Very overdue update.... Making the perfect steak.
Wow... been several months since I've done an entry. I have a short break to read a few entries and maybe just to post something of mine.
The new job has consumed much of my time, even Robin barely see's me. But not only the new job but my freelancing work has been so busy. I've certainly made more money this year than previous years, so I'll have to be very careful with my taxes this year. Recession, what recession? I'm glad to be busy and thankful of the support I get from my wife and family.
There's too much to catch-up on, so I won't. If you want to ask me the next time we see each other, I'd rather share that in a more social atmosphere rather than posting here. So on that note, I will share something.
After three tests with this new technique, I think I can safely say this is the perfect steak preparation method.
In the past I've had some of the most amazing steaks while in NYC. Hard to beat them, even locally the steakhouses here do an okay job but no where near that level. So it has been an ongoing quest of mine to make the perfect steak.
So here we go.
Three simple rules to remember when making the perfect steak, which I will call the three 'S's
Selection
Seal
Season
Selection: Selecting a decent cut doesn't mean you have to be a butcher or beef expert. Choose a cut that is lean but has some marbling of fat. If it has a chunk of fat on the edges, don't fret. That's what trimming is for. Aged beef and AAA is always going to be better, but as long as it's a cut from the porterhouse area of beef (strip loin, tenderloin, T-bone, fillet minion), it's pretty hard to go wrong. Make sure the thickness is at least 3/4" thick, for this method, 1" is the best.
Seal: So I've tried so many different ways to prepare a steak. Also I thought that grilling on an open fire is the best way to make a steak. Well this technique makes a perfect steak without needing a BBQ and almost trumps it in quality. You're going to use an old fashion frying pan. Well seasoned iron or non-stick pan is all you need. First drench/marinade your steak in oil. I recommend a canola oil or what i use which is expensive, but much healthier is grape seed oil. You need to marinade it a minimum of 10 minutes and recommend 30 minutes in oil. Drain it until there's just a thin layer of oil on it. Here's where the magic starts. Heat the pan on high and put your steak in for 1 minute. Searing the meat isn't actually what seals it (that's what massaging and marinading it in oil does), it's what flavourizes it.
Season with coarse salt, and I highly recommend using sea salt or kosher salt (very difficult to over salt with any of these two). You don't need anything else, no garlic, no onion, no steak spices...but if you want to, go ahead and add it, but I recommend trying it once this way before you season it further. It will smoke, so make sure you have fan on and I'd also recommend a spatter guard. If you're getting a lot of smoke, watch out that you're not burning your steak. Reduce your heat a touch if it is burning. After 1 minute, turn your heat down to medium. 2.5-3 minutes on that side for medium-to medium rare, 5 minutes for well done. Flip over your steak (DO NOT CUT INTO IT, very important that you don't) and turn back the heat to high for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes.
If you want to be extra decadent and this is what they do in New York, add Butter to the steak on the last minute of cooking.
That's it. Pepper and serve. I'm absolutely certain that this will be the best damn steak you've ever had.
Enjoy.
The new job has consumed much of my time, even Robin barely see's me. But not only the new job but my freelancing work has been so busy. I've certainly made more money this year than previous years, so I'll have to be very careful with my taxes this year. Recession, what recession? I'm glad to be busy and thankful of the support I get from my wife and family.
There's too much to catch-up on, so I won't. If you want to ask me the next time we see each other, I'd rather share that in a more social atmosphere rather than posting here. So on that note, I will share something.
After three tests with this new technique, I think I can safely say this is the perfect steak preparation method.
In the past I've had some of the most amazing steaks while in NYC. Hard to beat them, even locally the steakhouses here do an okay job but no where near that level. So it has been an ongoing quest of mine to make the perfect steak.
So here we go.
Three simple rules to remember when making the perfect steak, which I will call the three 'S's
Selection
Seal
Season
Selection: Selecting a decent cut doesn't mean you have to be a butcher or beef expert. Choose a cut that is lean but has some marbling of fat. If it has a chunk of fat on the edges, don't fret. That's what trimming is for. Aged beef and AAA is always going to be better, but as long as it's a cut from the porterhouse area of beef (strip loin, tenderloin, T-bone, fillet minion), it's pretty hard to go wrong. Make sure the thickness is at least 3/4" thick, for this method, 1" is the best.
Seal: So I've tried so many different ways to prepare a steak. Also I thought that grilling on an open fire is the best way to make a steak. Well this technique makes a perfect steak without needing a BBQ and almost trumps it in quality. You're going to use an old fashion frying pan. Well seasoned iron or non-stick pan is all you need. First drench/marinade your steak in oil. I recommend a canola oil or what i use which is expensive, but much healthier is grape seed oil. You need to marinade it a minimum of 10 minutes and recommend 30 minutes in oil. Drain it until there's just a thin layer of oil on it. Here's where the magic starts. Heat the pan on high and put your steak in for 1 minute. Searing the meat isn't actually what seals it (that's what massaging and marinading it in oil does), it's what flavourizes it.
Season with coarse salt, and I highly recommend using sea salt or kosher salt (very difficult to over salt with any of these two). You don't need anything else, no garlic, no onion, no steak spices...but if you want to, go ahead and add it, but I recommend trying it once this way before you season it further. It will smoke, so make sure you have fan on and I'd also recommend a spatter guard. If you're getting a lot of smoke, watch out that you're not burning your steak. Reduce your heat a touch if it is burning. After 1 minute, turn your heat down to medium. 2.5-3 minutes on that side for medium-to medium rare, 5 minutes for well done. Flip over your steak (DO NOT CUT INTO IT, very important that you don't) and turn back the heat to high for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes.
If you want to be extra decadent and this is what they do in New York, add Butter to the steak on the last minute of cooking.
That's it. Pepper and serve. I'm absolutely certain that this will be the best damn steak you've ever had.
Enjoy.