How to cook a good steak?

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Babbles

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2001
8,253
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I do what a lot of folks do:

Season with Kosher salt and black pepper
Sear approx 3 minutes on each side (don't move the meat after it hits the pan except to flip it!!!)
Pop into an oven approx 375 F for about 12-15 minutes to hit medium/medium-rare

Use an iron skillet if you can, but any clad pan would be fine.

Using sauces and marinades and all that biz just ruins the beauty of a slab of beef.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Never puncture the cut.

I tenderize with a meat hammer first, then rub both sides with olive oil, and liberally apply kosher salt and fresh-ground coarse pepper to both sides, rubbing it in with my hands.
 

Babbles

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2001
8,253
14
81
Oh forgot big one:

After the steak is done, let it rest for approx 10 minutes so all the yummy juices go back inside and will not all leak out when you first cut into it.
 

GroundZero

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2002
3,669
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depends on the cut of meat, how you like it cooked and many other factors....
need more info to give an opinion.
that q? was like saying how do you cook a potato?
 

LongCoolMother

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2001
5,675
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if the meat is good. even if you screw up, it still tastes good :D


i just treat myself nicely to a pound of thick cut fillet mignon every saturday :D
 

CurtCold

Golden Member
Aug 15, 2002
1,547
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Cook slow, and on a broiler, I never have liked steaks cook on stovetop, some ovens have a bottom broiler, they work nice. Also use Cavenders Seasoning. ITshould be illegal to cook and not have cavenders.
 

Novgrod

Golden Member
Mar 3, 2001
1,142
0
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Rub olive oil on both sides of the steak.
Put a dry pan on a burner on high heat.
When the pan is really hot, drop in the steak for 30 seconds, then flip it for 30 seconds on the other side.
Then, put the pan and steak into a oven that has been pre-heated to 500F.
After 2 mins, flip the steak, and do another 2 mins.


good advice but:

i prefer to add a drop of olive oil after the steak has cooked; otherwise it tastes sort of tallowy to me.

if it's a good cut of meat, here's what you need to do:

If your cast iron skillet isn't seasoned, rub it with oil and stick it in the oven at 375 F for an hour, then take it out, let it cool, and wipe it down (ideally a solid fat is best here).

take the meat out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you're going to cook it.

Take salt (ideally coarse kosher salt) and coarsly ground black pepper, and rub both over the meat. This draws some of the juice to the surface so you get a nice crust.

about five minutes before the meat hits the pan, put circa 1 tbsp peanut oil (or a similar oil that absogoddamnedlutely will not burn) in your skillet, and heat that sucker until it can't be heated any more. This would be a good time to remove the battery from your smoke detector.

Carefully place the meat into the pan--place it such that the fat end is near you, and touches first, then you lay it away from you. Watch out for splattering oil.

The rest is all up to taste: I like mine rare, so after circa four minutes on the first side and three minutes on the second side, i serve it. With thick steaks i've been known to cook it such that the middle is still a little chilly (about two minutes per side). Otherwise, take it, after the above time, and put it on a plate in an oven preheated to circa 450+ Only you don't want it resting on the plate (or there goes the crust) so put another, smaller plate on top of plate 1, upside down. Put the steak on top of the second plate. After a couple minutes (eight often works for my friends) (you can use a meat thermometer [132 is medium-rare]) you're good.

Some important notes: the thickness makes all the difference in cooking time.

You can tell how well-done it is like so: poke at it with the back of a fork. If it gives easily, like the thumb-muscle in your palm when your thumb is entirely relaxed, it's rare.

if it doesn't give much at all, like your thumb muscle when you're really contracting it, it's well-done. Most people like it about half way.

Looking at this, it looks like a whole lot of work. It isn't.

edit: babbles mentioned that you ought to let it rest. Indeed you should, for a couple minutes, and make sure it's not resting flat on a plate
 

GroundZero

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2002
3,669
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Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Damn, why did this thread float up here again.

I need a steak NOW!!!

got a whole cow coming soon, bout out of the last one....
mmmmmmmm primerib mmmmmmmm
 

LeStEr

Diamond Member
Dec 28, 1999
3,412
0
0
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Damn, why did this thread float up here again.

I need a steak NOW!!!

I hear ya. I have a HUGE craving for a nice steak right now.

 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
you should be using peanut oil instead of olive oil. much much higher smoke point.
 

everman

Lifer
Nov 5, 2002
11,288
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First marinate it for around 12-24 hrs a lemon and garlic or other herbs/spices of your choice. Then fire up the grill, greese it and heat it up really good and just lay it down on there. After about 3 mins on high heat lower to about med temp and let it cook a while, flip it and cook till there's still some pink in the middle, you don't want it extremely well done. mmm that should cover it.
 

AUMM

Diamond Member
Mar 13, 2001
3,029
0
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What are some good cuts of meat? They best one ive had so far is Ribeye. i usually buy a big pack of em and marinate them in olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, and a little sugar, and then just cook 1-2 a day. easiest and cheapest way for a college student.
 

Darein

Platinum Member
Nov 14, 2000
2,640
0
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I like to cook them on the grill with a little pepper and maybe some A1. I prefer tender cuts of meat myself.
 

Balthazar

Golden Member
Apr 16, 2000
1,834
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Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
I just put some salt and pepper on it.
Start at high temperature in the frying pan to seal the meat on both sides to keep the juices in.
I then reduce the heat slightly and cook on medium heat until done. (Medium rare)

I do prefere cooking on the BBQ.

AHHHH!
What????

Why don't you slap some Thompsons on there if you want to "seal" it.

If you'e using an Iron skillet then it's really not that hard.
Keep that b!tch on high for starters, but what you REALY need, is a good sense for it. You gotta know when it's done, you can just say "flip it now....ok, flip it now....ok flip it now".
Pepper is good, but if you'r gonna do that make a Steak Au Poivre, mmmm....
Seriously though, don't adjust the heat down, thats not a Good Thing.
Just keep an eye on it, and if need be cheat a little (something I wouldn't suggest doing once you learn how to do it right) and take a knife and stick it in the center of the steak, see if it is too your liking, if it is, flip it over, and kinda poke the center of the stake with your index and middle fingers and take note of how it feels, if thats the way you like em, that's how you can tell when it's done from now on, poke the center with your finger (kinda in a springy motion) and if it's too soft, it's not done, too hard, you are past where you wanna be.

Kinda f's up your first steak (but you wont notice unless you are a hardcore steak lover) but being able to correctly tell steak temps by feel is a handy ability.
Also like I aid find some recipes for Steak Au Poivre online, and medallions and Shrimp....mmm, two of my favorite steam meals. And the tough ingredients in both of them are the same, it just little stuff that varies (like pepper, and shrimp, and green pepper, and onions) both get flashed with brandy, both need the heavy beef stock. Both are best sauted though so forget the Iron skillet. And a gas stove is best :)
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
Originally posted by: CurtCold
Cook slow, and on a broiler, I never have liked steaks cook on stovetop, some ovens have a bottom broiler, they work nice. Also use Cavenders Seasoning. ITshould be illegal to cook and not have cavenders.

Amen...BROIL it!!! Use a bit of worstester(?) sauce or good seasons italian (I don't know cavenders...i'll try it sometime tho), and broil it for about 10 minutes, 5 on each side.

When broiled, if not overcooked, it will be soooooo tasty and tender. :)