to a melt-in-your-mouth consistency, but the bacon also intensifies the natural flavour of the meat.
My wife had a bacon-wrapped blue cheese filet the other day and couldn't stop raving about it.
Filet all the way for me... with rib-eye a close second...
#59
Go Giants
Originally Posted by dom
#60
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
chateau briand.
#61
Interesting. Interesting.
Originally Posted by dom
Thank god. I just presumed you take your steak very seriously.
Best steak(s) I've ever eaten were in Montana and the cut didn't matter. Even a shithole sports bar had better steak than anything I could find around here.
Best steak(s) I've ever eaten were in Montana and the cut didn't matter. Even a shithole sports bar had better steak than anything I could find around here.
I had a nice steak at Barbarian in Toronto. Then again, that was in like 1997.
#62
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
How do you guys like meat cooked?
Medium-well for me.
Medium-well for me.
may god smote your soul.
that's a fuckin sin Jesal.
#64
Originally Posted by juniorbean
My wife had a bacon-wrapped blue cheese filet the other day and couldn't stop raving about it.
Filet all the way for me... with rib-eye a close second...
The best filet mignon I had was in a restaurant in Montreal. It had a light peppercorn sauce and it was spectacular!
#65
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
Originally Posted by wstevens
That's filet mignon...just not, well, fileted.
it's the very center of a filet, and you get 2 servings of briand per cow.
#66
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
oh, and SiGGy, USDA Prime is GARBAGE meat when compared to CDN AAA.
#67
Senior Moderator
And of course, if you wanna cheat the system and get two cuts...T-bone is your steak. Half tenderloin and half striploin (well almost half and half...striploin side bigger).
It's prolly no-duh-Sherlock info...but, no one has said it yet.
It's prolly no-duh-Sherlock info...but, no one has said it yet.
#69
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Astroboy
oh, and SiGGy, USDA Prime is GARBAGE meat when compared to CDN AAA.
#70
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
I think i have to say that Genuine Kobe Beef makes for the best steak on the planet though. The imitation CDN stuff isn't far off either.
#71
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Astroboy
I think i have to say that Genuine Kobe Beef makes for the best steak on the planet though. The imitation CDN stuff isn't far off either.
Argentinian?
#72
Moderator Alumnus
Originally Posted by Astroboy
oh, and SiGGy, USDA Prime is GARBAGE meat when compared to CDN AAA.
I'm not sure where that came from... I didnt' suggest it, nor did the chef who wrote the article. It was just used as an example?!?!
I could take you to a butcher here that would blow your mind. They dry age their meat 3-4 weeks and it's all from their own cattle they feed. And you have choice of 4 different breeds of cow
#73
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Astroboy
I think i have to say that Genuine Kobe Beef makes for the best steak on the planet though. The imitation CDN stuff isn't far off either.
#74
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Astroboy
may god smote your soul.
that's a fuckin sin Jesal.
that's a fuckin sin Jesal.
Well it depends how big it is. If its a smaller piece like an 8oz then i get it Medium. Otherwise its medium-well for me
#75
Go Giants
Originally Posted by Astroboy
I think i have to say that Genuine Kobe Beef makes for the best steak on the planet though. The imitation CDN stuff isn't far off either.
#76
Interesting. Interesting.
Originally Posted by Astroboy
wrong!
it's the very center of a filet, and you get 2 servings of briand per cow.
it's the very center of a filet, and you get 2 servings of briand per cow.
Meh. Comes from the same part of the cow. Interestingly, interestingly, some say that Chateaubriand is actually a recipe for the tenderloin cut, and not itself a specific cut of meat.
#79
Senior Moderator
Speaking of Kobe beef...had the real McCoy version once ever in Taipei back in 2001...
The only other 2 times I've had in NA, I believe they were "Kobe-styled" beef and not "Kobe" beef.
The only other 2 times I've had in NA, I believe they were "Kobe-styled" beef and not "Kobe" beef.
#80
likes it raw
Originally Posted by Astroboy
I think i have to say that Genuine Kobe Beef makes for the best steak on the planet though.