Sunday, May 18, 2008

The perfect steak


I have been working on this for many years.. I love to grill, BBQ and cook but when it comes to what a man should do best, hands down it has to be Steak. I am sure that it is something left over from the caveman days. Uuugghh, me kill something, me cut off big piece and throw it in fire.. me pick it up right out of fire and burn ones fingers, (OK that might be just me..)

That is a Man's way.. Super easy (I said easy not Lazy!) Nothing fancy just meat and flames..

Well like I was saying, I have been working on doing it right for awhile, reading cook books, experimenting and I think I have it.

The perfect steak starts at the store. You must pick out the perfect piece of meat. The piece needs to have marbling of fat in it. ESSENTIAL to good steak, the more marbling the better. Look at the picture to the left. See the white flecks in the meat, that is what I am talking about. These guys would make great steaks.

About two hours before you are ready to cook, you need tenderize your steaks, you can use a knife or whatever to stab holes in the steak to soften the meat it also allows the marinade to soak in. Next place the steaks in a bowl of teriyaki sauce and put back in the fridge for an hour (you really don't want to have them in there any longer then a hour or the meat will start to take on too much teriyaki sauce which is super salty.

After you hour is up, take the steaks out of the sauce and place on a cookie sheet and (depending on your taste) cover with a good amount of Montreal steak seasoning. I like alot on mine but it is up to you. You can also at this point sprinkle on a little parsley for color. Now this might sound weird but you want to leave the steaks on the counter for the next hour, it will bring the temp of the meat up to room temperature so that the grill is not such a shock to the meat.

Half hour till cooking time - go start the grill, I like to get my RED hot before I cook my steak. If you know where the hot spot on your grill is use it, the hotter the better, heck Ruth's Chris cooks their steaks in an 1800F broiler and serve it on a plate at 500f. I wish I had that kinda power, I think I am lucky if I get 600-650 out of my grill.

OK now it is go time, get your game face on because the next 5 minutes of your life will be an intense one (OK maybe I am playing it up a bit, I like to be serious at this point so it makes my wife think that I am really working hard.) There are some rules you must understand about these five minutes.

Rule #1 - Use a watch
Rule #2 - Flip it once
Rule #3 - Use a watch
Rule #4 - LET IT SIT

OK I place my steaks on the hottest part of the grill as fast as I can so I can close the lid again faster to keep the heat in. I look at my watch when the meat is placed, 1 and half minutes I open the lid and relay the steak by rotating it 45 degrees or so to give it that criss-cross restaurant look. I put the lid back down ASAP. and let cook for remaining 1 minute or minute and a half depending on thickness of steak. Once I reach the 2 and half to 3 minute mark. I flip the steak. Cook out the remaining 2 and half to three minutes and take the steaks off the grill. (don't forget to turn off the gas)

The last part of making the perfect steak is the most important. LET IT SIT. When the meat is on the grill the juices inside the meat are brought to near boiling and if you cut into it when it is right off the grill all the juice will run out. I let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then you are ready for heaven.

One thing to think about, the 2 and half minutes per side will give you a rare to medium rare steak, if you like it cooked a little more only add about half minute to 1 minute per side no more.

Well if anyone reads this and tries let me know how it goes, I am interested to hear your results.

Eat Well and Enjoy Life

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