How to cook a steak.

#21
A little kosher/coarse salt sprinkled on the outside before cooking is also a good idea. Never squish it with the spatula. In fact never use a spatula for a steak...cheap spring loaded metal tongs are great. I always can tell an amature griller by the type of tongs they use. The fancier and longer they are, the worse the chef.
 
#23
I've enjoyed lurking in these food threads, so I thought I'd contribute something back. I've spent a bit of time figuring this steak problem out over the years, and so long as your dealing with a pretty tender cut like ribeye, I would say just make sure you do 2 things with the procedure, assuming you have a thick, quality steak.

a) Use intense heat. If your stove isn't 15,000 btu like a restaurant burner, get a heavy cast iron pan very, very, hot, and cook the steak on that with the flame going full blast. The juices from the steak need to hit the pan and evaporate immediately so that a brown, caramelized crust can form, and that won't happen if the pan isn't hot enough to get rid of the moisture seeping to the meat's surface because of the heat. The reason is the temperature where the steak meets the pan is limited to about the boiling point of water unless all the water there is boiled up on contact, and the crusting/carmelization process happens at least 20-30 degrees above the boiling point of water. By the time the water evaporates in a not so hot pan, the steak will be overcooked and will have lost too many juices.

Heavy iron pans store up heat from a weaker stove, and can strike more intesenly for a longer period, so water doesn't pool up and "steam" your steak, robbing you of a tasty crust. Nothing beats a wood fire or grilling a few inches over hot coals though, since they are dry, intense heat sources, and since the smoke likes to stick to the fat and flavor it.

b) Make sure the steak is close to room temp before grilling. Cold steak = burnt outside, tough raw inside. Grilling a ribeye steak that is cold from the refrigerator is a mistake. You'll burn the outside before the inside can get all pink, buttery and tender. A cold steak will also cool your pan too much and you'll end up steaming your steak if your stove is like typical stoves and doesn't have enough power cut through the moisture once the pan has lost its temperature. In a pinch I will put a steak on low power in the microwave for just a few seconds right before cooking, to get it barely warmer than room temp, but I usually pre-warm on the low temp side of the grill or in the oven for a couple minutes before the actual grilling. Make sure you cook a steak right away if you pre-warm it, otherwise let it sit out for 45min before cooking.

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If you want an intense indoor heat source that is pretty foolproof to control, get a portable "induction cooktop" from the asian grocery or ebay. It heats a pan almost instantly and you can dial in a pan temperature for it to sense and maintain. They only work with iron/magnetic pans and don't have an element that gets hot, they use electromagnets to heat pans directly, and can surge in a lot of power directly to a pan when cold food hits it. They cost around $150, but are worth it.

The Sunpentown SR-1881 model provides a lot of bang for the buck. It can be had for $140 on ebay.
http://www.amazon.com/Sunpentown-SR-1881B-Induction-Cooktop-Black/dp/B0001AOBVI/
 
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#24
For indoor grilling. I prefer combination cooking. I start off the steak on the stovetop and finish it off in the stove.

Use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. You don't even have to spend time seasoning a cast-iron skillet anymore, they are now sold preseasoned.

For a straight forward steak, season a steak bought to room temperature with kosher salt and pepper, wait a minute or two and let the salt crystals dissolve into the skin, give a quick pat with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Brush with olive oil and place into a hot pan that begins to smoke and sear 2-3 minutes on each side to develop a nice crust. Transfer to a preheated 350 degree oven and cook 6 to 8 minutes (depending on thickness) for a medium-rare to medium steak. By transferring the seared steak to the oven, you're using indirect heat to finish cooking your steak. The steak will be more tender because of the indirect heat method as opposed to cooking it all the way on the stove top, the direct heat method, which can toughen up a steak.
 
#25
I'm a big steak lover so I like to add a little more.

Pick a steak with a decent amount of marbling such as shell steak/New York strip. Ribeye has more marbling but is also more fattier than a shell steak.

There are many ways to finish off the steak. The lime idea mentioned above is good, a little water or beef stock in the pan to scrape up the crystalized brown bits for an au ju. Finishing it off with butter or heavy cream are also tasting alternatives but do raise the fat content.

I prefer to use spice rubs. They add a ton of flavor but no extra fat. Try this spice rub guys I've included. It's one of my favorites. Sorry if I'm getting carried away but it really tastes great. Season your steak with salt and pepper and press the rub it into the steak, let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes so the rub will stick to the steak better and use 1-2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil in the pan to give the steak a good sear. Sear it and transfer to 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Enjoy.

Memphis Rub

1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on airtight, and shake to mix. Store away from heat or light for up to six months. Makes about 1/2 cup.
 
#26
A great quality cut of steak like a prime Porterhouse cut about 1 1/2 inches thick needs very little in terms of seasoning. I pepper it and use kosher salt only. My grill gets up to about 600 - 650 degrees. 8-10 minutes on one side, flip it and 8 minutes on the other. I keep an eye on it as it's cooking to prevent flame ups from scorching the meat.
 

billyS

Reign of Terror
#28
Finishing it off with butter or heavy cream are also tasting alternatives but do raise the fat content.
Okay I tried this tonight with a New York Strip. After broiling it (one flip) while the bottom was still light brown I heated a large skillet (heat on high) and threw in a few tablespoons of salted butter then added some garlic powder. I tossed the steak in and it sizzeled. one flip and both sides were crusted. The inside when I cut it on my plate was still rare and juicey. It was the best home cooked steak I've had in years. Thanks VirKodo. And thanks for all the other suggestions. I will probably try most of them.
 
#29
Best Steak I ever had

1. use good meat--I like the butcher shop at bryant & cooper in Roslyn on LI.
2. A nice well marbled cut like bone in rib eye or NY strip work well.
3. dry rub the steak with Tony Chechere's creole seasoning
4 pre heat oven to 350
5. pan sear all sides of steak in a good pan that can be placed in oven after searing.
I use an all clad grill pan, but an all clad style knockoff would also work.
6. place pan with steak in oven.
7 cook 15 1/2 minutes for rare
add 1 minute for medium rare
8 30 sec more for medium
9 take steak out and let sit 3 minutes
10 pour the chateau neuf du pape red wine that you opened to breathe at step 3
11 enjoy
 
#30
The new Foremans have this feature also -- I purchased my second Foreman earlier this year.

I tell you what was a disaster trying to grill in the Foreman -- fish. Maybe just my "culinary capabilities" but I tried that once only.
This grill I mentioned is marketed as a fish roaster. It has a carbon disk on top that absorbs odors so the room never smells like fish. I have used it hundreds of times for the past 11 years and it still works great and I believe I will have it for another 10 at least. Fish, any kind of steak, poultry, pork, vegetables - everything comes out perfect. I made grilled portobello mushrooms the other night and it was then better than any restraunt.
 
#31
Lou, could you expand on this some more, I've never heard of this finger rule before.
The finger rule is a kitchen rule to determine the temp of the meat w/o cutting it open to see if it is still red inside. That puffy part on your palm under your thumb is the reference area. You press there to get a comparable feel for the meat. Open palm, rare, thumb to first finger, MR, etc. If you want a med cooked steak, touch your thumb to your middle finger, press in that area on the palm of your hand, then compare it to pressing on the meat you are cooking. If you want a MED cooked piece, they should feel about the same when pressed. It's an old restaurant kitchen trick. Screw the timers or the thermometer, this is the best method to get the desired cooked meat.

The more I think about it, I think that is how the Palm steak house got their name. Yeah, I know they use a Palm tree, but what does that have to do with steaks? I'll have to dig to prove my theory.

Here's a visual reference if I am still confusing you:

http://lifehacker.com/software/grilling/determine-the-doneness-of-a-steak-267250.php

They missed a step tho. It should be no finger, then first, second, third, fourth
 
#33
Okay I tried this tonight with a New York Strip. After broiling it (one flip) while the bottom was still light brown I heated a large skillet (heat on high) and threw in a few tablespoons of salted butter then added some garlic powder. I tossed the steak in and it sizzeled. one flip and both sides were crusted. The inside when I cut it on my plate was still rare and juicey. It was the best home cooked steak I've had in years. Thanks VirKodo. And thanks for all the other suggestions. I will probably try most of them.
Glad I could help. Cooking is kind of a hobby of mine, so if you ever have any questions, I'll be happy to help.
 
#34
Still open?

Hey, if this thread is still open - if anyone is still reading it - I have some good information.

I'll check to see there's any new activity and, if so, I'll set aside some time and give you my two cents.
 
#35
the threads are always open, unless you see a padlock to the left of the thread. sometimes threads just die off, but post away, it'll bring the thread back to the top.
 

billyS

Reign of Terror
#37
Hey, if this thread is still open - if anyone is still reading it - I have some good information.

I'll check to see there's any new activity and, if so, I'll set aside some time and give you my two cents.
Please lets hear it. I've gotten a lot of great info and I thank everyone who has contributed to this thread.
 
#38
to cook a good steak you need a charcol grill; no briquets real charcol.

Start it. Season the steak as you prefer

cook it: And for G-D's sake, no more than medium rare. Pittsburg rare is outstanding.

Let it rest.

Slice it / Server it.
 
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