Axxe55
Retiretgtshit stirrer
one thing that has turned me off on most steakhouses, is the high price and not getting the steak i really wanted when i ordered it. i have found out that i can cook one just as well, actually even better than some of the top chef's simply because i know exactly what i want in the finished product.
now here are my ideas on the perfect steak and how to cook them to make the perfect steak to eat and enjoy. i know that others may have different methods and that's totally fine. these are just my methods of what i know turns out what i consider the perfect steak.
first of all, the first step IMO is the most important, since it's the main ingredient, the steak! first you need a good cut of meat with the perfect amount of fat to meat ratio. it needs some fat IMO, since that is part of what gives the steak it's flavor and moisture. some people will trim off some of the fat along the edges if there seems to be too much. personally, i like it there and leave it. if possible, find a small grocery store with a meat department that will cut meat items to order. these are becoming harder to find, but they are out there and the meat is IMO way much better than any you will find in the big chain grocery stores. i like mine at least an inch to an inch and quarter in thickness. to me that is just about the perfect thickness for any steak. much more than that, it's a roast! sirloin, porterhouse, ribeye, or t-bone, makes no difference. choose what you like. and there are other great cuts as well, like a New York strip, or a Kansas City strip or flatiron. so go out and find that little grocery with a meat department and find your perfect steak!
next important thing for me is the fire in the grille. gotta have lots of hot fire to cook a steak. this is grilling, not smoking meat! i use a combination of charcoal briquets and hardwood. adds a little more heat with the coals when the hardwood burns down, plus adds some bit of smokey flavor to the steak. just adds to the flavor of what i like in a steak. you can tell it was cooked outdoors, rather than in the oven under the broiler. totally different flavor profiles to me. i like to cook mine about 5-6" off the coals, once they have become coals.
next, is the seasoning. now, i use a couple of different methods of seasoning for my steaks, but, what i do adhere to is simpler is better when it comes to steak IMO. one is just simple sea salt and course ground black pepper. that's it. another one i like is garlic pepper and sea salt. sometimes if i want to amp things up a bit, i will use some Cajun blackening seasoning. love the flavor of that seasoning, and it works on so many different types of meat that you might grille outdoors. that stuff is awesome tasting. then i like my meat to rest after seasoning at room temp for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking on the grille. i use to years ago, would marinate a steak before grilling it, but i haven't done that in close to twenty years now. the only steak i will marinate anymore is steak i'm grilling for fajita's. that's it. now after the steaks are at room temp or close, and right before they go on the hot grille, i lightly spray them with vegetable oil on both sides and place them on the grille. you should hear a loud sizzle if the grille is properly hot enough. now mine has an expanded metal grille, so it leaves nice pretty grill marks if it's at the right heat and hot enough as it should be. now this is where you have to find out what is the proper amount of time for your grille and your desired doneness. i like a medium to medium rare doneness for my steaks. very moist dark pink to light red in the center. i personally hate a well done steak, but i also don't want one so rare, that a good vet could have it back on it's feet in ten minutes either! some people like that. one that still bleeding and bawling! but you just have to find the perfect time to turn it over, and i personally don't like to turn mine over but once during the cooking. i also like to keep a spray bottle with water for huge flare-ups. minor ones that are cooking an singing that fat on the edges, till it's a bit dark and crusty is good. but you don't want to cook with the fire, but the coals. so a little is good, but too much fire flaring up is bad. just a little. now for me, mine come out just about perfect at 4-6 minutes a side. so about 8-12 minutes of total cooking time is just about perfect on my grille for a medium to medium rare steak.. now i like to let my steaks rest in their own juices, as well as apply some real melted butter on the top of the steaks while they are resting. i like to let mine rest about 5-10 minutes before serving. while they are resting, they are still cooking just a little bit as well as you see all those lovely steak juices running out on the plate. sheer deliciousness! now i might drizzle a bit of Worchestshire sauce on top of mine, but that's about it. some like a steak sauce. i refuse to eat a steak with ketchup. if you need ketchup with a steak, then it's poor cut of meat, and wasn't cooked properly. that is just a fact of life for me.
now i have worked long on perfecting these methods for myself, and just wanted to share them with others. my methods are not the only way to turn out a great tasting steak, but just what is perfect for me and what i have to cook steaks with over the years, and what i know that each and every time, will always turn out that great steak that we like.
now here are my ideas on the perfect steak and how to cook them to make the perfect steak to eat and enjoy. i know that others may have different methods and that's totally fine. these are just my methods of what i know turns out what i consider the perfect steak.
first of all, the first step IMO is the most important, since it's the main ingredient, the steak! first you need a good cut of meat with the perfect amount of fat to meat ratio. it needs some fat IMO, since that is part of what gives the steak it's flavor and moisture. some people will trim off some of the fat along the edges if there seems to be too much. personally, i like it there and leave it. if possible, find a small grocery store with a meat department that will cut meat items to order. these are becoming harder to find, but they are out there and the meat is IMO way much better than any you will find in the big chain grocery stores. i like mine at least an inch to an inch and quarter in thickness. to me that is just about the perfect thickness for any steak. much more than that, it's a roast! sirloin, porterhouse, ribeye, or t-bone, makes no difference. choose what you like. and there are other great cuts as well, like a New York strip, or a Kansas City strip or flatiron. so go out and find that little grocery with a meat department and find your perfect steak!
next important thing for me is the fire in the grille. gotta have lots of hot fire to cook a steak. this is grilling, not smoking meat! i use a combination of charcoal briquets and hardwood. adds a little more heat with the coals when the hardwood burns down, plus adds some bit of smokey flavor to the steak. just adds to the flavor of what i like in a steak. you can tell it was cooked outdoors, rather than in the oven under the broiler. totally different flavor profiles to me. i like to cook mine about 5-6" off the coals, once they have become coals.
next, is the seasoning. now, i use a couple of different methods of seasoning for my steaks, but, what i do adhere to is simpler is better when it comes to steak IMO. one is just simple sea salt and course ground black pepper. that's it. another one i like is garlic pepper and sea salt. sometimes if i want to amp things up a bit, i will use some Cajun blackening seasoning. love the flavor of that seasoning, and it works on so many different types of meat that you might grille outdoors. that stuff is awesome tasting. then i like my meat to rest after seasoning at room temp for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking on the grille. i use to years ago, would marinate a steak before grilling it, but i haven't done that in close to twenty years now. the only steak i will marinate anymore is steak i'm grilling for fajita's. that's it. now after the steaks are at room temp or close, and right before they go on the hot grille, i lightly spray them with vegetable oil on both sides and place them on the grille. you should hear a loud sizzle if the grille is properly hot enough. now mine has an expanded metal grille, so it leaves nice pretty grill marks if it's at the right heat and hot enough as it should be. now this is where you have to find out what is the proper amount of time for your grille and your desired doneness. i like a medium to medium rare doneness for my steaks. very moist dark pink to light red in the center. i personally hate a well done steak, but i also don't want one so rare, that a good vet could have it back on it's feet in ten minutes either! some people like that. one that still bleeding and bawling! but you just have to find the perfect time to turn it over, and i personally don't like to turn mine over but once during the cooking. i also like to keep a spray bottle with water for huge flare-ups. minor ones that are cooking an singing that fat on the edges, till it's a bit dark and crusty is good. but you don't want to cook with the fire, but the coals. so a little is good, but too much fire flaring up is bad. just a little. now for me, mine come out just about perfect at 4-6 minutes a side. so about 8-12 minutes of total cooking time is just about perfect on my grille for a medium to medium rare steak.. now i like to let my steaks rest in their own juices, as well as apply some real melted butter on the top of the steaks while they are resting. i like to let mine rest about 5-10 minutes before serving. while they are resting, they are still cooking just a little bit as well as you see all those lovely steak juices running out on the plate. sheer deliciousness! now i might drizzle a bit of Worchestshire sauce on top of mine, but that's about it. some like a steak sauce. i refuse to eat a steak with ketchup. if you need ketchup with a steak, then it's poor cut of meat, and wasn't cooked properly. that is just a fact of life for me.
now i have worked long on perfecting these methods for myself, and just wanted to share them with others. my methods are not the only way to turn out a great tasting steak, but just what is perfect for me and what i have to cook steaks with over the years, and what i know that each and every time, will always turn out that great steak that we like.
